Before purchasing a heating system for my new home, I did a great deal of research.
Because of the especially long, extremely cold winters in the local area, I wasn’t concerned with centralized cooling capabilities.
I strictly wanted a heater that could easily handle temperatures down to negative twenty-five and provide long-term reliability. I learned that there are some major disadvantages to furnaces that use air to transport heat energy. As the air passes through the ductwork, a significant amount escapes through holes and imperfections. The air also picks up contaminants such as dust and bacteria that then gets distributed into the living space. When the hot air finally flows from the vents, it tends to rise straight up to the ceiling and only fall back down once it has cooled off. A boiler uses water to convey heat. Water is much more effective at retaining heat, making a boiler wonderfully effective and efficient. Rather than vents that limit furniture arrangement, a boiler can accommodate any configuration of radiant floor heating, baseboard heaters or slim profile radiators. The heat is infused into the air, eliminating cold spots, drafts and unpleasant temperature fluctuation. The temperature from floor to ceiling never varies more than three degrees from the thermostat setting. While a furnace is a very complex machine, a boiler has few moving parts. With annual maintenance, a hydronic heating system tends to be especially reliable and can provide upwards of three decades of operation. Another advantage of a boiler is the easy set up of zone control. An independent thermostat in each room allows for personalized temperature settings.