When it comes to furnace installation, we often hear people ask about the best brands. There are many excellent furnace brands, and you really can’t go wrong with any of the leading ones as long as you work with a professional HVAC installer. Because—and here’s the big secret—the actual installation work is far more important than the furnace brand being installed.

First things first: a gas furnace installation should never be done by a non-licensed technician. In fact, in most jurisdictions, it’s illegal for anyone without proper certification to handle work with an appliance connected to a gas main. The danger of gas leaks and combustion hazards is too high if an amateur does the work. The furnace brand really doesn’t matter if the furnace is dangerous because of a bad installation!

Next is the issue of sizing the furnace. This doesn’t mean finding a furnace that will fit into the available space in a home (although obviously professional installers will make sure any new furnace will fit). It refers to the amount of heating power of the furnace. You might think, “Well, there can’t be anything such as a furnace that’s too powerful. Why not just be on the safe side of going with as powerful a unit as I can afford?” The truth is that a furnace that is too powerful for the space it’s supposed to heat will become an energy-waster that turns on and off rapidly as it continues to shut down before completing a heating cycle. This is called short-cycling , and it not only wastes power, it wears down the furnace so it will need to be replaced years before its time.

To properly size a furnace and give it the “Goldilocks Treatment” (neither too weak nor too powerful, but just right) requires an HVAC professional to do a heat load calculation for the home. This calculation takes into account various factors about a house, such as the amount of heat-generating appliances and the heat gain through insulation and windows, to determine how much heat is necessary to provide warmth without wasting power.

Finally, when you have a furnace put in professionally, you’ll have the best reassurance the system will work to its factory specifications for years to come. Mistakes of any kind, even if they don’t create a safety hazard, will reduce how effective and efficient the furnace is. The best brand furnace can still perform poorly if it didn’t have the best possible installation.

Advanced Mechanical Services offers heating installation and other heating assistance throughout the Northern New Jersey Area. Speak to us today to arrange for a new furnace for your house.