Manufacturers and retailers of gas furnaces are desperate for your business so now is a good time to get excellent value for money. But do not make the mistake of simply selecting the cheapest gas furnace that you can find. This could prove to be a very ‘false economy’.

You need to spend time assessing your gas furnace requirements in detail. For example, you must ensure that you purchase a furnace that is adequate for your heating requirements but is not larger than your needs.

You should also look at furnace efficiency because – although a less-efficient furnace would be considerably cheaper to buy initially than a higher efficiency gas furnace – the efficiency savings in long-term running costs could more than cover the higher initial cost for the more efficient furnace.

However, if you are only planning to live in your property for a few years, then a lower efficiency gas furnace may well be the more sensible economic solution.

Other factors to take into account when looking at overall gas furnace prices are the costs of regular maintenance; costs of spare parts if needed and how easily available they are; plus the cost of any extended warranties that the manufacturer and/or dealer may offer.

You also need to assess how the future price of gas will increase or decrease.

As you can appreciate, there are many factors to take into account when checking out gas furnace prices.

Save money with the right furnace

Natural gas furnace prices

By Dan Ramsey

To fix household things that break, you need to know how it works, what can go wrong, how to identify the problem, as well as the steps to fixing it. Here’s what you need to know about gas furnace repairs.

How Does It Work?

Natural or propane gas from an outside source is piped to the furnace where it is burned to produce heat. Usually a fan-driven forced-air distribution system blows the warmed air through ducts that vent into the various rooms of the house. Older gas furnaces use a standing-pilot ignition. Maintenance involves turning off the pilot each spring and relighting it each fall. Newer, more efficient gas furnaces use an electric spark to light the gas as necessary.

What Can Go Wrong?

Most gas furnaces are quite reliable. What are the symptoms of problems? The furnace may not produce heat or may not produce enough heat. The pilot light may go out repeatedly or refuse to light. The thermocouple may be faulty. The pilot may light but not ignite the burner. The furnace may be noisy. There are some maintenance and a few minor repairs that you can make. However, major service should be left to a trained technician.

Fix-It Tip

To minimize problems with your gas furnace, take time each month to check the air filter and clean or replace it if necessary. Once a year, clean the blower blades, lubricate the blower motor, and inspect the belt.

How Can I Identify the Problem?

If there is no heat, check the electrical service panel for a burned fuse or tripped breaker. Relight the pilot light (see below).

If there is not enough heat, adjust the burner air shutter (see below); and clean the burner ports (see below).

If the pilot light does not light or does not stay lit, clean the pilot orifice carefully with a toothpick, test the thermocouple and replace it if it is faulty (see below).

If the flame flickers, adjust the pilot (see below).

If there is an exploding sound when the burner ignites, adjust the pilot to a higher setting and clean the pilot orifice and the burner ports.

If the burner takes more than a few seconds to ignite, clean the pilot orifice and adjust the pilot light.

If the burner flame is uneven, clean the burner ports. If the burner flame is very yellow, clean the burner; open vents in the furnace room to provide more air; adjust the burner air shutter.

If the furnace makes a rumbling noise when the burners are off, clean the burner and adjust the burner air shutter.

If the air is too dry, wash or replace the evaporator pad if you have a humidifier; test the humidistat; and adjust the water-level float to raise the water level.

If some rooms are too cool and others too warm, the distribution system may require balancing. Refer to the Forced-Air Distribution Fix-It Guide at FixItClub.com

Fix-It Tip

Be sure your filter is the right size for your furnace.

What Parts, Materials, and Tools Do I Need?

Some replacement parts for gas furnaces are interchangeable (filters, fasteners) and available at your local hardware store. Others, such as burners and controls, must be purchased from the manufacturer or aftermarket supplier or through a heating equipment supplier listed in your local telephone book.

The primary tools you will need for fixing a gas furnace include these:

* Screwdrivers

* Wrenches

* Pliers

* Wire brush

* Multimeter

What Are the Steps to Fixing It?

To light the pilot on a standing-pilot (always on) ignition system, follow the lighting instructions located near the control. Otherwise, try these steps:

Light the pilot:

1. Press and hold the pilot control knob to start the pilot. Set the control knob to the pilot position. Hold a long match under the pilot gas port.

2. Press the control knob; the pilot should light. Hold the control knob down until the flame is burning brightly (about 30 seconds). Release pressure on the knob, and turn it to the on position.

3. If the pilot goes out when you release the control knob, try relighting, holding the control knob down longer. If the pilot again goes out, check the thermocouple (below).

Adjust the pilot:

1. Remove any cap covering the pilot adjusting screw on a combination control.

2. Turn the adjusting screw counterclockwise to increase the flame or clockwise to decrease it. It is correctly adjusted when the flame envelops the thermocouple bulb by 1/2 inch and appears dark blue with a small yellow tip.

Test and replace a thermocouple:

1. Hold the control knob to pilot and light the pilot as above.

2. Unscrew the thermocouple fitting with an open-ended wrench.

3. Set a multimeter to the DVC (lowest voltage) scale.

4. Clip one multimeter lead to the end of the thermocouple tube nearest the pilot and the other lead to the fitting on the other end of the tube.

