How Does a Furnace Work?

Home Heating Basics

Now that autumn is here and the days and nights are getting cooler, you want to know that your Hudson Valley home has a heating system you can count on. Winter will be here before you know it. Now is a good time to familiarize yourself with some home heating basics. For starters, what is a furnace? And is yours ready to keep you and your family warm and comfortable this winter?

What is a Furnace?

A furnace is a forced air system. Furnaces burn fuel like heating oil or propane to heat air that a blower fan then pushes through your home through a duct system that leads to vents. Sometimes people get furnaces and boilers confused. They both heat your home, but a boiler does it by pumping heated water or steam through your home to radiators.

The easiest way to tell if a home has a boiler or a furnace is to check for radiators and vents. A home that has radiators (or baseboards) also has a boiler. A home with vents has a furnace.

Is It Time for a New Furnace?

There’s already a chill in the air. You don’t want to find out halfway through the winter that your furnace isn’t up to the task. If you’re wondering whether your furnace can handle another winter of it’s time for an upgrade, here are a few questions to consider:

1. How old is your furnace? A high-efficiency furnace can last up to fifteen years. However, if your furnace is at least ten years old, there could be advantages to replacing it—especially financial advantages. A new high-efficiency furnace could lower your fuel bills by as much as 30% and do so while making your home more comfortable.
2. Has your furnace received annual tune-ups? The better a furnace is maintained, the longer it lasts and the less likely it is to break down unexpectedly. Bottini Fuel offers furnace maintenance that will help your heating system run as efficiently as possible for as long as possible.
3. How much are you spending on repairs? The older a furnace gets the more repairs it usually need—especially if it doesn’t get regular maintenance. Unfortunately, the repairs tend to get more expensive as well as more frequent. Generally speaking, if you could buy a new furnace for twice what you’re paying in repairs, then replacement is a better value. And you’ll save in fuel costs once you upgrade as well.
4. Is your furnace efficient? An older furnace, especially if it isn’t receiving regular maintenance, might only be 60% efficient. A new furnace can be up to 98% efficient. Especially with fuel prices tending to increase during the winter months, that difference in efficiency will show up on your fuel bills.

If you’re still not sure whether it’s time to replace your furnace, contact the experts at Bottini Fuel to schedule a comprehensive evaluation of your heating system.

Hudson Valley Furnace Professionals

Whether your furnace needs maintenance or repairs or it’s time for an upgrade, Bottini Fuel can help. We perform furnace maintenance, furnace repair, and furnace installation in New York’s Hudson Valley. And we do everything with our trademark professional, reliable, and speedy service.

Bottini Fuel has over 70 years of experience keeping our customers comfortable and safe in their homes. And with locations serving New York’s Hudson Valley as well as parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, we’re here for you.

Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a maintenance or an evaluation visit for your heating system.