Boilers are one of those things that so many people get confused about. They know that the boilers produce steam heat to heat a building or home, but they often assume that no other energy source is required to make a boiler go. They are often confused by the many types of boilers and the many BTUs the boilers each produces. If you have a boiler in your "new" home," you, too, might be a tad confused. Here are some explanations of the most confusing aspects of boilers.
Boilers Need Fuel
Think about it. Old trains used boilers for energy, but they, too, required fuel. In those days, the fuel was either coal or wood. Residential and commercial boilers today rarely use wood or coal. Instead, they use gas, propane, electricity, and oil. These are their fuels, and without fuel, the boilers could not boil and would not produce steam heat. Find out what kind of boiler you have, and then make sure you have enough fuel to get through the winter (or cold desert nights).
Types of Boilers
There are residential, commercial, and industrial boilers. The bigger the demand for heat and energy, the bigger the boiler. Most residential boilers are about the size of a regular electric furnace, maybe a little smaller. Commercial boilers heat schools and tenement buildings. Industrial boilers provide heat and energy in places that require intense heat and a lot more energy than most heating appliances can supply.
Additionally, boilers use all kinds of fuel/energy sources. There are oil boilers, natural gas boilers, propane boilers, electric boilers, and if you have a seriously old-school boiler, wood or coal (although most of those boilers have long since been replaced). Ergo, you can have any combination of the type of boiler with the type of fuel for several different kinds of boilers.
BTUs
Like air conditioners, these heating appliances project BTUs, or British Thermal Units, which are used to measure the output of a boiler or air conditioner. The more the BTUs, the bigger the machine and the greater the output. Residential boilers have several levels of BTUs and for good reason. You would not try to heat a 1,100sq. foot home with 561,000 BTUs! You would be sitting in the middle of a sauna!
Various boilers are equipped to produce various BTUs because no two houses are the same size or need the same amount of heat. If you are not sure which boiler you need to buy the next time you have to replace the one you have, talk to an HVAC specialist or company like Comfort Solutions Inc. He or she knows how many BTUs are enough for the total square footage of your home.
Share10 January 2018
Does your air conditioner smell, make loads of extra noise, or fail to cool your home? If you have noticed any of these problems, there might be issues with your air conditioning unit. Fortunately, you don't have to let a bum system make your home stuffy and uncomfortable. Professional heating ventilation and air conditioning contractors can snap your AC unit into shape in no time. By carefully checking your condenser and evaluating your refrigerant levels, the experts might be able to dramatically improve the cooling capacity of your home unit. Read here to find out how to spot problems before they make your space uncomfortable.