How a Boiler Heats Your Home

Taking you step-by-step through the boiler-heat process

If you live in a home without ductwork, there’s a good chance that your living space is heated using a boiler system. Many homeowners we work with in Bristol, Worcester, Middlesex and Norfolk Counties aren’t familiar with how a boiler heats their homes.

We think it’s crucial for you to know what a boiler is and how it works. That way, if there’s a problem, we can communicate more easily to get it fixed.

What is a boiler?

You can think of a boiler as the heart of a heating system that works with your home’s plumbing.
A boiler heats water, which warms up pipes and radiators in your home. Steam boilers heat water and send the resulting steam through your pipes. Hot water boilers heat water to about 180 degrees. This water circles through your home’s pipes to produce heat. There are also combi boilers, which produce both heat and hot water for the house.

Modern boilers are nearly all condensing boilers. This means they reuse the water that condenses after heating and cycle it multiple times.

How does a boiler heat your home?

1. Your thermostat communicates with your boiler when your home’s temperature drops too low.
2. The boiler’s burner turns on. It burns either gas or heating oil to generate heat.
3. The boiler begins heating water in its tank.
4. Either steam or heated water (depending on your boiler) moves into your pipe system or radiators. They radiate heat into your living space.
5. As the steam condenses or the water cools, it returns to the boiler and the cycle repeats.
6. The boiler will continue to heat water until your thermostat signals that the room is warm enough. At this point, the boiler turns off.

Are boilers a good way to heat your home?

There are definite advantages to heating your home with a boiler, including the following:

• Quiet operation
• Strong, consistent heat
• Less risk of air pollutants since there’s no circulated air

On the other hand, boiler systems cannot also be used for cooling since there are no ducts. They can take longer to start up, and boiler installation can be complicated. You need to have an experienced, skilled team of technicians.

Let TF Complete Heating & Cooling upgrade your boiler.

The TF Complete Heating & Cooling team has installed many gas- and oil-fired boilers. We understand the potential difficulties of the process and have tried-and-true methods for making it as easy as possible. We generally handle all prefabrication and wiring work in our shop. That way, we’ve done much of the most precise work before ever setting foot in your home.

We also have a top-notch boiler maintenance and repair team. If your heat goes out on a cold night, contact us quickly, and we’ll get to you. Our top priority is making sure you’re warm and safe!

Does your boiler need its annual tune-up? Contact us right away to arrange your appointment.