How To Tell If Forced Air Heating Is Gas Or Electric

Is My Forced Air Heating Gas Or Electric?

Although you may still find some radiators or baseboard heaters in homes, most homes these days have forced air heating systems. Forced air heating systems can be gas or electric. Both will get the job done and keep your home warm.

Both gas heaters and electric heating systems work in similar ways. They will use a fan to force the air through the heat exchanger (gas) or the heating element (electric) and push the heated air through air ducts to different rooms in your house.

However, if you’re wondering is forced air heating gas or electric in your home, we’ve got a step by step process to find out.

How Do I Know If My Heat Is Gas Or Electric?

The first step is making sure it is a forced-air heating system. If you’ve got vents and ducts in your home, rather than baseboard heaters, radiant heat, mini-splits, or a boiler, you’ve probably got forced air.

Step One:

Turn up the thermostats. As it kicks in, you should hear the air moving through the air ducts and feel the warm air start to circulate.

Step Two:

Next, find the location of your forced air heating unit. It might be in your basement, attic, utility closet, or even in an outside access panel. If you’re not sure, try to follow the ductwork and work your way backward.

Step Three:

It may tell you right on the unit whether it’s gas or electric. It might be that simple, so start by looking at the labels.

If not, you can usually tell by taking a look at the front panel. A gas heat exchanger uses a burner to produce heat. There’s usually a small window located on the front of the heater. Look in the window. If you see a blue flame, it’s a gas heat exchanger. Other units will have a small metal panel that’s easy to remove. You can check behind there to see if you see that blue flame.

Electric systems don’t have that access window or panel and make very little noise. While a gas forced air system uses burners in a combustion chamber to heat the air, electric furnaces use electric coils. The coils turn hot when there’s electricity running through them. The hotter you need, the hotter the coils will be.

Gas units usually have a black cast iron pipe, copper pipe, or yellow plastic hose connection. Electric forced-air heating systems typically have heavy gauge wiring covered by flexible metal.

If you’re still not sure is forced air heating gas or electric, copy down the brand name and model number of the unit. An internet search by model number will usually give you the answer you need. Learn more about what is forced air heating.