Automatic Controls for Electric Furnaces

The automatic controls used in an electric heating system are designed to ensure its safe and efficient operation. This section is primarily concerened with outlining the operating principles of the automatic controls used with an electric furnace. These controls include room thermostat, thermostat heat anticipator and timing sequences. In a central heating system, the wall-mounted room thermostat is the control that governs the normal operation of the furnace. The operating principle is simple. The temperature selector on the thermostat is set for the desired temperature. When the temperature in the room falls below this setting, the thermostat will call for heat and cause the first heating circuit in the furnace to be turned on. There is generally a delay of about 15 seconds before the furnace blower starts. This prevents the blower from circulating cool air in the winter. After about 30 seconds, the second heating circuit is turned on. The other circuits are turned on one by one in timed sequence.

Use a heat pump thermostat or a conventional thermostat containing an electric setting to operate an electric furnace.

When the temperature reaches the required level, the thermostat opens. After a short time, the first heating circuit is shut off. The others are shut off one by one in timed sequence. The blower will continue to operate until the air temperature in the furnace drops below a specified temperature.

A typical room thermostat will have a fan switch, a system switch and a temperature selector. The temperature selector on the thermostat is used to select the desired temperature. The actual operation of the heating system is governed by the position of the fan and system switches.

Most room thermostats contain a heat anticipator. This is a device designed to assist the thermostat in controlling closer to the to the desired temperature range.

When timing sequence are used the current flowing through the first time-delay sequencer must also flow trough the heat anticipator. In order to obtain satisfactory operation, the heat ainticipator setting must be equal to the current draw of the sequencer.

The furnace manufacturer will generally recommend the setting for the heat aniticipator adjustment for each size unit. For example, this setting recommended for a Trane Model EUADH 07 electric furnace is .45. This thermostat adjustment will vary depending upon the type of time-delay sequencer used, the furnace manufacturer, and the size of the furnace. This may be illustrated by the recommended heat-anticipator setting given by Coleman for its furnace models. All Coleman 25-kW, and 20-kW furnace models require a heat ainticipator setting of .60.

After you have adjusted the heat anticipator to the suggested setting, operate the furnace several hours and observe the results. If there is insufficient heat, it may be caused by short furnace cycles. This can be corrected by moving the heat-anticipator pointer to a slightly higher setting. If there is too much heat, the long furnace cycles are overheating the structure. This can be corrected by moving the heating-anticipator pointer to a slightly lower setting. After making these thermostat adjustments, allow the furnace to operate several hours to determine whether further adjustment is required.

Atlanta HVAC Guide: Green Your Home Ideas

Written By: triadmechanical.com
Energy costs and depleted supplies force us to consider alternatives to how we lived 20 and 30 years ago. This transformation of thinking is most prevalent in our homes.  Not only are the habits of our lifestyles under consideration, but the very structure of our homes as well.  From materials to furnishings, houses are being transformed.

Remodel versus New Construction

The amount of open land available for development is less than before, so creativity is being utilized to design more compact developments, concentrating homes into multi-family structures and creating communities with shared spaces.
If you need more square footage for a growing family, staying put by increasing the footprint or adding a second story is viewed as more green than starting fresh on a new plot of ground.  In either case, careful consideration to the materials and heating systems used can have a significant impact on the environment.

Changing Habits and Habitats

From acoutrements to the house design itself, each decision to change an appliance or upgrade the finishes has greener impacts, no matter the choice of color.  Something so simple as converting light bulbs from incandescent to longer-lasting and more efficient compact florescents (the twisty tube ones) is becoming required in many communities and saves serious dollars in utility costs.
Hot water heaters can be combined with the boiler to share the energy.  More energy efficient glass can bring in more solar heat and light and hold it there longer.  Bamboo flooring only takes five years to grow, but can last 60, allowing our supply of trees to replenish.  Getting an energy efficient air conditioner can lower you energy bills during the summer.

Greening Your Home

Transforming the colors on our walls with odorless zero VOC  paints makes the chore fun to do yourself (instead of smelly and causing a headache), satisfying a need to feel accomplished and useful.  Composting left-over food to nourish our vegetable garden contributes to the effort of awareness far more emphatically than just flushing waste out of mind down the garbage disposal.

