What is a boiler?

January 20, 2015

The coldest months of winter Greensburg generally find us with more service and repair calls, some of which result in homeowners discovering they need new heating systems. You can find a variety of home heating products on the market, from furnaces to boilers. Many people haven’t heard much about boilers. If you’re one of them, we have some information for you.

Types of boilers

Boilers are available in both steam and hot water models. Both provide heat throughout a home using either a radiant system that uses a boiler to heat water, or through forced air heating systems.

Steam boilers

Steam boilers are kind of like big kettles. They boil water until the steam builds up to create enough pressure to push heat to radiators across your home. The heat is emitted into your rooms by air moving across the radiators. The cycle continues when the steam then cools and condenses to water, which then is sent back to the boiler to be reheated. Steam boilers are usually fueled with natural gas or propane.

Hot water boilers

Like steam boilers, hot water boilers move warmth throughout your home, but with hot water in place of steam. When the water reaches your desired temperature, it is pumped through the radiant system. Gas is usually used to power water boilers, however, you will discover oil-fired boilers in New England and the Northeast United States.

Benefits of boilers for home heating

Many people appreciate boilers because of their exceptionally quiet operation. In fact, it’s hard to hear a boiler running at all unless it needs repair. They are also known for supplying comfortable and even heat due to the design of the system with pipes installed within the walls or under the floors. Boilers can also be helpful, in non-forced air heating systems, to allergy suffers because they don’t blow air around and spread allergens.

Even though they can be pricier than furnaces, several people find that boilers are a great heating system for them. If you want more information about high-efficiency boilers in Greensburg, look to Wallpe Heating & Cooling. Call us at 812-663-7252 or schedule an appointment with us online.