6 Ways Your Furnace Keeps You Safe

Have you ever considered just how important the gas furnace in your Rochester Hills home is? The truth is, your furnace operates in a safe and efficient manner while offering various types of protection for you in your Michigan home.

According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), 47 percent of homes in the United States use natural gas as fuel for heat, making gas furnaces the most common type of furnace in practically every region of the country.

Considering the many ways gas furnaces can help keep you safe, it’s no wonder why this type of furnace is such a popular choice. Contact our Great Dane heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) team to discuss your gas furnace needs.

How Does Your Furnace Keep You Safe?

Here are several ways your furnace helps protect you in your home:

1. Keeps You Warm

The most obvious way your gas furnace protects you is by providing heat to your Michigan home. Heat protects your home from damage, like frozen pipes, but it also helps keep you warm when it’s freezing cold outside during the winter. Exposure to the cold temperatures can result in hypothermia or frostbite, so staying warm when temperatures drop is essential.

2. Protects You From Dirt and Debris
Gas furnaces use air filtersto trap dust and other airborne particles, preventing them from circulating through your Rochester Hills home. This helps enhance your indoor air quality (IAQ) and can reduce the onset of allergies caused by dust mites or dander, which could otherwise be floating in the air if not trapped by the filter.

3. Shuts Off Automatically if Pilot Light Goes Out
If you have an older gas furnace with a pilot light, then you also have a thermocouple to help prevent dangerous gas leaks in your home. A thermocouple is a device with sensors designed to measure temperatures. It can detect flames, so when the pilot light is out, it will force the flow of fuel to your furnace to stop—preventing any potentially hazardous fumes from spreading into your home.

4. Protects You From Potential Exposure

Alternatively, gas furnaces with a hot surface ignitor also provide protection with the help of pressure switches, which monitor changes in pressure. These changes in pressure can cause backdrafting where gases created in your furnace’s combustion process are pulled into your home due to improper ventilation. More specifically, pressure switches prevent potentially deadly carbon monoxide (CO) fumes from leaking into your home.

5. HelpsPrevent Fire From Starting

Rollout switches are another component of gas furnaces, and these are designed to help shut off the furnace when it overheats. These switches are near the burner and recognize when the burner flames are too hot. By shutting off the furnace when it hits dangerously high temperatures, rollout switches can help prevent the onset of a fire in addition to the spread of carbon monoxide.

6. Detects When Temperature Is Too High
Another protective measure your furnace takes involves using a limit switch. This switch is designed to work with the specific make and model of your furnace and prevents your furnace’s air temperature from getting too hot. If the temperature does reach its peak, then the system will automatically shut off for safety.

Need a New Furnace for Maximum Protection? Let Great Dane Help

For an efficient furnace you can depend on, reach out to Great Dane Heating and Air Conditioning in Rochester Hills, MI. We are here for you and want to provide you with one of our top furnaces so you can stay warm this winter without worry. Call 586.790.2604 or request service online today.