A forced air furnace is the most common method of heating in existing homes today, as well as the most frequently installed system in new residential construction. This whole-house approach to heating was developed in the 1930s when electric blower fans were combined with coal-burning furnaces to distribute heat throughout homes. Centralizing the heat source proved more efficient than relying on multiple individual space heaters in rooms. Today, the majority of these furnaces are fueled by natural gas. 

How a Forced Air Furnace Keeps Your Home Comfortable

When the thermostat signals for heat, the furnace burner ignites in the sealed combustion chamber. Hot gases produced by the burner rise into a heat exchanger that efficiently transfers heat energy into the airflow drawn through the furnace plenum by the blower fan. As the combustion gases are exhausted through the roof vent, the heated air is pushed out of the furnace and forced through the system of ducts to all rooms in the house.  

Forced air heating is a closed loop system. Each room includes a supply vent that delivers heat under positive pressure and a return vent that pulls air out of the room under negative pressure, conveying it through ductwork back to the furnace to be reheated. The system is carefully balanced so equal amounts of supply air and return air are constantly circulating.

Advantages of a Forced Air Furnace

• Fast heating – Conveying heated air into all rooms of a home simultaneously is the quickest way to warm the entire premises.  
• Improved air quality – Filters installed in furnace ductwork clean all the air in the home as it repeatedly circulates through the ducts multiple times per day. Regularly checking the air filters and changing them when dirt begins accumulating is the best way to keep your indoor air quality high.
• Central air options – The same blower and ductwork that conveys heated air from a forced air furnace can be utilized by a central A/C system. Package systems that incorporate an air conditioning evaporator coil in the furnace plenum integrate the heating and cooling function in a single unit.

For more information about installing a forced air furnace in the Frisco area, contact Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating.