Why You Should Replace Your Old Floor Furnace

Why You Should Replace Your Old Floor Furnace

Furnaces have come a long way in only the last few decades, with many advances that have made them both safer and more energy efficient than ever before. However, many homeowners cling to the older furnaces in their home, reluctant to replace them because of concerns about expense, or because they simply don’t realize that these out-of-date models are inferior and might even be safety hazards.
If you live in an older house, you might have a gas-fired floor furnace. This is definitely something that you should consider replacing with a newer model.

What’s a floor furnace?

A simply description is that a floor furnace is a furnace that’s level with the ground floor of a home. They’re located in a small room and often don’t even use blower fans, instead letting convection currents carry the heat up through the ventilation system. These types of furnaces were often installed in Southern California homes where proper heat dispersal wasn’t a large concern because of the mild winters.

Why you should replace a floor furnace

Floor furnaces are often very inefficient, especially in homes that don’t have good insulation (often true for older Southern California homes). The heat distribution is spotty, with areas closer becoming too hot and more distant rooms left too cold. The furnaces take up extra space on the ground floor. They can also present major health and safety hazards, which is something that is true of most older furnaces, but of floor furnaces in particular.

Replacement possibilities

You may wonder what you can use to replace a floor furnace in an old home that was specifically designed for it. A possibility to consider is a ductless heating and cooling system. A ductless mini split heat pump is easy to have installed (an outdoor unit that connects to a series of indoor air handlers that are mounted on walls) and offers both safety and energy efficiency. You might also think about switching to a radiant heating system.

If you’re interested in replacing your current heater, call on Russell’s Heating & Air Conditioning. We serve Yucaipa, CA and through the Inland Empire and Desert Communities.