Furnace In Unconditioned Attic

High efficiency furnaces aren t usually recommended for an attic.

Furnace in unconditioned attic.

A furnace can suffer from a drop in energy efficiency if it s in an unconditioned space such as an attic. This drain removes the excess water that a heating system will generate. View profile view forum posts view forum threads professional member join date jun 2006 posts 36 post likes installing a 95 gas fired furnace in an unconditioned attic. Most of the issues that furnace might experience in an attic are due to extremely cold weather in this poorly insulated space.

Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts. With all that said you can generally count on attic placement being a bad idea in part because high efficiency furnaces which dominate the market today just can t function in attic space usually due to both the volume of air necessary for operation and because of safety considerations. Well mainly it s a way to save space. Attic hvac systems save space.

That moisture can freeze if it receives exposure to exceptionally cold temperatures. Ted has more than a few cobwebs in his attic. The 1 800 square foot brick ranch in climate zone 4 dates from the 1960s but the previous owner installed both a furnace and ductwork in the attic just four years ago. Because the furnace is installed in the attic so are air ducts which deliver air to your rooms.

That means having it placed in the attic or a crawl space is a bad idea because you are increasing the risk of causing. An outdoor unit which houses the fan condenser and compressor and an indoor unit which holds the evaporator and fan. According to the u s department of energy the furnace s energy efficiency can drop by 35 when installed in an unconditioned space like the attic. Most homeowners should not place a condensing furnace in an unconditioned space because the unit will produce water as it heats the air.

Efficiency losses in unconditioned spaces outweigh gains. 06 15 2007 09 55 am 1. The unconditioned space also houses his hvac system. The trick to the installation of a gas furnace in an attic space is routing the condensate drain from the attic down through the core of the house to the basement.

Ted also has inherited a powered attic ventilator. Heated air flowing through those ducts will lose heat when the unconditioned attic is cold forcing the furnace to run longer.