Important Air Duct Maintenance

The air ducts used in HVAC systems require very little maintenance other than periodic cleaning.  Most air ducts accumulate dust and dirt which can be dangerous as mold, fungi and dirt mites can grow in the warm dirty air ducts. Built up dirt can also become a fire hazard as it combustible materials accumulate in the ducts.  Air duct cleaning should be scheduled periodically to prevent these accumulations, especially if you live in a climate where you run heat and air conditioning.

Proper doors should be placed throughout your duct system to allow access for cleaning.  New access doors can be installed by a local HVAC company to allow you to clean your air ducts regularly.

You will want to check your ductwork for cracks, holes or other damaged areas causing leaks.  If you find cracks or holes in the return ducts you can be sure you're spending more on energy bills than necessary. If you try and patch up the cracks or holes yourself, you can almost be sure you will create a pressure imbalance in your system.  If you find cracks or holes, find a heating and air conditioning company that has experience fixing ductwork.

The last thing you want to check is the proper balance of air supply and return in your system.  You want to make sure the amount of air supplied to an area by the air ducts is equal to the amount of air returned to your furnace air handler.  An imbalance can draw allergens, dust mites, mold and other contaminants from your basement or attic into the rooms you are heating or cooling.

5 Signs It's Time to Replace Your Furnace

Written By Jeffry Ahbe

There are several quick and easy ways to know when it's time to replace your gas furnace before it costs you cash or becomes unsafe. A efficiently working furnace is part of a healthy and cozy home environment. Your heating system should heat the home without using a large amount of energy or polluting the in home air quality. Knowing the warning signs of a heating system that is on the way out is important so you can avoid an all out crisis situation in your home. Learning that your furnace is no longer; working in the middle of a February blizzard could leave your family out in the cold. Denver furnace companies are often busy in the winter months and you don't want to be waiting for repairs in a cooling home.
Do you know the age of your furnace?
Knowing how old your furnace is will help you know about how much longer you should expect it to last. The average life span of a home furnace is 17-20 years. If your furnace is approaching it's late teens, you should start looking for it's replacement. Waiting until your furnace breaks down will necessitate a quick purchase which may not be right for you. One quick way to know if your furnace is getting old is to look for a pilot light. If you find one, your furnace is well past it's life span.

Has your burner flame changed color?
If you burner flame has changed from blue to yellow, it is a sign that carbon monoxide is being created by your furnace. Other possible signs carbon monoxide is present are streaks of soot around the furnace, moisture on windows and other cold surfaces, rusting on flues and appliance jacks, and leaking from the base of the chimney.

Common Furnace Repair Problems in Fairbanks

Written By Atrol Inc

Most home and business owners know one primary thing about their furnace: that it provides heat. Pretty basic, right?

Well, in a perfect world, it really ought to be that basic, because in that perfect world, your furnace or boiler would never break down. But since they do, and since they’re complex machines, sooner or later you’re going to need the services of a professional HVAC contractor.

Here at Altrol Heating & Cooling Professional Repair, we’re all about sharing information so our customers can have a better understanding how their heating and cooling systems operate, and what might be causing a problem. So, with that in mind, here are the most common repair problems we encounter: Thermostat malfunction, Tripped circuit breake, Blown fuse, Pilot light gone out, Furnace not generating heat, Temperature swings, Blower problems

Keeping Your Home Comfortable with Heating and Air Conditioning Services

Without a heater or air conditioner in a home, the people living inside it would have to deal with the warm and cold weather throughout the year. While having these systems is going to make a home more comfortable, they have to be taken care of properly. Air conditioners and heaters need to have regular maintenance in order to stay working well. Denver heating and air conditioning services are  affordable, easy to get and will ensure these systems stay working correctly for a long time. Without regular maintenance there are a lot of things that can break down and need repaired. Some of the most important services to get for heaters and ACs include:

What Inspectors will check for when Performing Heater Maintenance Services:
1.) Thermostat 
When a service professional comes over to inspect a heating unit, they are going to look for a number of different things. First of all, they will make sure the thermostat is in proper working condition. This is important to look for because an incorrect thermostat could be wasting a lot of money throughout the year. 
2.)Vents 
From here, they will check to make sure air is flowing properly throughout the home and that all vents are properly opened. They may also inspect the condition of the filters to make sure they are in good shape.
3.) Pipes/Lines/Lights
The service professional will also look at fuses, wires, gas lines and the pilot light to make sure everything is in good shape. Most homeowners are surprised to find that they need to get small repairs done in order to make their heating system more efficient. These small repairs can prevent future damage and actually save money in Denver heating. In fact, if a service person finds there is a hole in a gas line, they could save the life of a family!