Choosing a Furnace System

These days, home owners search for all the value they can find in every
household purchase they make. You're probably no different.

So when the time comes to replace a furnace in an existing central
heating system, or to install a totally new system, you want
equipment that minimizes costs and delivers dependable comfort
for your family - season after season.

Here's a look at some things to consider.

What do Good Furnaces Have in Common?
Which Furnaces are Energy Efficient?
Are some furnaces better than others?



What do Good Furnaces Have in Common?
The best furnaces are efficient. They keep a home warm and
comfortable. They provide steady, dependable performance year
after year. And they are quiet, long-lasting and low in service
frequency and cost.
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Which Furnaces are Energy Efficient?
When a furnace loses or wastes heat, it requires more energy to
keep your home warm. Some furnaces lose heat through the walls
of the furnace cabinet. Energy-efficient furnaces like Ruud's full line
of state-of-the-art models significantly reduce this loss with a
blanket of insulation that lines the inside of the cabinet walls.

When a gas furnace is not in operation, most send a steady,
wasteful draft of warm household air traveling up the venting
system and out the roof. The Ruud Classic® Series and Classic®
Plus Lines - with AFUE ratings of 78% and better - feature an
induced-draft blower that works in conjunction with a hot surface
ignition system to pull hot gases through the heat exchanger at a
constant and controlled rate of flow. As the burner cycles off, the
draft blower stops, keeping the heating air in the system.

Pilot lights also can be wasteful. The electric ignition in many of
Ruud's furnaces eliminates the need for a constantly burning pilot.
This feature alone gives up to 6% higher efficiency. And in
combination with an induced-draft blower, can improve furnace
efficiencies by over 20%.

Most gas furnaces vent combustion by-products and gases by
allowing the warm air to rise naturally. However, on occasion,
proper venting of combustion by-products may be restricted due
to blockage, deterioration of venting systems, malfunctions or
other causes.

The Ruud induced-draft blower maintains a constant draft through
the heat exchanger, which assures proper venting of the furnace
combustion chamber. Ruud also features a pressure switch which
continuously monitors venting; and in the event it senses a vent
flow restriction, it will automatically shut down your heating system
for your safety.

The most efficient furnaces tap the energy of the hot vent gases -
which can reach temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and more.
The Ruud 90 Plus® gas furnace does this by routing the hot gases
through a secondary heat exchanger. This step captures the otherwise
wasted heat-using it to preheat the household air-and delivers AFUE
ratings up to 94.5%

A high-efficiency furnace generally wears a higher price tag, but it
can make up the difference by reducing operating costs over the
long run. And with today's consumer interest in efficiency, such
equipment enhances the bottom line of your home.
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Are some furnaces better than others?
Definitely. Features to look for include heat exchangers that resist
corrosion, direct-drive blower units, induced draft blowers, pressure
switches, and an insulated blower compartment, which helps minimize
operating noise.

You also should ask your dealer if the manufacturer of the brand
you're considering quality-checks and tests every unit before it
leaves the plant.

And be sure to check out the terms of the Limited Warranty.
Quality manufacturers put a convincing warranty behind their work.
Ruud furnaces, which include all the features described here, offer
one of the very best. Even the primary and secondary heat exchangers
in the Ruud 90 PLUS are protected by a Limited Lifetime Heat
Exchanger Warranty.
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