How does the Trane Electric Furnace operate?

Just like all electric furnaces the Trane models operate using a thermostat, this is a simple device that basically acts like a thermometer reading the air temperature. The thermostat is set to the temperature you require, so that when the thermostat detects the air temperature has fallen below that setting, it automatically feeds the information to the furnace which fires up and returns the air temperature to that required. It used to be that a spring mechanism in the thermostat was used to set the required temperature and this was set manually.

The new Trane electric furnace models house a digital thermostat that features a LED readout making it very easy for homeowners to set the heat to the required temperature. If you have a multistage furnace model, the furnace may already be operating at low speed and in this case the thermostat signal simply cause the furnace to switch to a higher speed.

The Furnace Heating Coil

The Trane electric furnace contains a heating coil. This coil is the element that produces the heat that is blown through the ducts to the various rooms and areas in the house. When electricity passes through the coil it heats up and warms the air around it. In turn the heated air is forced through and blown through the ducting to all other areas.

The Trane Electric Furnace Uses a Duct and Vent System

The ducting system built inside walls and can travel all around the house using the attic etc terminating in all rooms and spaces where heat is required. In these rooms and areas the flow of heat is through a vent. If you do not require heat, for example in a guest bedroom that is used only infrequently, then the vent can be closed or left open a tiny bit. It is worth getting into a routine and using the vents only to heat the rooms you are using continuously. It will also save on fuel bills.

Air is continuously being recycled through the heating system so it follows that it can become stale and that is why in some electric furnaces air is drawn in from the outside. Although the quality of air in the home is improved, this method can result in higher energy consumption simply because the air from outside needs much more work by the furnace to warm it, than the air already in the house.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Trane Electric Furnace

The purchase of a furnace is an individual choice and there are so many things to consider. However, following these guidelines and asking yourself these question will help you to select what is best for you:

• How large a furnace do I require to adequately heat my home?
• What amount of money will my personal finances allow me to pay, also in terms of a loan?
• Is electricity the best fuel option in my region of the country?
• Does noise bother me to the extent that I need a completely silent fan?

Heat in your home can be provided by a centralised residential electric furnace, or by using zonal heaters in each room, both of these options can compose of various heater types.

Zonal heating can result in the heat being distributed more efficiently because they can be switched off when the room is not in use. Also because the heat doesn’t travel through a network of ducting that can result in heat loss.

A residential electric furnace however can accommodate central cooling which zonal heating can’t, because the air conditioning is able to share the furnaces ducting network.

Electricity is an extremely valuable and versatile source of energy. Because this valuable energy source is required for refined power equipment, such as computers, and medical life saving machinery. It should be used as efficiently as possible when being used for less refined  requirements, such has heating your house and other buildings.

Energy Saving

There are many steps that can, and should be taken to ensure you reduce your energy consumption,

whether you are heating your home with a residential electric furnace or any other method. Some of the measures include ensuring that your home is as well insulated as possible.

Consider having new windows fitted if your current ones are ill fitting and allowing air to escape from your home, use zonal heating ensuring it is switched off when the rooms are unoccupied, replace or clean filters regularly if you have a forced air residential electric furnace system.

All of these will make for a more comfortable and energy efficient home, and will save you money.

Insulation

Insulation is so very important when trying to heating costs at a reasonable level particularly in a home that is electrically heated by a residential electric furnace. The ability of insulation to slow heat flow is measured by the R-value ( “R” stands for thermal “resistance” ). The higher the R-value the better the insulation restricts heat flow. However it is important to note that although you may have a high R-value it does not necessary mean your home is well insulated.

The insulation must have been properly installed as well. If there are any gaps and voids in the insulation it will no matter how small they may be create air convection or air leaks.

If you have little or no alternative other than to heat your home with a residential electric furnace, we hope this article will help you keep snug at all times at a reasonable cost.

Electric Furnaces

Electric furnaces can be a more expensive long-term heating option because of their duct heat losses. The home’s air is delivered to the furnace through return ducts, and heated air is delivered back to the home through supply ducts. If these ducts run through unheated areas, they lose some of their heat through air leakage as well as heat radiation and convection from the duct’s surface.

Blowers (large fans) in electric furnaces move air over a group of three to seven electric resistance coils, called elements, which are each rated at five kilowatts.

