The short answer to this is “yes!” But there are definitely some factors to consider, which we’ll get to below.
We know, the typical place you’ll find a furnace in any home is the basement. But, not all homes have basements. These homes typically have floor furnaces placed in a closet or in the garage area. This is fine, except that it takes up a lot of usable space.
Therefore, attic furnaces have started gaining more popularity. Whether it’s a good idea for your home or not will depend on a number of factors, which we invite you to consider.
Factors to Consider About Attic Furnaces
- The largest benefit of having an attic furnace is that it’s a space-saver, as we mentioned above. Though there are of course exceptions to this, there’s typically nothing up in your attic but some stored items and ductwork, so a furnace doesn’t use up much useful space. Of course, for safety reasons you will want to ensure that it’s not surrounded by clutter, dust, or debris that could impact its functionality or safety.
- Today’s furnaces are built much quieter than those of the past. But still, there’s no such thing as a completely silent heating system. Fortunately, by putting yours up in the attic, you don’t have to worry about being disrupted by its noise as much. That also means that you might miss noises that signal your heater needs repair. So it’s even more important than you’re extremely diligent about maintenance. For a furnace, professional tune-ups are recommended once a year. You might consider having it more often though, if it’s in your attic.
- Generally speaking, it is actually easier for technicians to repair and maintain a furnace that’s on the ground floor. This is particularly true if you have clutter or a lot of storage in your attic. We’re happy to talk to you about your options though—depending on your attic’s setup it might not be an issue at all.
- Furnaces today are built with efficiency and safety in mind. But yours can suffer a little in the efficiency area if it’s placed in an unconditioned space like your attic. In fact, if your aim is to be as efficient as possible, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this placement.
Last but not least, we want to point out that most of the issues a furnace may experience in the attic are due to extremely cold weather, which we do experience, in a poorly insulated space. So we do want to stress the importance of quality insulation. Insulation doesn’t just help you feel warmer by trapping the warm air in, but it helps your furnace to not work as hard, therefore expanding its lifespan and helping it do its job easier. If you have any questions about furnace placement or whether your current furnace could be moved to the attic, please don’t hesitate to contact our team!