Is A Two-Stage Furnace Worth The Money?
Consumers sometimes ask about whether two-stage furnaces are worth the extra expense. It depends on your situation as one heating solution doesn’t fit every home. It helps to know what separates a two-stage system from the more common one-stage furnaces! What Is A Two-Stage Furnace? The terms one-stage and two-stage furnace refer to the burner section inside the furnace and the valve that releases propane or natural gas to it. Average one-stage furnaces have a valve that only opens and closes, whereas two-stage heating has one more valve setting. It’s commonly called low fire, and the furnace starts in this first stage and runs at 70 or 80% of the full rated capacity. The furnace will then enter the second stage, also known as high fire, only when needed. It determines whether to enter the second stage based on the time the furnace has been operating or if the thermostat indicates that it has to raise the temperature more than two degrees. So if you have a two-st...