The harshest months of winter the Bay Area usually find us with more service and repair calls, some of which result in homeowners requiring new heating systems. You can find an array 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 supply 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 teapots. They boil water until the steam builds 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 as the steam then cools and condenses to water, which then returns to the boiler to be reheated. Steam boilers are generally operated with natural gas or propane.
Hot water boilers
Like steam boilers, hot water boilers circulate warmth around your home, but with hot water in place of steam. When the water heats up to your desired temperature, it is forced through the radiant system. Gas is often 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 difficult to hear a boiler running at all unless there’s a problem with it. They are also known for supplying 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 costly than furnaces, several people find that boilers are the perfect heating system for them. If you want more information about high-efficiency boilers in the Bay Area, look to Contra Costa Heating & AC. Give us a call at 510-343-9841 or schedule an appointment with us online.