Sometimes referred to as “hydronic” heating boilers are some of the oldest forms of heating, but are making a comeback due to their quietness and comfort. Boilers can use radiators to give off heat, those old cast iron contraptions you find in older homes. They also use radiant baseboards, in-floor or under floor coils. The floor coils provide a warm comfortable floor underfoot which is a large part of the charm that is bringing these systems back in style.

Boilers also allow you to individually control rooms with “zone” controls, devices that let water come through the coil in that room when you need heat, and shuts it down when you don’t.

You can add a boiler in an existing home where one doesn’t exist, but it may be expensive depending on the home layout and accessibility. Also, even thought you have the boiler you still need a separate system for air conditioning, either ducted or ductless.

You can identify a boiler as a unit without ductwork, usually located in a basement or closet. It will have water pipes feeding into it, and it is usually – but not always – rectangular, unlike the water heater that is used for bathing and hand washing.

Older, larger homes sometimes used boilers that generated steam for heating, but boilers installed today circulate water, not steam, in order to heat the home. Boilers have regained popularity in many areas because of the ability to radiate the heat through the floor with under floor coils that make the space more comfortable in the winter. It is extremely important that the safety controls on the system be well maintained and it good working order.

Electric Boilers

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Due to the cost of electric, home heating boilers are typically not electric when other heat sources (gas, oil) are available – but some electric boilers do exist. They work much in the way an electric water heater works, using an electric coil to heat the water that is distributed throughout the home.

If you have identified your system as a boiler, identifying the heating source should be easier. An electric boiler will not have a chimney (flue) pipe, but you will have a large electric circuit feeding it, and probably a large electric bill to go with it.

Gas Boilers

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Gas boilers are probably the most common type of boiler, and they can heat with natural gas or be retrofitted to use propane gas. Gas boilers should be checked at least once a year to insure they are safe and are in good operating condition.

Identifying a gas boiler. A gas boiler and an oil boiler will both have a chimney pipe, but you probably won’t wouldn’t be using oil if you have gas available. Natural gas is usually the most cost effective way to heat using a boiler system.

Oil Boilers

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Oil boilers were very common before gas was available in many markets. Oil boilers require a skilled technician for proper adjustment, and should be checked at least once a year to insure they are safe and are in good operating condition.

Identifying an oil boiler. An oil boiler usually has a burner that looks like the one in the illustration, but a few gas boilers use a similar burner. If you order and pay for fuel oil on an ongoing basis, it’s a good chance that your system is oil. Fuel oil is typically used where natural gas is not available.