Things You Should Know about a Hydronic Boiler

A hydronic boiler is a closed vessel that heats water or any other fluids, and is used to generate heat for industrial and residential purposes. It is often used for central heating systems in European homes, as opposed to wood burning stoves or even forced air furnaces which are more common in the US.

It operates by heating fluids up to a certain, pre-set temperature, and then circulating the heated fluid throughout the entire house through baseboard heaters, radiators, or the floors. The fluid could be heated by various means such as wood, fuel, gas or oil, although the most popular right now is natural gas since this is the most economical.

The fluid is placed in an enclosed system that is circulated through a motorized pump. The term “boiler” is actually a misnomer, since the water never really reaches the boiling point (except for those using steam radiators).

Most of the new systems available today use a condensing boiler, since this is more efficient. This device works by condensing water vapor found in the flue gases in order to capture all the latent heat of the water vaporization which happens during combustion.

Hydronic systems are becoming more popular for various reasons. For one thing, they are more economical and more efficient when compared with forced air systems.
However, you should remember that the initial installation of hydronic systems is more expensive due to the cost of aluminum and copper. However, in the long run, the system pays for itself.

Second, the aluminum fins and baseboard copper pipes are sure to take up less room in your house. They also use a lot less metal than the necessary steel ductwork for forced air systems, which are very bulky. In addition, hydronic systems provide more stable temperatures which are less prone to fluctuations than forced air systems.

This is because copper baseboard pipes are able to hold on and release heat for a longer time than air can. Therefore, the furnace would not have to switch on and off as often. The heat from copper is usually through radiation and conduction, while the heat from air is mainly through forced convection. Air has significantly lower volumetric heat capacity as well as thermal conductivity when compared to copper. Therefore, the space cools down and warms up more quickly than it does with hydronic systems. In addition, hydronic systems don’t introduce dust, mold or allergens into your house.