What is a Gas Wall Furnace?

What is a gas wall furnace? A gas wall furnace is basically just what it says it is- a gas powered heating unit which sits in or against the wall aiding in the heat of your home. This part is important. The gas wall furnace is really not meant to become your primary heating source. That is what your regular furnace is for. This is simply used as a supplementary heating source.
 
A gas wall furnace works especially well for a part of your home which isn’t reached very easily by your primary furnace. Is there one room in your home which is generally very cold? Then this is most likely the best solution for you. Think about the size of this room before purchasing anything. Usually, the size of the heater will directly correlate with the size of your room.
 
Your wall furnace can be permanent or portable. This option may be of use if the room you need to heat is very large. The heating unit may be bulky and would be able to be moved in the summer. A permanent gas wall furnace is connected permanently to your home;s gas lines so you will never have to worry about the gas. A portable one will probably have to be fed gas, very much like your lawn mower does. 
 
A gas wall furnace is also a great idea if you are planning to put in an addition for your home. Instead of having to go out and get a new, bigger furnace for your whole home and also rerouting every one of your HVAC vents, you can simply install a gas wall furnace into one of the rooms in the addition. Another idea for an addition is a 2-sided gas wall furnace. This will heat 2 different adjoining rooms by using both sides of the heater to heat.
 
You can get a vented or an unvented model depending on your own liking. Most furnaces which are controlled by an electric thermostat are vented. Also, permanent wall heaters are also commonly vented. A vent is usually there in order to filter the dangerous carbon monoxide out. Therefore, a vented heater is usually considered much safer. Although the unvented ones are not necessarily unsafe. Most of them now come with an additional feature called an oxygen depletion sensor which will let it and you know when the carbon monoxide levels have reached too high.

Gas wall furnaces range in price considerably depending on the brand, the size and the features of your furnace. You can get one for as inexpensive as $300 (though it is rare…) or for as much as $3000. Make sure you get what your home needs. Some people may only need to temporarily heat a very small space-then it is probably okay to go with an inexpensive one. But for a permanent installation in a large family room? You will most likely want one which costs a bit more. Usually with these, higher price equals higher quality.

How to Change Your Gas Wall Furnace Filter

The most vital appliance in any house is the furnace, especially during the cold winter months. However, most homeowners know little about them. In older homes, furnaces look like some sort of space relic from the cold war era. All that most people know how to do is change the thermostat setting and enjoy the warm refuge from the bitter cold. However, these misunderstood metal boxes that emit heat are really quite sophisticated machines. This is especially true of the smaller gas wall furnaces that are often used as a supplement to the main furnace in a home. These little furnaces serve a big purpose, but are often not properly maintained. Gas wall furnace filters should be checked fairly often.

Gas wall furnaces are smaller units that are often used to heat home additions that have no duct work connected to the main furnace. They are a separate entity that is usually installed into the wall of the addition itself. These furnaces come in two versions, vented or unvented. Venting assures that a fresh air return exists. This significantly cuts down on the possibility of carbon monoxide entering the room, which can be deadly. Until recently, unvented units were susceptible to this problem. The newer models now have much safer designs.

Gas wall furnaces have a source of gas that must be fed into the heater itself. These units have virtually no connection to the gas lines of the main furnace of a home. If the wall furnace is natural gas, then a line must be ran from the gas source directly to the heating unit. However, some propane gas wall units have a tank that can be detached and refilled as needed.

Any wall furnace should be cleaned at least annually. Prior to beginning the cleaning process, it is important to make sure that the unit has been shut off. Then the service panel can be opened to access the inside of the vent and the area where the gas wall furnace filter sits. The filter is usually a square frame that has a meshy material on the inside. Cleaning the filter off thoroughly is imperative to nice pure air and efficient operation. The best way to clean the filter adequately is to use a rag with non-toxic cleaning solution. Before replacing the filter, a deep cleaning of the airblower is also a good idea. When complete, the filter can be replaced and the service panel re-fitted. Testing the heater to assure proper operation is recommended as well.