Types of Residential Heating Systems Part 1
February 14th, 2010
Different homes built in different time periods will have different types of heating systems. If you’re moving or have recently moved and don’t know what you have, read on. Heating is a basic human need, and one we have concentrated many of our resources on over our time on earth.
Fortunately we have moved on a bit from sitting round a fire, although that flame still provides much of the heat in modern systems. The main types of heating systems are forced air, radiant heat, hot water, steam and geothermal. Each has its benefits, and its downsides and we shall outline them here.
The forced air system is very popular in the United States and is often referred to as “central air.” Air is sucked in from outside and heated up to the desired temperature in a furnace. The warm air is then circulated around the home through ducts built into the walls and floors. The most popular furnace is a gas furnace, but they can also be fuelled by propane, electricity or oil.
The advantages are that the air can be cleaned and filtered, humidified, dehumidified and cooled. The systems, as long as the duct work is there are relatively inexpensive to install and maintain. The disadvantages are they can be noisy, can spread germs and allergens and the system requires regular maintenance to work effectively.
Radiant heat systems offer the most comfortable heat in a home. A boiler of gas furnace will heat the water, which is spread throughout the house through pipes. IT can then radiate from the floor walls or ceilings, depending on the type of system installed.
The advantages are that the heat is comfortable, it heats the whole room and the boilers can be very efficient. The downsides are that a home takes a while to heat up, they are expensive to install and the pipes, once hidden are difficult to access. Plus they can’t cool a house so a separate AC system would need to be installed.
Hot water baseboard systems are similar to radiant heat, except they use a baseboard radiator to provide the heat to a room. These radiators use high-efficiency fins to increase the surface area of the baseboard and produce more heat.
It has the same advantages as radiant heat systems, but having baseboard heaters provides challenges for furniture and decorating as they have to be exposed. They also take a while to heat a room and will also need separate air conditioning.
All these systems use enclosed pipework or ducts to distribute heat. As long as these pipes work properly and remain unblocked and without leaks, the system should work fine. The gas furnace provides the heat, and they transport it around the home. Problems come when the pipes burst or get blocked.
In the next post we will discuss the final two heating types, steam and geothermal. These, like the ones mentioned here have advantages and disadvantages that need to be weighed when deciding on a new system for a home.