There are two very harmful attitudes that come into play when homeowners select furnaces for installation. The first is that “bigger is better,” and that they should go for the largest furnace that will fit. The second is that the size doesn’t matter one way or the other, and that a smaller furnace will do just as well as a large one. If you’re not careful, either one of these could lead to replacing your furnace early. Let’s take a look at what happens when your furnace isn’t properly sized.
Oversized
Furnaces are designed to heat a home over a certain period of time, by putting out a certain amount of output. It’s a lot more complicated than it sounds, and by putting an oversized furnace in a home that’s too small for it, you throw the system off balance. An oversized furnace will often short cycle, as it turns on to heat the home and turns off far sooner than it was designed to. This puts added stress on the system, eventually causing it to break down.
Undersized
An undersized furnace will be forced to operate for much longer than it was designed to do, as it struggles to heat the home. The stress of operating for a longer period of time will drastically shorten the lifespan of the furnace, eventually causing parts of it to start breaking down. Just like the oversized furnace, an undersized furnace will end up not only inefficiently heating the home, but breaking down far earlier than it should. You should always consult with a professional to make sure that your furnace is properly sized before installing it in your home. It will save you quite a bit of money in the long run.
If you need furnace services of any kind, call Sunset Air. We offer a full range of furnace services throughout Olympia, WA.