What is a boiler?

January 20, 2015

The coldest months of winter Carson City usually find us with more service and repair calls, some of which result in homeowners discovering they need new heating systems. You can find an array 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 come in both steam and hot water models. Both supply 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 teapots. They boil water until the steam accumulates to create enough pressure to push heat to radiators throughout your home. The heat is released into your rooms by air moving across the radiators. The cycle continues as the steam then cools and condenses to water, which then goes back to the boiler to be reheated. Steam boilers are typically fueled with natural gas or propane.

Hot water boilers

Like steam boilers, hot water boilers push warmth through your home, but with hot water in place of steam. When the water rasies to your desired temperature, it is forced 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

A lot of people are partial to boilers because of their very quiet operation. In fact, it’s almost impossible to hear a boiler running at all unless it’s broken. They are also known for delivering comfortable and even heat thanks to the design of the system with pipes installed behind 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, several people find that boilers are a great heating system for them. If you want more information about high-efficiency boilers in Carson City, look to Anderson Heating & A/C. You can reach us at 775-230-7628 or schedule an appointment with us online.