Ever wondered what keeps your house warm during the chilly winters? Well, most people place a high importance on keeping their houses warm because they would rather not freeze during the winter.
It should therefore be equally important to understand central heating and how it functions.
This article explores how central heating works.
Introduction to Central Heating
Simply put, central heating keeps your entire house warm using one appliance. The heat originates from your boiler. The heat is distributed throughout your home through water pipes or air ducts.
Various Types of Central Heating Systems
The most common central heating method is central hydronic heating. This heating method uses a continuous flow of water heated by the boiler and sent through radiators around the home. Hydronic heating systems do not dry out your home as quickly; they also keep the house at a more even and consistent temperature. With hydronic in-floor heating systems, you can set the thermostat 2-3F cooler and feel very toasty, thanks to the warmed floor.
Some homes use forced warm air heating systems. A forced air system circulates heated air through ducts/pipes routed throughout your home. These systems are cheaper to install, plus you can use the ducts for air-conditioning. Forced air systems will heat a space quickly, but it does dry the air very quickly. Some also complain the heat is uneven, and unless you are heating with a wood or coal furnace, the air coming out of the vents is almost cold. The heated air is subsequently delivered into each room through vents.
How Does Central Heating Work?
These heating appliances are typically placed in your basement. A central heating appliance can be of all shapes and sizes. To distribute heat into the other rooms, a blower or pump(s) will circulate the heated air or water throughout your home. As the heat leaves the boiler to the house, the cold is pushed back to the boiler; this is the heating cycle.
A hydronic system uses a type of appliance called a boiler. Boilers have a fire chamber surrounded by a water jacket. Circulator pumps move the water through the boiler, to the house, and back to the boiler. A hydronic system can easily be split into zones, each with a thermostat. The creation of the zones is done when the system is installed.
Controlling a central heating system is easy. Simply turn up the thermostat. In our Wood Gun wood boilers, the thermostat only turns on the circulator pump; the boiler automatically maintains a preset temperature. In this way, there is always heat readily available.
Wood and coal-forced air systems are also straightforward to use. When a thermostat calls for heat, it directly controls the furnace and causes it to make more heat. A sensor in the furnace turns the blower on whenever it senses a high enough temperature. Cold air is never blown throughout your home by doing it this way!