At Hodge Heating & Air Conditioning of Lake Norman, we want to help you and your family stay warm this winter. No one wants to have to deal with a broken heater, and in our experience, the best way to avoid that situation is to learn about how it works so that you can spot potential problems before they can do irreparable damage. In this article, we will provide a brief overview of the three basic types of central heating systems:
- Furnace- The most common type of heating system used in American homes is the furnace. In this kind of heating system, warm air from the furnace is distributed throughout your home through ducts and vents. The furnace heats the air by burning fuel (natural gas or oil). The flames heat up a metal component called the heat exchanger, which transfers that warmth to the air. A fan then blows this air through the ducts and into the rooms of your home.
- Boilers- While furnace heating systems use hot air, boiler heating systems use hot water to warm a home. Water is heated in the boiler, a specialized water heater, and then distributed throughout the home via pipes and radiators. While boilers can seem old-fashioned, these heating systems are also being used in state-of-the-art ways. For example, radiant floor heating uses a boiler and a network of plastic tubes in the floor to keep your floors warm and comfortable for bare feet even in the dead of winter.
- Heat Pumps- The third main type of heating system is the heat pump. Heat pumps can also be thought of as two-way air conditioners, as the way they work is by moving heat energy in or out of your home. In the summer, heat is pumped out of the home to keep the interior cool, while in the winter, the heat pump collects any heat energy from outside and pulls it into your home.
If you are experiencing problems with any of these heating systems or want to know how they work in more detail, call our team at Hodge Heating & Air Conditioning of Lake Norman today.