Central Heating

Central heating systems have a primary heating appliance, such as a furnace, located inside your home. All furnaces consist of four main components:

• Burners that deliver and burn fuel
• Heat exchanger(s)
• A blower
• A flue that acts as an exhaust for gaseous by-products.

How it works

Combustion gases are generated by the burners in your furnace and passed over a heat exchanger. Air from your home blows across the heat exchanger to be warmed. It is then blown through a system of ducts to distribute around your home.

During warm seasons your heating system works with your central air conditioning. Air is cooled as it’s blown over your air conditioning unit’s cooling coil, often attached to the exhaust of the furnace, and then sent over the same air ducts throughout your home.

When you heat your home with a hybrid heating system, you experience the highest efficiency possible, meaning lower utility bills. There are two primary ways to heat your home: a gas or oil fired furnace that resides inside your home or a heat pump (outdoor unit) paired with an air handler (an inside unit that moves the conditioned air through your ductwork).

Heat pumps are electric and can typically heat your home more efficiently when the temperature outside is 40 degrees or above. Below 40 degrees (this varies on region) a gas furnace will heat more efficiently. A hybrid system uses both a heat pump and furnace to intelligently heat your home based on temperature and utility rates for your area. And since a heat pump can also act as an air conditioner for summer months, you do not have an extra piece of equipment to purchase.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Perhaps the most serious safety concern associated with your gas burning furnace is Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal if not detected early. CO is produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels. Hence, the danger with household appliances fueled by any fossil fuel. If not properly maintained, these appliances can produce dangerous levels of toxic gas in your home.

Every year in the United States alone approximately 5,000 people are treated for CO poisoning in emergency rooms. This number is probably lower than the total of number of people affected as many individuals who suffer from the flu-like symptoms are misdiagnosed and never receive treatment.

There are three primary things you can do to protect your family from CO poisoning:

1. Make sure your systems are correctly installed. Proper installation is vital to the safe operation of combustion appliances. New appliances are equipped with installation instructions that should be carefully followed. Conform to local building codes as well. Follow manufacturer's instructions to guarantee proper venting as required. And if you doubt your system was installed by a certified technician, call Dial One Sonshine and we can have your system properly inspected.

2. Make sure your system is properly maintained. A scheduled maintenance contract through Dial One Sonshine will ensure that your heating appliances (including water heaters) are running safely and at peak efficiency.

3. Install one or more UL Certified Carbon Monoxide Detectors in your home. CO detectors measure both high concentrations of CO over short periods of time and lowe concentrations over long periods of time. Since the effects of CO can be cumulative, both methods or protection are important. Detectors are typically designed to sound an alarm before the level of CO in a victim's blood becomes crippling. Beware of low-priced detectors that change color instead of sounding an alarm. Such detectors require frequent checking and will not alert you to a sudden buildup of CO in the air.