Did you know that furnaces can be installed as single stand-alone units? Yes, if you only need heating, you can have an AC repair company install a furnace. Standard furnaces usually have a single pipe for exhausting toxic fumes like carbon monoxide. On the other hand, high-efficiency furnaces having an annual fuel utilization efficiency or AFUE of over 95% use the two-way piping system. The two-pipe system in high-efficiency furnaces draws fresh air outside and pulls it into the furnace for combustion rather than drawing air from within the house. However, standard efficiency furnaces induct air for combustion. This air directly comes from your home.

Why Should You Install a Two-Pipe System for High-Efficiency Furnaces?

Running a high-efficiency furnace with only one pipe to exhaust combustion gases is possible. However, the two-pipe system for these units has become the preferred choice for many homeowners in recent years. It is now common to find a homeowner enlisting an AC repair company to install a two-pipe furnace as it offers the following benefits:

It Minimizes Infiltration by Outdoor Air

As mentioned above, standard furnaces use indoor air for combustion. Unfortunately, this could create negative pressure conditions in your indoor space. With the outdoors having a positive pressure, there arises a differential. This variance can result in the infiltration of the outdoor air into your indoor space through various structural leaks. In turn, this could raise the heating costs as the furnace has to run longer cycles to compensate for the outdoor infiltrating cold air. Have you noticed an increased heating cost? Enlist the assistance of a heating and AC repair company to inspect the unit, determine the issue, and fix it. If they diagnose the reason for the negative pressure, the technicians will recommend that you seal the structural leaks at your home.

The longer cycling can result in the furnace straining to achieve the thermostat set temperatures. Hence, the unit uses more energy to heat your home. The extra strain can also expose your unit to increased wear and tear. Hence, you might have to call a heating and AC repair company for a premature furnace replacement when it ultimately completely breaks down. You can avert all these issues by installing a high-efficiency furnace with two-way piping. In these units, the outdoor air is inducted through dedicated piping. This reduces the infiltration of outdoor air into your home, ensuring more comfort. This also means that your home will be heated at a lower cost.

Preserves Combustion Components

Did you know that the contaminant concentration in the indoor air is higher than that of the outside? According to the EPA, various air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher in indoor air than in outdoor air. In some instances, indoor air pollutants can even be over 100 times higher than outdoors. The high levels of indoor air pollutants are of great concern as some people spend over 90% of their time in their homes or offices (indoors). How can your AC repair company help you address these indoor air pollutants?

To begin with, ensure that your furnace or air conditioner is working efficiently. This means keeping it maintained regularly. This maintenance includes things like duct cleaning, indoor air quality tests, and even replacing the filters. Ensuring air filters are clean will greatly help reduce the pollutants. You can also talk to your AC repair company about installing HEPA filters with a high MERV rating.

You can install an air purifier to take your efforts a notch higher. Thus, regularly change the filters and clean the air ducts. The indoor air usually contains vapor pollutants emitted by aerosol, detergent, and cleaning products. It also is contaminated with the volatile organic compounds or VOCs released by carpets, paints, and other sources. Mold, dust, pollen, and pet dander are also common pollutants. If these pollutants are burnt in the furnace’s combustion process, the residue might coat the sensitive parts of the furnace, such as the ignitors and sensors. Thus, they will not be able to function efficiently, resulting in uneven indoor air heating. When this happens, you need to call an AC repair company and ask them to send a technician to inspect, service, and clean the furnace.

Maintains Air Balance

Many homes have components that exhaust the stale indoor air to the outside, like the kitchen and bathroom vent fans. The water heaters burn the indoor air too. However, having a heating and AC repair company install a two-pipe high-efficiency furnace that draws outdoor air and uses it for combustion, you avoid adding another source that removes indoor air. Hence, the outdoor/indoor air balance is maintained.

Reduced Recirculation of Combustion Gases

When you have a heating and AC repair company install a two-pipe system and there’s minimal recirculation of the combustion gases. This is because the unit uses a dedicated pipe to draw combustion air from the outside and another to exhaust the combustion gases. By eliminating the recirculation of combustion gases, the unit’s efficiency increases further, and there is a reduction in the amount of heat lost in the exhaust gases. Two-way high-efficiency furnaces separate exhaust gas and combustion air, reducing the energy needed to heat the air.

Improved Combustion Control

The highly efficient two-pipe system allows for more precise combustion process control. This reduces the likelihood of incomplete combustion and enhances efficiency. This is partly because a two-way high-efficiency furnace can draw the air needed for optimal combustion. This results in a cleaner and more efficient burn. Hence, if you have been dealing with incomplete combustion issues in your standard furnace, it is time to call a heating and AC repair technician and shift to a two-way high-efficiency unit.

Do you need to replace your standard furnace with a two-pipe high-efficiency unit? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Prescott.

See our previous blog on this topic here.

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