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 Mobile View HEATING SYSTEMS ANTI SCALD VALVES BACKFLOW PREVENTERS BAROMETRIC DAMPERS BLUERAY Recall BOILERS, HEATING BOILER LEAKS CORROSION STAINS BOILER NOISE SMOKE ODORS BOILER OPERATING PROBLEMS BOILER OPERATION DETAILS BOILER PARTS LIST CARBON MONOXIDE/DIOXIDE CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CHIMNEYS & Flues - Asbestos Transite Pipe COOL OFF HEAT Thermostat Switch DRAFT REGULATORS - barometric dampers DUCT SYSTEMS DUCT SYSTEM DEFECTS DUCT INSULATION - Asbestos Paper DUCTS - Asbestos Transite Pipe DUST FROM HVAC? ELECTRIC HEAT ELECTRICAL POWER SWITCH FOR HEAT FLUE VENT CONNECTORS FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING FURNACES, HEATING FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES CAD CELL RELAYS DRAFT HOODS DRAFT REGULATORS FAN AUTO ON CONTROLS FAN LIMIT SWITCH What is a Fan & Limit Switch? Sensing Furnace Temperatures How to Set the Fan & Limit Control How to Test the Fan & Limit Control How to Install the Fan & Limit Control How to Wire the Fan & Limit Control SPILL SWITCHES STACK RELAYS THERMOSTATS ZONE DAMPER CONTROLS FURNACE OPERATION DETAILS GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS HEAT EXCHANGER LEAKS HEAT LOSS INDICATORS HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HEATING LOSS DIAGNOSIS-BOILERS HEATING LOSS DIAGNOSIS-FURNACES HEATING OIL CLOUD WAX GEL POINT HEATING OIL SLUDGE HEATING SYSTEM INSPECTION GUIDE HIGH EFFICIENCY BOILERS/FURNACES INSULATION MOTOR OVERLOAD RESET SWITCH NO HEAT - BOILER / FURNACE DIAGNOSIS ODORS FROM HEATING SYSTEMS OIL BURNERS OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS OIL FUEL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS Oil Odors: Leaky Oil Tank Piping OIL TANKS Oil Tank Leaks and Smells OIL TANK PIPING DEFECTS OIL TANK SLUDGE OIL TANKS, BURIED PLASTIC HEATER VENT PULSE COMBUSTION HEATERS RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid SAFETY DURING HEATING INSPECTION Safety Recalls BLUERAY Recall CHIMNEYS & Flues - Asbestos Transite Goodman HTPV RECALL Heat Recovery Ventilator RECALL Lennox WARNING Weil McLain RECALL SPILL SWITCHES STACK RELAY SWITCHES STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS TANKLESS COILS THERMAL TRACKING THERMOSTATS Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues WINTERIZE A BUILDING More Information InspectAPedia ® Home & Site Map Air Conditioning InspectAPedia Bookstore Electrical Environment Exteriors Heating Home Inspection Insulate Ventilate Interiors Mold Inspect/Test Plumbing Water Septic Roofing Structure Accuracy & Bias Pledge Contact Us |
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These photos will help you determine what kind of home heating system you have. Here we're showing heating equipment just as you'll see it in your home, with all of the access covers and panels in place. Articles at this website offer lots more detail including photos of individual heating system controls and components along with explanatory text.
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Warm Air Heating Systems - Furnaces: If the heat in your building is provided by warm air that flows out of ceiling, wall, or floor air supply registers (upper pair of photos, above left) into the occupied space, or if your heating system uses a water-to-air heating system then the air which warms the living space is probably being delivered through large or small diameter ducts, registers, air filters, and a furnace blower, and the air is being heated by a gas, oil, or electric furnace, or perhaps by a heat pump or a geo-thermal system then your heat is provided by a warm air furnace (upper pair of photos, above right). Your heating furnace may in a basement (obsolete "octopus" furnace at above right), in a crawl space (above-left), in an attic, or even in an outdoor utility closet or an attached garage. See FURNACES and for details about how furnaces work and their controls, see FURNACE OPERATION DETAILS.
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Are you sure it's a furnace and not a boiler like the one at left? If the heat in your building is provided by warm or hot metal radiators, heating baseboards containing finned copper tubing, or wall convectors that look like a radiator but contain finned copper tubing, or if heat is provided by flexible rubber, plastic, or metal tubing run in building floors or ceilings, then the warm or hot water circulating in those devices is probably being delivered by piping circulating water heated by a heating boiler, or possibly by a steam boiler or a heat pump or geo-thermal system. See BOILERS, HEATING and RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid. If your heating radiators have valves which hiss and let air escape as heat is coming on your heat is probably being delivered in pipes which circulate steam from the steam boiler up through radiators in the occupied space. See STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS . |
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The Building Thermostat senses temperature, turns on the furnace burner. The oil or gas burner will continue to run (usually) until the call for heat is satisfied at the thermostat. Heat exchanger: Hot combustion gases produced by the oil or gas burner circulate inside of the furnace's metal heat exchanger causing it to get hot. The furnace blower inside the furnace blower compartment draws returning cool air from the living area and blows it across the outside of the heat exchanger, sending the now-warmed air onwards into the occupied space. Air ducts connect and permit movement of cool air from occupied space through furnace and deliver warm air back to occupied space. Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop |
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Combination Fan & Limit Control: This control turns the furnace blower on and off at the proper times. Details of just how a warm air heating system works and how its controls function as well as how these components are inspected, tested, set, or re-set are provided at FURNACE OPERATION DETAILS |
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links at page left show where you are in our document or website.
FURNACES, HEATING
DUCT SYSTEM DEFECTS
FAN LIMIT SWITCH
FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES
CAD CELL RELAYS
STACK RELAYS
DRAFT HOODS
SPILL SWITCHES
DRAFT REGULATORS
FURNACE OPERATION DETAILS
HEAT EXCHANGER LEAKS
STACK RELAY SWITCHES
or see these detailed articles:
Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.
Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
More expert information on this topic
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Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.
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09/01/2008 - 09/05/06 http://www.inspect-ny.com/heat/Furnaces.htm © Copyright Dan Friedman 2008-1999 All Rights Reserved
