Furnace In Attic Or Crawl Space

The university of maine recommends proper venting of a crawl space to prevent radon gas buildup.

Furnace in attic or crawl space.

Attic hvac systems save space. A furnace can suffer from a drop in energy efficiency if it s in an unconditioned space such as an attic. Sadly this illustration comes from the web site of the air conditioning heating and refrigeration institute ahri. What about my furnace.

Doesn t it need combustion air. The current ductwork is in the crawlspace and we are replacing it all. A furnace in the attic is a design that works for all homes. You might not receive the same air movement benefits if the unit is in a garage either.

If you don t have a crawl space or a basement then it can be a challenge to place a furnace on the ground floor of the structure. So when we have a choice we prefer hvac systems located under the house. Rarely will a sealed foam insulated attic deviate more than 15 degrees from the living space temperatures below it. There are two options.

During the fall we disconnected the old furnace and decided to install a new one in our attic space running new ductwork. An outdoor unit which houses the fan condenser and compressor and an indoor unit which holds the evaporator and fan. Don t put your furnace in the attic. Compare that with the daily 140 degree temperatures found in vented attics.

Even when furnaces are put on the main floor floodwaters often overrun the first floor causing severe damage to the unit. We are remodeling a 1950s home with a beast of a furnace in the basement crawlspace area pretty good space down there the home is about 3300 sq feet in northern california we dont get super cold here sometimes some frost on the roof lawn but that s about it. In flood prone areas instaling a furnace in the attic provides protection. Well mainly it s a way to save space.

Furnaces should be installed in your basement or a mechanical room near the center of your house not in a vented attic vented crawl space or garage. If you have a standard efficiency 80 furnace it needs to be in a vented space for proper combustion. Upgrade to a high efficiency furnace. The hvac s air pickup is in the crawl space and it spreads the radon laden air into the house.

Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts. If the crawl space does not have proper ventilation radon concentrates in the trapped air inside the crawl space. So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all. Most of the issues that furnace might experience in an attic are due to extremely cold weather in this poorly insulated space.

Things seemed to be fine until we had a sustained cold and windy period. What can you do if you want to encapsulate.