Learn about Downflow / Horizontal

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zones on up, with most homes using 2 to 6 zones. The compo-
nents required are:
electronic zone damper1 s to be installed inline with
the ductwork
zone control pane2 l (the “brain”)
thermostat3 s for each zone.
If you are planning on adding zone controls to existing duct-
work, the area where the ductwork attaches to the furnace will
need to be accessible. For new construction, creating a zone
system is easiest since all the ductwork is accessible, a require-
ment to install the dampers. A qualied heating professional can
recommend the right zone components for your new furnace.
3) Buying
To make a successful purchase,
you’ll want to first confirm that
you are buying the correct
products so you get what you
need, not what you don’t. Then
find a reputable online store that has the products you
want and that will assist you before and after your pur-
chase.
Help with Selecting Equipment
and Accessories
Once you have an idea of what you want, talk to a heating and
air conditioning professional before you buy. This could mean
talking to an online store, or a local contractor who gives free
estimates (understand that industry experience and product
knowledge dier greatly from contractor to contractor.) Ask a
qualied heating and cooling professional about:
Equipment size –• Is this the right size for my home?
Equipment type –• Is this the right type of equipment for my
home and my area?
Eciency –• Is this a good eciency option for considering
how long I plan to live here and my geography?
Comfort features –• Are any product features available you’d
recommend?
Accessories – • Are there required accessories I need? What
optional accessories might be a good idea?
In the back of this guide is a “Shopping Checklist” to help you
organize and compile your questions that you’ll want to ask a
professional before going ahead with your purchase.
Some online stores have automatic shopping tutorials that
can walk you through the buying process. They can make
recommendations for your equipment, as well as required and
optional accessories. Ask retailers if they have such a tool to
assist you.
Selecting a Store
There are a number of stores that sell heating and cooling
equipment online, but since all are not equal knowing what to
look for when selecting one will save you money, time and po-
tential headaches later. A reputable web store will become im-
portant to you if you need their assistance should any problems
arise with your shipment or if you need technical or warranty
support after the sale. Knowing what to look for can weed out
the y-by-night operations from those who can provide you
with a good oering.
You can search online for heating and air conditioning stores.
Once you’ve seen a few stores, do some homework and see if
there are any unresolved complaints against these companies.
You can checkout some web sites where consumers register
complaints they’ve had with poor service with companies
they’ve shopped at. Some of these resource sites are
www.complaintsboard.com, www.my3cents.com, and
www.consumeraffairs.com. You can search for specic company
names, and see if any of their customers had a bad experience.
For example, if you search for “furnace”, you’ll nd some “scary”
stories, such as the couple with a baby who bought from a
name-brand department store and whose furnace went out
and was ignored by the store, or the customer who bought
from an auction site and didn’t get the product they ordered
and the web store didn’t do anything to resolve the matter.
You can avoid this happening to you, and assure you get a
good deal in the process. Upfront, have a conversation with the
prospective companies of your choice. Ask them:
How long have you been in business? Are you registered •
with the Better Business Bureau? Have you won any
customer service awards?
Can I get referrals, or see comments and photos from •
satisfied customers?
Do you sell products that are used or refurbished, or are •
they new?
What is the warranty on the equipment?•
If I find the products for a lower price from a competitor, •
will you beat that price?