5. If the multimeter shows a reading besides zero, the thermocouple is functioning. Replace the thermocouple tube.

6. If there is no reading, you will need to clean or replace the thermocouple following steps 7 through 11.

7. Release the control knob and shut off the main gas valve on the gas-supply pipe that leads into the burner. Shut off power to the burner at the electrical service panel .

8. Remove the thermocouple from its mounting bracket.

9. Wipe the combination control clean and install a new thermocouple, tightening it by hand, then give it a one-quarter turn with a wrench.

10. Insert the thermocouple into the pilot bracket, being careful to not crimp the tubing.

11. Turn on power to the furnace and relight the pilot (above).

Visit http://www.FixItClub.com for additional step-by-step instructions on how to adjust the burner air shutter and clean removable burner tubes and ports.

Dan Ramsey is the author of more than 30 how-to books for home owners and consumers. Dan is co-founder, with Judy Ramsey, of the Fix-It Club. FixItClub.com includes more than 160 Fix-It Guides online with simple instructions and tips on troubleshooting and repairing or recycling household things that break. Common repairs made easy. Visit the Fix-It Club at http://www.FixItClub.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Ramsey
http://EzineArticles.com/?Gas-Furnace-Repair&id=876276

Manufacturers and retailers of gas furnaces are desperate for your business so now is a good time to get excellent value for money. But do not make the mistake of simply selecting the cheapest gas furnace that you can find. This could prove to be a very ‘false economy’.

You need to spend time assessing your gas furnace requirements in detail. For example, you must ensure that you purchase a furnace that is adequate for your heating requirements but is not larger than your needs.

You should also look at furnace efficiency because – although a less-efficient furnace would be considerably cheaper to buy initially than a higher efficiency gas furnace – the efficiency savings in long-term running costs could more than cover the higher initial cost for the more efficient furnace.

However, if you are only planning to live in your property for a few years, then a lower efficiency gas furnace may well be the more sensible economic solution.

Other factors to take into account when looking at overall gas furnace prices are the costs of regular maintenance; costs of spare parts if needed and how easily available they are; plus the cost of any extended warranties that the manufacturer and/or dealer may offer.

You also need to assess how the future price of gas will increase or decrease.

As you can appreciate, there are many factors to take into account when checking out gas furnace prices.

Save money with the right furnace

Natural gas furnace prices

Natural gas prices in 2010-11

Heating your home in the winter can be a costly venture. Utility bills for gas or oil furnaces can run in the hundreds of dollars each month. In today’s economic climate, many people are looking for ways to cut back and if they can do so with regards to heating their home they will save a lot of money.

There are several options for furnaces that can save you money over a traditional gas or oil furnace. A wood furnace is one such option. Wood furnaces are highly efficient and can save you up to 75 percent in utility bills over propane. With a wood burning furnace it is important to have good filters and to change them regularly to maintain good air quality in your home. Seasoned wood is the best type of wood to use in wood furnaces because it burns longest and hottest. Seasoned wood means that it was cut and split in the previous season. When purchasing wood for your outdoor wood furnace or indoor furnace, look for seasoned wood which can be delivered to your home.

A portable furnace will save you money in maintenance costs. Most portable furnaces are filter free so there is no extra expense involved by having to buy new filters regularly. Portable furnaces use a modest amount of electricity which can save you up to forty percent in traditional heating costs. What is extra convenient about a portable furnace is that you can take it with you if you move. This makes it a good choice for people who are renting a home and are looking for a cheaper way to heat then the existing system in the house.

If you are in the market for a new furnace you should think of cost effective alternatives to the traditional furnaces used to heat homes. A wood furnace will save you a great deal in utility bills each month. A portable furnace will also save money since it uses the minimum of electricity required.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Taylor
http://EzineArticles.com/?Save-Money-With-the-Right-Furnace&id=2921251

Gas Furnace Prices takes your privacy seriously. This privacy policy describes what personal information we collect and how we use it. See this privacy policy primer to learn more about privacy policies in general.

Routine Information Collection

All web servers track basic information about their visitors. This information includes, but is not limited to, IP addresses, browser details, timestamps and referring pages. None of this information can personally identify specific visitors to this site. The information is tracked for routine administration and maintenance purposes.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Where necessary, Gas Furnace Prices uses cookies to store information about a visitor's preferences and history in order to better serve the visitor and/or present the visitor with customized content.

Advertising partners and other third parties may also use cookies, scripts and/or web beacons to track visitors to our site in order to display advertisements and other useful information. Such tracking is done directly by the third parties through their own servers and is subject to their own privacy policies.

Controlling Your Privacy

Note that you can change your browser settings to disable cookies if you have privacy concerns. Disabling cookies for all sites is not recommended as it may interfere with your use of some sites. The best option is to disable or enable cookies on a per-site basis. Consult your browser documentation for instructions on how to block cookies and other tracking mechanisms. This list of web browser privacy management links may also be useful.

Special Note About Google Advertising

Any advertisements served by Google, Inc., and affiliated companies may be controlled using cookies. These cookies allow Google to display ads based on your visits to this site and other sites that use Google advertising services. Learn how to opt out of Google's cookie usage. As mentioned above, any tracking done by Google through cookies and other mechanisms is subject to Google's own privacy policies.

Contact Information

Concerns or questions about this privacy policy can be directed to losinglays@winning.com for further clarification.

This privacy policy was generated by the Privacy Policy for WordPress plugin.