Selecting a new furnace for your home is a very important decision, especially in areas like Farmington, Rochester, Utica and Bloomfield where the winters are long and cold. One thing you must keep in mind when you are choosing a furnace is that bigger isn’t always better. An over-sized furnace can create a number of problems that will make you regret your choice.
- Short Cycling. Over-sized furnaces tend to run in shorter cycles, meaning that they come on and go off more often than an appropriate sized furnace would. Short cycling heats the air quickly, but it doesn’t heat it evenly, so some areas of your home will be warmer than others. In some cases, people find that they have to run their furnaces nearly 24 hours a day to keep their home warm.
- Higher Heating Bills. The short cycling tends to keep over-sized furnaces running in the warm-up phase most of the time. This means that by the time the house reaches the set temperature, the furnace turns off and then has to turn back on again once the thermostat drops. This leads to an increase in your energy costs.
- Wear and Tear. Since over-sized furnaces run a lot, extra strain is added to ductwork, which can lead to cracks and leaks. These leaks may diminish the air quality in your home. And,unfortunately, all the extra work your furnace does in order to keep your home warm will reduce the lifespan of your furnace. You may be replacing the furnace far sooner than you’d like.
- Noise. An over-sized heating system runs more often and may be noisier than a properly-sized furnace. If your furnace is designed and installed right, you will hear very little noise while it’s running.
When choosing a furnace for your home, have a professional HVAC technician conduct the load calculation so that you get the right-sized heating system for you and your family.
If you have any questions an over-sized furnace, load calculation or any other heating or air conditioning problems, contact the helpful professionals at Aladdin Heating & Cooling for assistance.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about over-sized furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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