Hot Water Heating
A Bit About Hydronic Heating
Where's That Heat Coming From?
Hot water heating is probably the most popular way there is today to heat your home. Traditionally this has been done with baseboard or radiators, more recently with under floor radiant type heat and customized radiators that can be made to match almost any decor.
Some of the newer designs are vertical and some are towel warmers as well as radiation. There are many different types of radiation that can be used with a hot water heating system.
The only qualification is that the material must be able to transfer the energy from the hot water being passed through it into the air of the room.
All of these types of radiation use the same principles. They take energy from a boiler and they use this energy by convecting or radiating the warmth to the air around them. Most radiation of this sort is passive.
In other words there are no blowers and therefore no electricity consumption. They work by heating the air around the water filled unit.
When this happens the air naturally rises. As the air rises new cool air is pulled in from below and the process continues as long as the hot water is being circulated through the heater.
Boilers can fire on oil,natural gas, propane gas and even wood. Today's technologies have made an efficiency rating of as high as 96% a reality.
This is a ten percent jump in the past 7 years. Emerging innovation's in modulating burners have played a large part in this advance in efficiency.
Radiant Hot Water Heating
The future Heat Wave
Todays boilers have come a long way. They are heating more area with less fuel and better control over the emmissions they produce then ever. One other place that has seen an incredible new rush with builders and homeowners is the radiant heating industry.
Basically we are just using tubing that carries the heated water through the flooring or under the flooring and it technically makes the whole floor as well as anything touching it, into radiation. The floors absorb the energy and radiation properties cause a thermal rise into the air we live in.
Hot water heating systems can be retrofit into an existing dwelling and they are used in new construction more then any other type of heating. Keeping up on maintenance procedures can't be stressed enough to get the most comfortable and efficient opperation possible.
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