EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Warm-air furnace, reducing excess capacity

Daox · 01-04-12, 02:13 PM

First things first I'd figure out why your furnace is short cycling. How long is the average on and off time?

If you truely are heating up the house THAT fast (and I find that hard to believe), you should be able to adjust the temperature swing that your thermostat allows if you have a programmable thermostat. If you don't, stop reading and go buy one now, it'll pay for itself by the end of winter and you'll be more comfortable. The default temp swing for almost all of them is +/-1°F. That means if you have the heat set to 68F it'll turn on when the temp hits 67F and turn off when it hits 69F. I have mine set to a +/- 1.5°F temp swing. This makes the furnace run for longer periods of time and reduces cycling.

The other thing I'd look at is where your thermostat is placed. I had an issue where the warm air was blowing right on the thermostat! A bit of adjustment to the hot air register/vent and it no longer blows right on it. This noticably decreased my gas usage.

01-04-12, 02:13 PM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	First things first I'd figure out why your furnace is short cycling. How long is the average on and off time? If you truely are heating up the house THAT fast (and I find that hard to believe), you should be able to adjust the temperature swing that your thermostat allows if you have a programmable thermostat. If you don't, stop reading and go buy one now, it'll pay for itself by the end of winter and you'll be more comfortable. The default temp swing for almost all of them is +/-1°F. That means if you have the heat set to 68F it'll turn on when the temp hits 67F and turn off when it hits 69F. I have mine set to a +/- 1.5°F temp swing. This makes the furnace run for longer periods of time and reduces cycling. The other thing I'd look at is where your thermostat is placed. I had an issue where the warm air was blowing right on the thermostat! A bit of adjustment to the hot air register/vent and it no longer blows right on it. This noticably decreased my gas usage. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.