A furnace is a heating system designed to create heat and generate heat to keep the house warm. A furnace is of great importance, especially during winter. If you are deciding on which furnace to install in your home or if you intend to change your furnace but are wondering which one to go with.

This article will give the requisite understanding of the two types of furnaces by examining the gas furnace vs. oil furnace or contact Clover Services for more assistance.

When you are faced with selecting which type of furnace to go to, you can choose from either an oil furnace or a gas furnace. Whichever one you choose, inevitably, any of these two heating systems will efficiently keep your house warm and satisfy why you purchase it. However, knowing more about these two furnaces will allow you to choose the most suitable furnace for your house.

Oil vs. gas furnace: Oil furnace 

Before deciding between an oil vs. gas furnace, you should consider the pros and cons of an oil heating system. Now examine why you should or should not buy an oil furnace.

Pros

  • Deliver maximum heat

Though the oil furnace has a low rating, as shown earlier, this does not stop the heating system from delivering heat efficiently. Oil burns hotter, and this is why it can provide heat as expected.

  • Not too expensive

An oil furnace is also mainly affordable to buy. If you are interested in saving part of the money you are supposed to spend on a gas furnace, going for an oil furnace is a good option because it is at least 20% cheaper than a gas furnace.

  • Safe storage

The oil furnace is safe in the house. Despite the fact that oil is highly combustible, the oil in this heating enclosure is placed in such a way that it will not explode even if an accident occurs.

  •       Safe for the environment

The oil furnace does not release carbon monoxide. This means that your heating system can repeatedly work for days without jeopardizing your health and that of your neighbor. Also, an oil furnace releases oil fume, which is safe and less harmful when compared to gas.

  • Show signs of defect

When something is not right with the heating system, you can easily know about that. For instance, where the heating system is not functioning correctly, you can easily smell the oil or odor. This will then send in a signal of the malfunction.

  • The best option for those who do not have constant access to natural gas

One impressive benefit of an oil furnace is that it works with oil and not gas. This means that those who stay in rural areas with little or no access to gas can easily use this option. The oil can also be easily managed to ensure that you have access to heat whenever you need it. 

Cons

  • It can be more expensive

Heating the oil in this heating system requires higher fuel cost, which makes it more expensive when compared to natural gas.

  • Not convenient to use

Unlike a gas furnace, an oil furnace is not convenient because it has no pipeline infrastructure. This means that you have the oil stored in its storage. Unfortunately, this storage also requires that you refill it to enjoy an uninterrupted heat supply.

  • Need high maintenance

Oil furnace also requires high maintenance, which must be considered adequately before opting for this heating system. For instance, it requires constant cleaning and also needs frequent repair.

  • It tends to freeze easily

One of the problems with the heating system is that as it supplies heat inside, it is left to freeze outside. Because heating oil has a higher tendency to become a gel, oil furnaces can freeze easily if you do not use an additive to reduce this.

Oil vs. gas furnace: Gas furnace

While the gas furnace comes with its merit, it also comes with certain demerits that every buyer must consider. Interestingly, more people use gas furnaces instead of oil furnaces. Under this heading, we will highlight the pros and cons of a gas furnace.

Pros

  • It can be surprisingly cheaper

Though oil is generally cheaper than gas, when compared to a furnace, the amount of fuel required to burn oil makes gas furnaces unexpectedly more affordable.

  • Stability

The oil market is a volatile one characterized by constant price fluctuation. This means that oil purchase is not stable and may affect the demand and supply, affecting the amount of oil present in a country at a particular time. On the other, gas enjoys a stable price and stable demand and supply.

  • Low maintenance

A gas furnace does not heat oil and therefore has a lesser tendency of freezing. This does not mean the gas furnace will not freeze when the weather is bad, but it means that you can still enjoy it better than an oil furnace and will require very low maintenance.

Cons

  • Produce less heat

A gas furnace may not be as efficient as its claims. This is because this heating system, compared to an oil furnace, produces less BTU gas, which means it does not produce more energy as produced by the oil gas.

  • It does not show any sign of defect

It may be hard to know when your gas furnace is faulty because it does not show any sign. Therefore, you cannot expect things like smoke or odor as you have in the oil furnace.

  • A gas furnace may be unsafe for the environment

Gas furnaces release carbon monoxide, which is not safe when exhaled. When this gas is released, no sign makes it more fatal as people tend to inhale it unknowingly. However, the extraction of gas is done through fracking, a method that may be detrimental to the environment. 

Conclusion: Oil furnace vs. gas 

We have successfully considered an oil furnace vs. gas furnace. However, before purchasing a furnace, you must check out the burner’s efficiency. To do this, you have to consider the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. In this sense, a gas furnace has higher efficiency; it is usually rated around 89% or as high as 98%. On the other hand, an oil furnace has 90% or as low as 80%.