Furnaces are the most commonly used heating systems in the country. The most popular type of furnace is the gas furnace (natural gas or propane) followed by oil furnaces. Regardless of your energy source, there are two other furnace configuration terms to consider when comparing home furnace air intake options — downflow and upflow.
Air intake options are needed since different homes require different furnace types. The air intake of the furnace, downflow or upflow, is dependent upon where the furnace will be located, which is contingent on your home’s design.
Downflow Furnace
Downflow furnaces receive air intake at the top, heating the cool return air, and then pushing the newly heated air down through the supply ducts. Downflow furnaces are installed in homes that don’t have a basement. Downflow furnaces are generally located in the attic and force air down through diffusers in the ceiling. However, downflow furnaces may also be located in furnace rooms on the ground floor if there’s a crawlspace for supply ducts.
Upflow Furnace
Upflow furnaces receive air intake at the bottom, heating cool return air and pushing the newly heated air up to your living space through supply ducts and registers. Upflow furnaces are installed in homes that have basements and are generally preferred over downflow furnaces for overall comfort and efficiency.
More Efficient Airflow
The reason upflow furnaces are generally considered a favorable choice is because of the simple fact that heat rises. So, it makes sense that you want your heated supply air to go with the flow, so to speak, and rise up to your living spaces. Moreover, the logical place to place return grills is on walls or floors, which is where cooler air is located. This creates a shorter journey back to your upflow furnace.
If you have any questions about comparing home furnace air intake options, please contact Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. We have been providing exceptional customer service and quality products for Dayton area residents and businesses for over 35 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “ARENA-Creative/Shutterstock”
