For a long time, the most efficient and most popular way to heat your home was a boiler. As electric and natural gas began to grow in popularity, many homes switched to central heating and air conditioning. Now, many of those homes are switching back to this reliable source. Also, many new homes are having boilers installed instead of HVAC units. The units being installed are not the old, inefficient boilers. Instead, they are new types that are efficient and clean-burning.

Benefits to Boilers

This method of heat is not trending out of some sense of nostalgia. Boilers are more popular and plumbers are installing more than ever because they work. An HVAC unit blows warm air into a room to heat other air. However, air is not very good at holding heat. That means as soon as the heater turns off, the room begins to cool again. A boiler, however, heats up water. Water holds onto heat much longer than air. So, your boiler will not need to run as often as an HVAC unit would. Once that water is boiling, it is piped around your house. The hot water runs through the walls to heat up the house. That means that instead of heating up just the air, the hot water in the pipes will actually heat up the walls themselves. Your walls will hold heat longer than the air. So, your home will stay warm for longer.

Call a Plumber

If you think that you might be interested in a boiler or if you think your boiler needs an upgrade, you should call a plumber. Plumbers are often the ones who install and repair boilers because water is an essential element to a boiler. Also, hot water heaters are often integrated into the boiler as well.

When you call a plumber, you should ask them about the different types of boilers. The biggest difference is the fuel that heats the water. There are electric, natural gas, and fuel oil boilers. Fuel oil boilers burn liquid fuel in a system not dissimilar from an internal combustion engine. This is one of the less efficient systems but it is the only system available in some rural areas. If you live outside of a municipal natural gas supply, you would need to have fuel oil delivered to your home. Many new fuel oil boilers are almost as efficient as natural gas.

Most plumbing research says that natural gas boilers are the most efficient. Natural gas delivers the most BTUs for a given volume of fuel. Natural gas boilers also have some of the lowest rates of heat loss.

You should ask your Boise plumber about your options and what they would recommend. Five Star Service Pros will answer this question and more. Just call today to speak with one of our licensed plumbers!