It’s that time of year again in Odessa. The frostiest months of winter can bring about more service and repair calls, which often results in the need for new heating systems. From furnaces to boilers, there are a variety of products on the market that will keep your home warm. What’s a boiler you ask? Let’s take a look.

Different Designs of Boilers

A boiler is a type of HVAC equipment used to heat your home, and it takes either steam or hot water to do so. Both use a boiler to heat the water and a radiant system to provide heat to all of the rooms in a home.

Steam Boilers

Think of boilers as a teapot. These systems boil water to create steam, which is sent to radiators around your home. Generating more steam amplifies the pressure in the system and pushes the steam throughout the system. Radiators have air vents that open to relieve the pressure – and the heat – into your rooms. The steam then cools, condenses to water and goes to the boiler to be reheated. Steam boilers are usually powered with natural gas or propane.

Hot Water Boilers

Hot water boilers operate similarly but circulate hot water throughout your home instead of steam. When you boost the heat, water begins to warm up and is sent through the radiant system when it has achieved your chosen temperature. Water boilers can be fueled using either oil or gas, however, oil-fired boilers are not traditionally found outside of New England and the Northeast U.S.

Benefits of Heating Your Home with a Boiler

Boilers are known for their almost soundless operation. In fact, you most likely won’t hear a boiler running at all unless there’s an issue with the system. And, because radiant systems use pipes that are installed in the walls or floor, boilers can give you a more comfortable and even heat. Another bonus is that boilers don’t blow air around, helping lessen the allergens in the air.

Selecting the right heating system for your home can be a hard decision. Although they can be more expensive than furnaces, boilers offer quieter and more even heating for your home. If you’d like to find out more about the high-efficiency boilers available in Odessa, give Redhawk Heating & Air Conditioning a call at 432-237-0168.