Selecting the right type of home heating system can be confusing. Here is a basic overview of the most common home heating systems.
Traditional furnaces
A furnace that is used for Home Heating system purpose draws the air from the home into a system of ductwork. Here the air is heated and regulated to the living rooms. Some furnaces also use blowers to circulate the heated air. The air that is to be circulated is drawn through a filter to get rid of dust particles. The furnace may be fuelled by different types of fuel like gas, coal, oil, electricity and wood. The gas and oil furnaces use a power light to heat the heat exchange unit which in turn heats the air that is to be circulated. Heating strips or elements are used by the electrical furnaces to heat the air. A coal or a wood furnace constitutes of a fire box, where the fuel is burnt and a heat exchanger which warms up the air that is to be circulated. The temperature inside the house is controlled by the thermostat that is usually positioned at eye level on a wall.
Steam Radiant Heating System
Steam Radiators are is an old concept and not very much in use today but they have their own advantages. They have cast iron radiators that radiate heat with steam. The steam system may have one or two pipes. In a single pipe system the water and heat flow in the same pipe but the direction of flow is opposite. In a double pipe system separate pipes are used for the flow of water and heat. These heaters are very efficient and they warm spaces quite quickly.
Electric Heat Pump
Heat pumps shuffle heat from one place to the other. They can also be used a air conditioners during warm weather. A typical heat pump extracts arm air from the surroundings like the outdoor air, underground water, surface water or the earth. This air is then heated by the pump if necessary as is regulated into the house. The thermostat of an electric heater is much like that of a furnace but it also has controls for air- conditioning.
Radiant Ceiling or Floor Heaters
Radiant heaters heat up the home as the sun does. It does not use any blowers. Instead electrical radiant elements are installed inside the floors or walls or on the ceiling. Each area has a control that might be marked from lower to higher temperature. However, they do not show the current temperature of that place. Another type of Radiant heating is Hydronic Heating. In this type of heating system hot water, which is heated in a boiler, flows through the pipes or tubes that have been placed at the places that are to be heated. These types of heaters are used under roads so as to keep away the snow and ice from accumulating there.
Space Heaters
The best part of Space heaters is that they are portable. These types of heaters are fueled by gas or kerosene oil. They might be standing free in a space or might be attached to a wall. However these types of heaters are not used to heat large area like a living room.