ElevateHue & HVAC Studio
(949) 744-6791 Plan a visit
  1. Studio
  2. Wall furnaces

Replacing the wall furnace in a beach cottage.

Why one wall heater leaves half the house cold, and three ways to replace it — two of which add cooling too.

The same cottage, twice

Where the warmth goes.

A wall furnace heats the air around it and relies on it drifting through open doors. Rooms nearby get warm; rooms at the far end, behind closed doors, barely change. The plans below are illustrative — not measurements of a real house.

Before: one wall furnace in the hallway Floor plan of a small cottage. The hall around the wall furnace is warmest, the living room is warm, the kitchen is mild, the bathroom is cool, and both bedrooms are cold. Living Kitchen Wall furnace Bedroom Bath Bedroom Illustrative
BeforeOne gas wall furnace in the hall. Warm around it, cold in the bedrooms, no cooling anywhere.
After: a ductless heat pump with three indoor heads The same floor plan. Indoor heads in the living room and both bedrooms, and an outdoor unit outside the right-hand wall. Every main room is heated and cooled. Living Kitchen Bedroom Bath Bedroom Illustrative Outdoor unit →
AfterA ductless heat pump: three slim indoor heads and one outdoor unit. Each main room heated and cooled on its own setting.
  • Warm
  • Warm-ish
  • Cool
  • Cold
  • Heated and cooled
Three ways to replace it

The options, side by side.

Ductless heat pumpDucted heat pumpNew wall furnace
Heats every roomYes, room by roomYes, through ductsMainly the rooms near it
CoolsYesYesNo
Needs ductsNoYes — attic or crawlspace roomNo
Gas and ventingNoneNoneGas line and a vent
What you seeA slim head on the wall of each roomSmall grilles in ceilings or floorsOne wall grille
Usually suitsCottages with no attic spaceHouses with a usable attic or crawlspaceHeat only, where cooling isn't wanted
A technician fitting a slim ductless indoor head high on the white-boarded wall of a cottage bedroom

Have the old one checked

An old gas wall furnace should be inspected even if you plan to replace it later. A cracked heat exchanger or a blocked vent can let carbon monoxide into the house. California requires carbon monoxide alarms in homes with gas appliances — make sure yours work.

For businesses in older buildings — galleries, offices, small shops — the same three options apply, and ductless systems are often the least disruptive to install. Business work

Plan a visit