A forced-air furnace is one of the most common ways to heat a home. If you have a furnace now that's bad and needs to be replaced, choosing another forced-air furnace is probably the best choice, especially if you can use the same ducts. Other options include a heat pump, boiler, and baseboard heaters. If you choose another forced-air furnace, you might select one powered by gas since gas is often cheaper than electricity. Here are some important components of a gas furnace installation.

The Flue

A properly working flue is essential for a gas heater. Toxic gases are pulled up the flue to the outdoors so it's safe to operate the equipment inside your house. The flue connects to the furnace on one end and the outdoors on the other. Gases may be pulled out of the furnace naturally or with a draft inducer, which is a fan that pulls gas up the flue, depending on the type of furnace you're having installed.

Once the heater installation is complete, the contractor checks the flue to make sure it's working properly. However, as a safety precaution, you'll also need a carbon monoxide monitor near the furnace to detect gases if they leak out of the furnace rather than go up the flue.

Safety Switches

Another important part of a heater installation is to connect the safety switches that shut down the furnace when a problem develops. A gas heater has a few of these switches. The combustion area has a flame sensor that detects a flame to ensure gas doesn't fill the combustion chamber without a flame to light it. If the sensor doesn't detect a flame, the gas is shut off and the furnace shuts down.

The furnace also has a fan limit switch installed that measures heat. If the furnace gets too hot inside, the switch shuts off gas so the furnace can cool down. The switch also has the important job of turning the blower fan off and on based on the temperature in the furnace, so it's a small part that's critical to the operation of the heater.

The Combustion Area

The combustion area is where the heat-making process happens. It is composed of several parts that ignite a flame that ignites burners and heats up air in the air exchanger. Once your new heater is installed, the parts are clean and new, so they should be efficient. As your furnace gets older, the parts get coated with combustion byproducts and need to be cleaned regularly.

The Blower Fan

The blower sends the warm air made in the combustion area throughout your house via the ducts. If the blower doesn't work, heat won't be distributed. The blower is composed of a fan that looks like a wheel and a motor that drives it. The motor has a capacitor that helps it start up and run. All of these parts have to be installed properly and checked so your furnace keeps your home nice and warm when the weather gets cold.

For more information, contact a company like Dr HVAC, Inc.