Attic Furnace Not Heating

A furnace can suffer from a drop in energy efficiency if it s in an unconditioned space such as an attic.

Attic furnace not heating.

High efficiency furnaces aren t usually recommended for an attic. A malfunctioning furnace might not be a big deal in california but when you start moving up north it can be downright dangerous when your furnace won t turn on. Because the warmer air comes from ducts that are at ceiling level in each room the unit creates a warm air fan. However not every home has a pre existing designated space for a system.

Poor insulation is usually the culprit although if you enter the attic on sunny winter day your attic space can be warmed by the sun more than your furnace. There are rarely instances when we will advise against an attic installation. An attic furnace is closer to the upper stories of a multi level home. In homes with limited space the furnace can be installed in the attic.

Air ducts lose a fair amount of heat through leakage so shorter lengths are more efficient. There is a common misconception that this is not possible for high efficiency furnaces. Most of the issues that furnace might experience in an attic are due to extremely cold weather in this poorly insulated space. In fact if you get far enough north you run the risk of all sorts of secondary problems like frozen water lines and condensation problems not to mention it s just plain cold.

Blocking air increases the air pressure in your air ducts which may both cause and worsens airflow leaks particularly at joints and seams. The heat from an attic in the furnace doesn t always feel comfortable. So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all. When your search for a new furnaces starts heating up keep in mind that not all models are created equally.

Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts. Older or historic homes for instance often featured much smaller heating systems than the modern ones we install today. Attic hvac systems save space. Well mainly it s a way to save space.

And in most cases the decision between natural gas or heating oil is already made for you based on the fuel source available for. An outdoor unit which houses the fan condenser and compressor and an indoor unit which holds the evaporator and fan. Some homeowners find that the heat which an attic in the furnace provides is not always the most comfortable way to improve an indoor environment. Essentially blocking heating vents causes your furnace to work harder and longer than it is intended to work and can shorten its life.

Most forced air models fall into two categories based on their fuel source natural gas or oil furnaces. The trick to the installation of a gas furnace in an attic space is routing the condensate drain from the attic down through the core of the house to the basement.