How Does a Boiler Work?

Is Your Heating System Ready for Winter?

This is the season when we break out the sweaters and enjoy pumpkin spice. It’s also a good time to familiarize yourself with your heating system and make sure it’s in good shape. Now is a great time to call on the technicians at W.H. Riley & Son. We can make sure your heating system is functioning as efficiently as possible and ready to keep you and your family toasty and warm all winter long.

At W.H. Riley & Son, we’re heating system experts. We service and install boilers and furnaces. How about you? Do you know how your heating system works? Do you even know whether you have a boiler or a furnace? Let’s take a look at how to tell which system your home uses and then explore how a boiler works.

Do You Have a Boiler or a Furnace?

In everyday speech, you may hear lay people using the words “boiler” and “furnace” interchangeably. However, boilers and furnaces are different. They serve the same purpose (heating your home), but they accomplish it differently.

Here’s a quick and easy way to tell which type of heating system your home has. Just look for radiators or vents. If your home has radiators (or baseboards), then it also has a boiler. If your home has vents, then it has a furnace.

Now let’s take a look a closer look at boilers and how they work.

Boilers 101

Boilers are hydronic heating systems because they use hot water or steam to heat your home. That means a boiler can either be a hot water boiler or a steam boiler. Hydronic refers to the transfer of heat by circulating water or water vapor (steam) in a closed system of pipes.

A hot water boiler burns fuel to heat water that is then pumped through pipes to baseboards, radiators, in-floor radiant tubing, or other sealed hydronic devices throughout your Massachusetts home. Then the water returns to the unit and the cycle continues.

With a steam boiler, the process is very similar. However, the water is converted to steam before circulating throughout your home.

A lot of people like the fact that boilers run fairly quietly. And because they don’t rely on fans or blowers, they don’t add any dust, dirt, or allergens to the air in your home.

Get Ready for Winter

Now is the season to make sure your heating system is ready to keep your household warm and comfortable this winter. That’s something best left to the pros. You don’t want any no-heat emergencies on a cold and biting day. The best way to get peace of mind and prepare your heating system for winter is to schedule a maintenance visit. And winter is just around the corner, so don’t put it off.

In addition to protecting against a breakdown, getting maintenance for your heating system now will save you money all winter long. A heating system that doesn’t receive regular professional maintenance becomes measurably less efficient every year. The less efficient your heating system becomes, the more it costs you to heat your home.

The pros at W.H. Riley & Son perform boiler maintenance and repair in Massachusetts’ Bristol County and nearby neighborhoods. Let us help you get your boiler primed and ready for the winter ahead.

Service You Can Count On

Winter is coming. Don’t get caught with a boiler that can’t handle it. Let the experts at W.H. Riley & Son make sure your heating system is ready to work reliably and efficiently for you and your family.

Contact W.H. Riley & Son today to learn more or schedule a maintenance visit.