How Can I Heat My Home?

10/30/2015

Many of us simply use the furnace that came with the home we live in.  But what options exist out there?  The most obvious are the central air unit and the fireplace, but there are other methods for home heating that might actually be better for your home.

Forced Air

Because of how easy it is to bundle heating and cooling into the same forced-air packaged, forced air has become one of the more dominant systems around. Air is heated, and a fan circulates the warm air into the room. Forced air systems are excellent because the in-home air is easy to filter and humidity levels are simple to control.  Forced air systems are also fairly inexpensive to install.  On the other hand, furnaces are typically pretty noisy and the constant motion of air can stir up dust and allergens.

Forced air systems can be installed with many different kinds of heating systems too.  The most popular is a furnace system, where air is heated directly through burning a fuel such as propane or natural gas. Electric furnaces use a resistive heating element to heat air before it is circulated into the home.  Alternatively, a heat pump is used.  Heat pumps are the reverse of an air conditioner, where heat is moved from outside (even in cold weather) and released inside the home.

Boiler

Boiler systems use the properties of water to heat your home.  Boiler heaters use variants of radiant heating, where heated water or steam flows through pipes to the warm the home.  The most common boilers are fueled by propane, natural gas, oil, or electricity and often double as the water heater for your tap water.

Radiant heating uses a boiler heats the water in your pipes (for both regular plumbing and home heating). These pipes are run throughout the walls and floor of your home.  While hot water flows through the walls, it gives off heat and warms the inside of your house.

Other forms of radiant heating use the same premise.  Steam radiators have a coiled pipe in each room.  A combination of pressure and heat from the boiler pushes steam into the coils.  Heat radiates out as the steam cools back into water, warming the room.  For hydronic heaters (hot water baseboard), pipes with special fins are embedded into the flooring of each room.  The fins on the pipe act in much the same way a heat sink for electrical devices does.  It increases the surface area of the pipe, helping it to shed heat faster.  Since the hydronic heater is placed on the floor, the warmth rises and heats up the
house.

Related: 5 Safety Tips to Prevent Furnace Fires

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Fortunately for you, Service Legends has a team of experts dedicated to helping you stay warm this winter. Any problems with your furnace or forced air system are easily solved with a simple call to Service Legends.

Thank you for making Service Legends the #1 provider of residential heating and air conditioning in the Des Moines area. A live and friendly customer care representative is ready to take your call 24/7 at 515-COMFORT (515.266.3678).

515-657-6634Request Appointment Online

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