A gas furnace in Madison is a heating device which uses gas in some form as the fuel, this gas can be propane, which is stored in a tank, or natural gas delivered to the home via underground pipes.
The gas furnace works rather simply. The air which is to be warmed is in a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is a metal box arrangement which contains a pilot light which burns constantly. When the thermostat registers the need for heat, it sends a signal to open the fuel source and commence to burn. This is fully automatic so there is no need for any intervention by the homeowner other than to raise or lower the temperature he wishes to maintain in the house.
The heat which is generated in the heat exchanger enters the home through a series of ducts. The ducts go to each room and terminate in a register which can be open or closed depending on the circumstances. The hot air is moved through the ducts by a forced air fan system.
A gas furnace in Madison is an effective and reasonably efficient way to heat a house. Gas provides a very comfortable heat, somewhat different than electric heat which many say is not warm enough. Gas is considerably less expensive than electricity although with electric heat there is no need for a venting system. It is the venting system that is the source of heat loss but even with heat loss, gas is still less costly.
Many older homes were originally fitted with a gravity furnace; often times the fuel was coal or wood. These furnaces were called “octopus furnaces” because of the way the ducts were installed and their shape. For a modern gas furnace to be installed in an older home there are two options; one is to convert the gravity furnace so that it operates on gas or to install a new unit. Conversion is a tricky business as the system will also have to be modified from gravity to forced air. Installing a new furnace and duct work may be expensive, but with the efficiency of modern gas furnaces, the cost can be amortized in a reasonably short period of time.