The furnace’s heating elements activate in stages to avoid overloading the home’s electrical system. Overheating is prevented by a built-in thermostat called a limit controller. This limit controller may shut the furnace off if the blower fails or if a dirty filter is blocking air flow.

The way electric furnaces work is described fully in other articles on this site but primarily they consist of a resistor unit that works just like the burner of an electric stove by converting electrical energy to thermal energy. The air in the furnace is heated and blown through the ducting to other areas of the home.

Electric furnace costs are relatively low in comparison to the cost of other fuel combustion heaters, but in the long run will prove to be more expensive because of the high price of electricity.

Advantages Of The Electric Furnace

No matter how your house is configured the electric furnace is so compact, it is able to fit into almost any space, with very few installation problems the electric furnace costs for its installation are low. A big plus in favour of the electric furnace is that of safety, because it doesn’t have a pilot light to ignite dangerous gasses or chemicals, it is much safer than other furnaces.

Electric furnaces have a life span of 20 – 30 years and up to 95% annual fuel utilization efficiency.

Electric Furnace Disadvantages

The main disadvantage is the high cost of electricity, and how because of this your electricity bill will grow, particularly through a long hard winter. Steps you can take to attempt to combat such rises  is not to have the furnace running constantly, and to close the vents where the heat flows into the rooms of the house if they are not in continual use.

It is important to make contingency plans in the event of bad weather knocking out you electricity supply, as this is the time you will probably need the heat most.

Electric Furnace Costs

The average prices of an electric furnace are between $1,000 and $1500 which is far lower than other fuel combustion heaters. Unlike other heating systems the electric furnace does not have any fuel piping, and does not require a fuel storage facility to be installed.

The additional costs for installation can be anything up to $1000 to $2000 However, the overall costs of installation, and the electric furnace costs, will still be lower because of the limited equipment required.

The electric furnace is completely different from furnaces that burn fossil fuels and burnable fuels. The Coleman electric furnace is a domestic furnace and should not be confused with a furnace that is used to melt metals.

How Does A Coleman Electric Furnace Work In A House?

The basic function of any electric furnace is to keep your house temperature at a height that keeps you warm and comfortable during the winter months. Comparing a Coleman electric furnace to furnaces that burn fossil fuels shows that they are economical to run due to their unique functioning process.

Any electric furnace relies upon the thermostat to operate correctly. The thermostat acts like a thermometer. Just as the air conditioner is set to a temperature, so the thermostat is also set at a given temperature. If the temperature in the house becomes colder, this is sensed by the thermostat.

This in turn alerts the furnace which swings in to action by passing electricity through the heating coil, which heats the air being forced through it and blown through the ducts into various areas of the house until the warmth in the house is back to that required.

Mobile Home Coleman Electric Furnace

Specifically designed to be installed in a manufactured home, the Coleman electric furnace is designed to fit in a recess, or an open area. It is important to understand that where the unit is placed affects the heat distribution of the unit. A complete safety check should be carried out, and regard given to the air circulation before you decide where the Coleman electric furnace is located.

Installation Location

The Coleman electric furnace is a recessed vented unit and to adequately heat a mobile home must be placed as near to the centre of the home as possible. This allows much more air to circulate around the unit which assists greatly in its operation. Additionally, there is a much better distribution of heat throughout the home and more heat is retained. Just by placing the heater next to a wall will result in heat loss through the wall itself.

If your home has a divider or separate bedrooms the heater should be located closer to the bedrooms, which will allow for more heat near the bedrooms, helping to heat the areas which are separate from the main living area.

Do not install a Coleman electric furnace in a bedroom, closet, or in any closed structure, as the heat produced will reflect off the door and walls, preventing it from heating the entire mobile home. It also reduces the flow of heat and air around the unit and presents a fire hazard.

Remember, a Mobile Home Coleman Electric Furnace is made to heat an entire manufactured home and will produce far too much heat for a single room.

How It Works

In simple terms the electric forced air furnace works by generating heat through high resistant wires called elements. These elements carry electricity that generates the heat, and that heat is distributed throughout your home by a blower, which blows the air through the elements into the ductwork.

