Hey guys before we get to the video for more tips and tricks in the heating and air industry, please click that subscribe button. Thank you, hey guys, joshua griffin here and the new hvac guide and wanted to do a video. If you're comparing furnaces, i i did a video on compressors and inverter systems and things like that, if you're, comparing different heat pumps or ac condensers - and i wanted to do a video kind of piggybacking off of that, where, if you're, comparing furnaces, how you can kind Of see, what's what you know if you're comparing apples to apples which one's better are you getting? What you're paying for is one worth the extra investment and so on we're going to break it down into three different ratings that most gas furnaces have now we're not talking about oil, furnaces or any other type of heat. We're only talking about natural gas or lp or propane gas furnaces, and so let's start with those.

I did a video talking a little bit about motors and when you're comparing variable speed versus single speed and all those types of things, and so that would probably be the first thing, you'll notice, when you're, comparing furnaces and they'll talk about. You know what type of motor is: it is a psc or ecm or a variable speed motor, which one's better depends on your home, and i would ask your pro, which one makes the most sense. I think there are some homes that it makes complete sense to go up to say a variable, speed, blower motor, and then there are some homes that it would not make sense. So, depending on your zoning and the type of house, you have how old it is.

All that good stuff ask your pro: ask your contractor what their thoughts are on that i'm going to focus more on the other two ratings that, if you're, comparing the furnaces that you should be getting first, let's talk about the afu ratings, or sometimes it's afue and Afu and afue are the same things, so sometimes people will just call it. The afu sometimes they'll throw the e in there. It's the same thing. So if you're, comparing apples to apples what those numbers are and what it stands for is annualized fuel utilization efficiency.

All that basically means is the higher the number the more efficient the system is, the more of that gas it's burning and the higher that number is the more efficient the system is, so they actually compare it to a percentage, meaning if it's an eighty percent furnace, Then it's burning, eighty percent of the fuel and twenty percent of the fuel or the heat is actually going out through your flu and most eighty percent furnaces are going to have a metal type flu vent. It's going to get really hot to the touch, and that is energy, that's escaping and going out your house and the old days. That's all they had. It was only non-condensing furnaces and they were all 80 or somewhere in that neighborhood.

80. 82. 85. Whatever these days, we have condensing furnaces and you're going to see higher numbers you're going to see anywhere from 90 all the way up to i've seen some furnaces all the way up to 98 and again that's how much of the energy it's burning and you're going To usually see some sort of plastic flu, pvc or another type of material, that's because it burns so much of the gas that the flu is not going to remain hot, going out of the house.

So if you imagine where hot meat's cold things, condense, there's actually water droplets that will form inside the flue and drain back down into the furnace, meaning it will need a drain to get that out of the house. You still have to have a flu. You still have to get rid of the carbon monoxide, but it's a condensing furnace, meaning it will condense, it will have moisture and will drain back down to the furnace. So again, if you're, comparing apples to apples the higher the afu rating, the more efficient, it is the more it's burning that gas and the more it's heating your home without having to burn more gas.

If that makes sense, the last thing when you're, comparing the three so we talked about the blower motor we've talked about the afu and the third one of those is going to be your gas valve. We've talked about it in other situations, but i'm going to just make it really easy. Basically, if you're, comparing two furnaces and one says it's a single stage valve or it's a single stage furnace, usually that means the gas valve is going to either open or close. There's no in between it's going to either open and blow fuel into that heat, exchanger and heat your home, or it's going to be off.

Okay, then you'll see multi-stage two-stage gas valves. Things like that, and all that means is there's gon na be some in between. So you're gon na have a first stage: that's gon na burn at a lower percentage and then your second stage is gon na burn at a hundred percent. The idea is, if it's only burning in first stage, if your first stage kicks on it's only going to heat the home, burning, less gas and hopefully save you money and the last of those three would be a modulating gas valve or a modulating furnace.

And basically, all that means is the valve can modulate. It can open close there's a lot of in between based on what it needs to do to heat your home. It's not going to burn any extra gas that it doesn't need to burn, and so it's a more efficient gas valve. So again, if you're, comparing apples to apples, if you're comparing two different furnaces, i would say the top of the line furnaces.

If you want the cat's meow, if you will you're looking for one, that's going to have a very high afu you're looking for one, that's going to have a modulating gas valve, possibly a communicating system with a communicating thermostat, not the old school 24 volt low voltage Stuff and then finally you're looking for a variable speed, blower motor. So i hope that helps as you're comparing furnaces you're looking to heat your home and those are the ratings that you're usually going to be taking peaks at there's other ratings, too. There's hspfs and all kinds of different other numbers that you can take a look at when you're comparing hvac systems, but i think, if you take a look at those three numbers, it will help you decide. What exactly are you looking at? What exactly is the system? Better or so on, please hit that subscribe button comment down below.

If you have any questions, thanks for watching the last thing i'll say is: if you're in the market for a new heating and air system and you're in virginia and the middle peninsula or the northern neck, give griffin air a call. We'll give you a free estimate and the best warranty in the area, but if you're not in our coverage area check out my new website, i've even got a little banner up here. New hvac guide, dot com check out that site because we've put so much information on there. It's as if i wrote a book telling folks, hey here's, the good and the bad avoid this or that i've even got a whole page called no knows things to stay away from, and so before you spend thousands check out that website and finally, for more tips And tricks in the heating and air industry click that subscribe button thanks for watching you.