What is a boiler?

January 20, 2015

The chilliest months of winter Derby generally find us with more service and repair calls, some of which result in homeowners needing new heating systems. You can find a variety of home heating products on the market, from furnaces to boilers. Many people don’t know a lot 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 deliver heat throughout a home by means of 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 around your home. The heat is emitted into your rooms by air moving across the radiators. The cycle continues after the steam then cools and condenses to water, which then goes back to the boiler to be reheated. Steam boilers are typically powered with natural gas or propane.

Hot water boilers

Like steam boilers, hot water boilers circulate warmth through your home, but with hot water in place of steam. When the water rasies to your desired temperature, it is pushed 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 extremely quiet operation. In fact, it’s almost impossible to hear a boiler working at all unless there’s a problem with it. They are also known for providing comfortable and even heat thanks to the design of the system with pipes installed within the walls or under the floors. Boilers can also be useful, in non-forced air heating systems, to allergy suffers because they don’t blow air around and spread allergens.

Even though they can be more expensive than furnaces, many people find that boilers are the perfect heating system for them. If you want more information about high-efficiency boilers in Derby, look to Giordanos Heating and Air Conditioning. You can reach us at 203-772-8319 or schedule an appointment with us online.