A radiant heating system, also known as a hydronic heating system, delivers some of the best in comfort for home heating, according to customers. This type of unit consists of two main parts: a boiler and some type of endpoint or delivery system. The boiler is a hot water tank, heating and storing hot water so that it can circulate throughout the home. As it turns out, water is a better conductor of heat than air, which is why the heat from a boiler is often described as feeling more comfortable than that from a forced-air heating system like a furnace.
After it heats up at the boiler, water circulates into your home. How it moves into a room is dependent on the type of terminal unit you have installed, such as a radiator, fan convector unit, or in-floor heating. We’ll go over each of these units in this brief list. Ask your technician which type of unit works best for the boiler in your home.
- Radiator: A radiator is a heat exchanger in which hot water flows through and then transfers to the surfaces in the room. Although it is called a “radiator” radiation isn’t necessarily used for heat exchange. Rather, these types of units rely heavily on convection. Radiators are available in many different designs. While column radiators are often present in older homes with boilers, baseboard radiators are more popular today.
- Fan Convector: These units work just like radiators, but with the addition of a fan to speed up heat transfer. Although this involves an extra mechanical component for operation, fan convectors can still save energy over conventional radiators because a room heats up quickly and because the temperature of the water may be lowered.
- In-floor Piping: By far, the most comfortable type of heating for home use probably comes from in-floor radiant heating systems. This involves installing a complex set of pipes underneath the floorboards, so installation for an existing property will be an extensive task. Nonetheless, nothing beats the feeling of waking up in the morning to step onto a warm floor and feeling that heat transfer to your body.
Call the experts at Dynamic Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning today to learn more about the types of terminal units available for your boiler. We provide professional boiler services in Bristol and the surrounding Southington area.