Forced-air system
What it is
The most common type of home heating system, a forced air system distributes heat from a furnace throughout the home using air ducts and vents.
Most forced air systems use central return registers consisting of one more centrally located return registers that are ducted to the return side of the air handler.
Its parts
- Air filter
- Most filters are designed to filter either particles or gases.
- Furnace and HVAC filters work to filter the air only when the system is operating.
- Supply register
- The registers for the forced air ducted system seen behind the table legs, are grained to blend with the historic baseboards. The HVAC system uses a water/air system where chilled water and steam heat are converted to conditioned air.
- A central air conditioner circulates cool air through a home using a system of ducts and registers.
- Evaporator coil
- Evaporator coil means a component of a central air conditioner that is designed to absorb heat from an enclosed space and transfer the heat to a refrigerant.
- Flue
- Have central air handling systems, including furnaces, flues and chimneys, inspected annually and properly repair cracks or damaged parts.
- The boiler flue (stack) will need to be made of stainless steel to avoid corrosion from flue gas condensate on the inner surface of the stack
- Combustion gases and particles also come from chimneys and flues that are improperly installed or maintained and cracked furnace heat exchangers.
Related pages
- Glossary: Forced-air system
Its entry, and the guide's pages that use it.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Energy. Measuring a Heating System's Efficiency.
- U.S. Department of Energy. Transfer Grilles.
- U.S. Department of Energy. HVAC Programmable Thermostats.
- U.S. EPA. Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home.
- National Park Service. Preservation Brief 24: Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings.
- U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Saver 101: Home Cooling.
- Code of Federal Regulations. 16 CFR Part 305 Energy Labeling Rule.
- U.S. EPA. Sources of Combustion Products.
- U.S. Department of Energy. Boiler Replacement Package Performance Requirements, Savings and Costs (DOE Building Technologies Office).