Plenty of older homes and apartments around Santa Barbara still heat with a gas wall furnace, set into an interior wall, or a floor furnace under a grate in the hallway. They're simple and they've lasted, but many are decades old now.
Safety basics
- Keep things clear. Floor furnace grates get very hot: keep rugs, furniture, curtains and toys off and away from them, and teach children and pets to stay off. Keep the front of a wall furnace clear too.
- Carbon monoxide alarms. Every home with gas heat should have working CO alarms, near sleeping areas and on each level. See carbon monoxide and your furnace.
- Look at the flame, where you can see it. It should be mostly blue. A lazy, yellow or orange flame, soot around the furnace, or a smell of exhaust means turn it off and have it checked.
- Have it inspected before the cold months, especially the venting, the burner and the heat exchanger.
Signs it's near the end
- Rust, cracks or soot around the heat exchanger or burner area
- The pilot keeps going out
- Parts are hard to find for the model
- Rooms far from the furnace never warm up
- It's simply very old; many wall and floor furnaces still running were installed generations ago
Replacement options
- A new wall furnace in the same spot: the simplest swap, though it still heats one area best and doesn't cool.
- A ductless heat pump: wall or ceiling units in the rooms you use, with heating and cooling, and no ducts to build. Often the best fit for a house that never had ducts. See mini-split or central air.
- A ducted system, where there's room in an attic or crawlspace for ducts.
Replacing gas heat with a heat pump may also qualify for rebates. See HVAC rebates in Santa Barbara.
Want someone to look at yours? Call 805-965-6326 or send us a message. Quotes on new and replacement equipment are free.
Related
More tips on heating, heat pumps.