{"id":1493,"date":"2021-11-15T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robbinsheating.com\/blog\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2021-11-12T18:26:05","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T23:26:05","slug":"some-important-gas-furnace-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robbinsheating.com\/blog\/heating-service\/some-important-gas-furnace-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Important Gas Furnace Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"furnace-testing\"Do you know how your gas furnace works? You probably have a basic idea: gas burners heat the air and this air goes into the ductwork to the rooms. You don\u2019t need to have more complex knowledge than that to enjoy heat from your furnace, especially since you\u2019ll need to have professionals handle any services you need for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But you can benefit from knowing more about the basics of how your furnace works. More knowledge makes it easier to understand when the furnace is malfunctioning and requires service. It can also help you with safe practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How much your furnace can heat<\/b><\/h3>\n

First, we\u2019ll talk about heat measurement. The amount of heat a gas furnace can produce is measured as British Thermal Units (BTUs). BTUs are small, so your furnace will need to produce thousands of them to deliver comfort. Determining how many BTUs a furnace must create to properly heat a home is an important step in furnace installation\u2014professionals must \u201csize\u201d the furnace so its BTU output will be powerful enough to heat the entire home to a comfortable level, but not so powerful it will become wasteful.<\/span><\/p>\n

The heating cycle starts<\/b><\/h3>\n

Your furnace produces BTUs by combusting natural gas. But first it needs to have a signal to start the heating cycle. The signal comes from the thermostat, which connects to the furnace\u2019s control board and temperature control: these are the parts of the furnace that regulate the heat and keep the furnace operating safely. The control board activates several parts to begin the cycle:<\/span><\/p>\n