Central-heating boilers produce hot water or steam for radiators, baseboard heaters and underfloor heating systems. Boilers eliminate the dry, forced air of classic furnaces, replacing it by moist heat that won’t dry out your residence and skin. Buying a boiler represents a significant investment and requires careful consideration to make sure the system will function as intended.
Size your brand new boiler based on heat reduction, not square footage. Blow old rule-of-thumb sizing when shopping for a boiler as this generally causes a boiler that’s too large for the home. Size your thermostat to replace the heat lost from your house through walls, ceilings, windows and other surfaces, using the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s “Manual J” guidelines. By way of instance, a small home with 60 square feet of double-pane windows can discard 2,500 BTUs of heat per hour only through the windows, and another 13,000 through ceilings and walls. Add in the capacity to cover heat lost through air leakage, and the house could demand a boiler rated at 25,000 BTUs or larger.
Opt for the highest annual fuel utilization efficiency available. The AFUE rating tells you how much of this fuel your boiler uses is actually converted to heat, versus being wasted through combustion. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, gas boilers have a minimum AFUE rating of 80 to 82 percent, while oil-powered units have a minimum AFUE of 82 to 84 percent. The higher the AFUE, the more efficient and eco friendly the boiler.
Decide whether you want to have an oil or gas-powered boiler. Gasoline costs traditionally tend to fluctuate less than petroleum rates. In case you have access to your municipal gas line, then install a gas boiler to spend less on heating bills.
Request about combination boilers. Combiation boilers incorporate water heating in addition to home heating into a single appliance. If you intend to improve your hot water heater, these units can save you space and optimize convenience.
Stick with boilers that incorporate sealed combustion chambers that exhaust fumes straight to the outdoors.