The elements are controlled by a single thermostat which turns the furnace on or off according to the temperature that has been set. When the electric forced air furnace switches on, the elements heat up and the air is forced over the elements and out into the air ducts through to the registers (inlet to rooms).

Registers usually have adjustable louvers to enable the direction of the air flow and the amount. The system switches off automatically when the set temperature is reached.

The air filter of the electric forced air furnace is perhaps the most important maintenance item because if it is clogged the entire system will have to work harder and run longer to deliver the required heat. It is recommended to replace or clean the filter monthly during the heating season and at least every 3 months during the remainder of the year.

Pros

There are some distinct advantages when comparing the electric forced air furnace against natural gas or oil furnace systems:

• It’s compact, quick, reliable and quiet.
• It does not produce any emissions, and does not require a flu or chimney.
• It requires very little maintenance beyond regular servicing.
• In addition, you can purchase one with a cooling coil already installed, so it can be used for cooling as well as heating and you will not require a separate air conditioner.

You will have no more worries about carbon monoxide poisoning or gas leaks in your home.

Cons

An electric forced air furnace also has some disadvantages.

Like both gas and oil furnaces, an electric forced air furnace heats the whole house rather than individual rooms and zones, which can lead to heat being wasted on rooms that are empty. Also an electric furnace can be more expensive to run than a natural gas or oil furnace.

However there are a number of ways you can make an electric forced air furnace system more energy efficient, and save on your electricity bills.

Use a Programmable Thermostat

Many heating systems have manual thermostats which you have to set and re-set every time you want to change the temperature setting. It is so easy to forget to change the setting and have your system pumping out heat when you are not at home. A programmable thermostat makes it so much easier to control your heating and save on your energy bills.

Buy the Right Furnace and Have It Installed

An electric forced air furnace that is too small for your home will leave you cool in the winter, while one that is too big will cost more to install ( larger duct work etc ) and to operate, and will add to your electricity bill by having to cycle on and off more often.

Make sure you purchase a furnace that is the right size for your home, and that all the ducting is properly installed. Badly installed ductwork could mean that some rooms are too cold while others are too hot.

Ensure you hire a contractor with the correct accreditation to design and install your electric forced air furnace. Have system inspected and serviced annually.

The type of electric furnace varies with the operating system, source of energy and the installing process of the products. We can easily figure out the difference between several electric furnaces to see the source of fuel.

The oil furnace is firstly introduced. It still exists in the present market. It is prepared with oil storing tank and drained it towards the furnace. These kinds of furnace are simply heats up and enough fuel-efficient. Though the oil is costly in the present market and creates an odd smell in the total home. If you want to buy an oil furnace, then look out for the offer air filtering. The electric furnace prices are lesser than oil based furnace.

Now you may see the wood furnaces. The wood furnaces are the oldest kinds of heating tools. The wood furnaces are mainly set up outside of the house. Now a day, the modern style has found an easy way for wood furnaces that are establishing inside the house. There is a showcase for burning of wood such as fire places.

There is other important notice for wood furnaces that it is requiring a wood storage. For that reason, you must have a big wood storage in your home for storing a huge quantity of wood. You will also need a dry place. So the wood furnaces are very costly. The electric furnace prices are lower than wood furnace.

The gas furnaces are another heating instrument. These types of furnaces do not need huge space for storage such as wood furnaces. The gas furnaces use natural gas and liquid propane. For that reason, the gas furnaces are too expensive like a heating instrument. The rate of natural gas is little expensive in the present market but the electric furnace prices is low than the gas furnaces.

The most suitable furnace is electric type furnaces. These types of furnaces do not require a store house or an enough space. There is no problem in the establishing process. They do not require any fuel tank and pipe. The amount of maintenance is cheap for an electric furnace.

Now a day, the modern electric furnaces are running with digital system. There is no risk of catching fire. The one and only notice is to look after the rate of electricity. If the electricity bill is little, then the electric furnace prices are in your hand.

So it very important to take wise decision for buying a furnace that is fitted for your house. You think again before buying a furnace. The furnace instruments are designed for 15-20 years. Now a day, the electric furnace prices are reasonable in the market.

It is more safety among all of the furnace instruments. The research on price and types of furnaces will help you to take a wise decision for buying suitable furnace for your house.