How Does a Boiler Heat Your Home?

Posted: October 21, 2024

A Boiler Is a Hydronic Heating System

October marks the beginning of the heating season in the Delaware Valley. So, this is a perfect time of the year to help you understand how the heating system keeps you warm and what you can do to keep it in good working condition. For now, we will concentrate on the boiler, one of the most common ways to keep homes in the Delaware Valley warm and toasty throughout winter.

To start with, boilers use hot water or steam to heat a home. They are usually powered by either heating oil, natural gas or propane gas. Another name for a boiler is a hydronic heating system, which is defined as a system that transfers heat via a circulating fluid, such as water, in a closed system of pipes.

Steam boilers can still be found in older homes, usually ones built before the 1950s. If you have this type of system, your boiler stays true to its name because it needs to boil water to make steam before your heat can be distributed.

In comparison, newer boilers do not need to boil the water to make steam. Instead, they use hot water to distribute heat through a home’s piping. The heat is distributed through your home by either radiators or baseboards.

Because a boiler is a closed-loop system, water does not need to be constantly brought in or replaced, making it more efficient.

Some of the key components of a boiler system include:

• a burner, where the fuel (gas or oil) is ignited in the combustion chamber.
• a heat exchanger, which allows heat to be exchanged between two substances (fuel oil and water, for example) while not allowing the two substances to mix.
• Circulator pumps, which push the hot water from the boiler into the piping. A steam boiler doesn’t require a circulator pump because it doesn’t need to be pushed into the piping. It rises into the pipes naturally.
• Piping, which includes supply lines to deliver the heated water (or steam) to the radiators or baseboards. When the water cools or the steam turns back into water, return lines bring the water back to the boiler for re-heating.

Many homeowners prefer hot water and steam-based heating to warm air systems like furnaces. The heat that boilers create does not dry out the air. Plus, the heat generated by your hydronic heating system can also be used to heat water in your home, creating an efficient two-in-one home and water heating solution. Heated water is stored in a separate tank that’s connected to the boiler for later use. This is known as an indirect-fired water heater.

When to Replace Your Boiler

Like any piece of equipment, your boiler will eventually have to be replaced one day. But is that day near, or still far off? If you need a repair this year, should you put money into your current boiler? Or would you better off investing your money into a new, high-efficiency boiler?

First, let’s look at age. While the average boiler will last about 20-25 years—assuming proper maintenance has been followed–there are many home boilers that are even older than that. And while they may still be keeping homes warm enough, their efficiency rate is much lower than a new hot water boiler, which means you are using more fuel to generate heat. Some people have upgraded to a super-efficient condensing boiler, which converts water vapor condensation into heat and recovers some of the lost heat from waste gases.

4 Signs That Your Boiler Is Wearing Out

• Do you see any corrosion? Just like your water heater, if you see outward signs of rust on your boiler, its time is limited. A professional inspection may also reveal damage to piping or other boiler components.
• Is it keeping you warm enough? A properly working boiler should keep you comfortable even on the coldest nights in the Delaware Valley, but a boiler’s operating performance diminishes with the passage of time.
• Repairs are becoming common. A higher number of repairs for an aging system is another strong sign that you would do well to let go of your old boiler and invest in a new one.
• Diminished hot water production. If you depend on your boiler to heat your domestic hot water—Summer/Winter Hook-Up Systems—and you’re not getting as much hot water as before, this could be a sign of a leaking or corroded coil on the boiler – a precursor to boiler failure.

Home Boiler Installation in Montgomery County, PA

Boiler technology has improved dramatically over the years and the new hydronic heating systems Wilson Oil and Propane installs are much more efficient than the systems we installed for our customers decades ago. When we say efficient, we mean that the boiler puts out more heat with less fuel, which translates to big savings on your annual home heating costs.

Wilson Oil and Propane has been handling the service and installation of home heating boilers for a long time. In fact, if you live in southeast Pennsylvania, the chances are pretty good that at least one of the boilers in your neighborhood was installed by a Wilson service technician.

Wilson Oil and Propane is the company that people in the Delaware Valley region of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey can depend on. We’re the People You Can Trust! We have professional and experienced technicians who can handle all types of boiler service, from annual maintenance to emergency boiler repairs to top-notch boiler replacement. Contact us today.