3 Reasons To Monitor The Pressure Rating On Your Gas Furnace

Many homes across the country rely on gas furnaces to provide heat during the cold winter season. While gas furnaces can make your home more comfortable, they can become a source of stress when they aren't maintained properly.

Gas pressure is one of the aspects of furnace maintenance that homeowners have a tendency to overlook. It's important that you take the time to track the gas pressure in your furnace so that you can maintain an efficient and safe heating system within your home.

1. Prevent Inefficient Heating

The gas that is being fed into your furnace must be kept within a set pressure range in order to facilitate the efficient function of the furnace. Maintaining the correct gas pressure levels allows your furnace to complete a controlled burn, which results in the effective heating of your home. When the gas pressure within your furnace falls below the manufacturer's recommended range, your furnace can't run properly.

Natural gas is the fuel that allows a furnace to engage in the combustion process. Low gas pressure means that there isn't enough fuel being released into the furnace to accommodate your heating needs. Your furnace will have to work harder to heat your home, which can cause your energy bills to increase over time.

An HVAC technician will be able to troubleshoot your furnace and make the repairs needed to bring low gas pressure levels back up to an efficient rating.

2. Avoid High Energy Bills

Low gas pressure can cause an increase in your furnace's energy usage, but gas pressure that is too high can really cause your energy costs to skyrocket. When the pressure of the gas feeding your furnace becomes too high, your furnace must kick into overdrive to burn off the excess fuel. This typically means that your furnace will engage in longer work cycles and use more electricity and gas on a daily basis.

You won't notice any discernible changes in the temperature of your home when gas pressure levels are too high. In fact, you may find that your living space becomes slightly less comfortable because your furnace can burn off too much of the excess gas and fail to leave enough fuel to complete a proper heating cycle.

Experienced HVAC technicians are able to identify what is causing gas pressure levels in a heating system to be too high and make the repairs needed to lower the pressure levels back down to a more acceptable range.

3. Prevent Gas Leaks

The gas that fuels your furnace moves through a series of pipes and fittings before entering the combustion chamber. These pipes and fittings are rated to withstand a certain range of pressure.

If the pressure of the gas fueling your furnace becomes too high, gas pipes and fittings could sustain serious damage. The likelihood of a gas leak developing in your heating system increases when gas pressure levels rise. A gas leak releases harmful substances into the air. These substances include carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Prolonged exposure leads to fatigue, memory loss, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, and even death.

It is critical that you have an experienced HVAC technician check your heating system for leaks anytime the gas pressure levels within your furnace get too high.

Gas pressure levels can reveal a lot about the condition of your furnace. Work closely with your HVAC technician to identify a safe pressure range for your furnace, and report any variances in pressure readings to your technician as quickly as possible. Maintaining the right gas pressure will help your heating system become more safe, reliable, and efficient in the future.

Contact a local heating contractor to learn more.