Home Heating Systems and You: A Simple Primer
When building or remodeling your home, several questions will come to mind. One of those will be "How do I heat my home during the winter?" Make no mistake about it when the snow is piling up outside you'll want to be sure you've made the right decision concerning home heating. The following information will help you do that. Firstly there will be a brief explanation of what home heating is followed by the different types you can buy.
In simple terms home heating normally involves a central area of heat production producing heated air. This heated air is then moved throughout the entire home warming it. The central unit used to create this heat is a furnace or boiler of some type that runs off of a fuel source. The types of heating units more commonly used are water, electric, and hydronic based systems.
Different Types of Home Heating
Water Heating: In water based home heating the system involves several components. Gas is often the fuel source of choice used to heat the water. The boiler itself heats the water in a closed tank. The common tank design is often a tall cylinder storage unit. After the water has been heated a pump will then circulate the water to warm the home. This heat from the warmed water is then released into the home via a radiator. An expansion tank is often a part of these systems and help control water pressure. Also you should note that a water heating system is separate from your home's normal water and plumbing system.
Electric: Inelectric home heating electricity is converted straight to heat. This system type is varied and can have several different design layouts. This heating type can either have a centralized electric furnace or have a decentralized unit based system. The unit types include baseboard heaters, radiant heaters, space heaters, and wall heaters. These units could be compared to air conditioners with the difference being they blow coil-heated hot air.
There are advantages to this choice. Having your home heating be separated by room can allow you to only heat up areas that need it instead of having to warm an entire home. Also it allows your fellow housemates to keep their own personalized home heating as warm or cold as they like. A drawback of this type of heating is the price. It is often more expensive then systems that use natural fuel sources such as gas, heating oils, and propane.
Hydronic: At first glance this type of heating looks a lot like water based heating. While is does share some similarities with water based heating systems there are hydronic home heating systems that can differ greatly from water based heating systems. The main type of these you may want to consider for home heating is a radiant floor heating system. This works by running a series of pipes under your floor or within the concrete slab of your house. The heated water then circulates under your floor. This heat created then rises up from the floor and warms the entire house. Antifreeze may also be mixed into the water of floor heating systems where there is a chance of exposure to extreme outside cold. This is done to prevent freezing and damage.
Conclusions You Can Draw
As you can see there are several different ways to keep your home heated and yourself warm. Always consider cost, location plausibility, and home size. Also always call a professional. They will take the time to go over with you the best way type of home heating for your living situation.
In simple terms home heating normally involves a central area of heat production producing heated air. This heated air is then moved throughout the entire home warming it. The central unit used to create this heat is a furnace or boiler of some type that runs off of a fuel source. The types of heating units more commonly used are water, electric, and hydronic based systems.
Different Types of Home Heating
Water Heating: In water based home heating the system involves several components. Gas is often the fuel source of choice used to heat the water. The boiler itself heats the water in a closed tank. The common tank design is often a tall cylinder storage unit. After the water has been heated a pump will then circulate the water to warm the home. This heat from the warmed water is then released into the home via a radiator. An expansion tank is often a part of these systems and help control water pressure. Also you should note that a water heating system is separate from your home's normal water and plumbing system.
Electric: Inelectric home heating electricity is converted straight to heat. This system type is varied and can have several different design layouts. This heating type can either have a centralized electric furnace or have a decentralized unit based system. The unit types include baseboard heaters, radiant heaters, space heaters, and wall heaters. These units could be compared to air conditioners with the difference being they blow coil-heated hot air.
There are advantages to this choice. Having your home heating be separated by room can allow you to only heat up areas that need it instead of having to warm an entire home. Also it allows your fellow housemates to keep their own personalized home heating as warm or cold as they like. A drawback of this type of heating is the price. It is often more expensive then systems that use natural fuel sources such as gas, heating oils, and propane.
Hydronic: At first glance this type of heating looks a lot like water based heating. While is does share some similarities with water based heating systems there are hydronic home heating systems that can differ greatly from water based heating systems. The main type of these you may want to consider for home heating is a radiant floor heating system. This works by running a series of pipes under your floor or within the concrete slab of your house. The heated water then circulates under your floor. This heat created then rises up from the floor and warms the entire house. Antifreeze may also be mixed into the water of floor heating systems where there is a chance of exposure to extreme outside cold. This is done to prevent freezing and damage.
Conclusions You Can Draw
As you can see there are several different ways to keep your home heated and yourself warm. Always consider cost, location plausibility, and home size. Also always call a professional. They will take the time to go over with you the best way type of home heating for your living situation.
