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.
How to install air furname in attic area.
Attic hvac systems save space.
In an electric furnace the air is pushed past heating elements but the principle is the same.
Well mainly it s a way to save space.
Gaps in the attic or between the lower floors and the attic will let heated or cooled air escape to the great unconditioned outdoors making any insulation you add essentially useless.
The process starts when the furnace pulls room temperature air in the home into the system.
So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all.
Put it in an attic full of blown insulation and you re.
First let s review how forced air heating systems work.
Using natural gas the furnace transfers heat energy to the air through the heat exchanger.
The following are attic furnace installation requirements based on 2009 irc and 2009 imc the codes refer to it as appliances in attics.
That means you have higher energy costs and less efficiency since you re blowing the air down instead of allowing it to rise naturally.
The total drop in efficiency can be up to 35.
Attic furnace passageway and service area electrical requirement.
The drain must be installed through the core of the house as water will be flowing during the colder months.
Attic furnace installation must comply with you local mechanical code or imc international mechanical code if such was adopted in your area.
Attic furnace access passageway and platform.
Or a more traditional square shape to install in a.
Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts.
Find a diagram of common air leaks here here s a quick primer on fixing draft prone spots.
Attic furnaces take advantage of the closer proximity to use shorter lengths of air.
An attic furnace is closer to the upper stories of a multi level home.
Use a thin wall mounted type for a very small space in a small house.
The condenser in your air conditioner works hard to get rid of heat and pressurize refrigerant for the return trip through your house.
Air ducts lose a fair amount of heat through leakage so shorter lengths are more efficient.
If you place the furnace in the attic then you must install the infrastructure in the building to force the warm air to the bottom floor.
This drain removes the excess water that a heating system will generate.
It will not require long lengths of pipe to deliver heat to the rooms as a basement furnace does.