Furnace In Attic Or Crawl Space

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.

Furnace in attic or crawl 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. High efficiency furnaces aren t usually recommended for an attic. 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. Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts.

My contractor suggested putting the furnace in the attic. What can you do if you want to encapsulate. The hvac s air pickup is in the crawl space and it spreads the radon laden air into the house. Doesn t it need combustion air.

A furnace can suffer from a drop in energy efficiency if it s in an unconditioned space such as an attic. An outdoor unit which houses the fan condenser and compressor and an indoor unit which holds the evaporator and fan. Attic hvac systems save space. 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. In flood prone areas instaling a furnace in the attic provides protection. What about my furnace. There are two options.

Rarely will a sealed foam insulated attic deviate more than 15 degrees from the living space temperatures below it. A furnace in the attic is a design that works for all homes. Upgrade to a high efficiency furnace. Sadly this illustration comes from the web site of the air conditioning heating and refrigeration institute ahri.

Compare that with the daily 140 degree temperatures found in vented attics. The university of maine recommends proper venting of a crawl space to prevent radon gas buildup. The current ductwork is in the crawlspace and we are replacing it all. So when we have a choice we prefer hvac systems located under the house.

Just installing the furnace in the attic crawl way of a single story home gives protection from most flooding. Well mainly it s a way to save space. You might not receive the same air movement benefits if the unit is in a garage either. So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all.

If the crawl space does not have proper ventilation radon concentrates in the trapped air inside the crawl space. Even when furnaces are put on the main floor floodwaters often overrun the first floor causing severe damage to the unit.