Handyman Guide > Home Heating Systems

There are three types of heating systems for homes, steam, hot water, and warm air, and the basic requirements of each are the same - that they heat the house properly at a minimum cost and with a minimum amount of effort on the part of the homeowner. No matter how well a house is heated, if the fuel bills are exceptionally high the system cannot be considered efficient. Likewise a furnace that requires constant attention is equally unsatisfactory.



With the advent of modern, automatic, oil-burning furnaces, automatic coal stokers and gas furnaces, all equipped with various devices to regulate the amount of heat produced, the care required to keep the heating plant operating has markedly decreased. But even the most modern and automatic plant can, and often does, run up excessive fuel bills, or fails to deliver the required amount of heat throughout the house, if certain factors are over-looked.

Regardless of the type of system used, hot water, steam, or warm air, or what kind of fuel is burned, the heating system must be big enough for the house. Do not try to coax an undersized furnace to heat a house for which it was never designed. The final result of this practice will be the deterioration of the plant from being forced to remain overheated for long periods.

Many a warm air system in an old house was installed with the intention of heating only a few downstairs rooms. A system such as this cannot be expected to keep the entire house comfortable.

In the event that the heating plant is too small for the house, the homeowner can either close off various parts of the house during the cold months or have a larger heating systerm installed. An alternative to both of these remedies is to install additional equipment in the part of the house not heated by the main system. There are many excellent portable heating plants that operate with oil, gas, or electricity. Any one of these will keep a room comfortable and is inexpensive to operate. Remember that in the long run it is cheaper to keep a room moderately warm throughout the day than to let it become thoroughly chilled and try to heat it for only a few hours.

Before taking any of these steps, however, determine whether all the heat provided by the system is being fully utilized or a large portion allowed to escape through the walls, roof, and small cracks around windows and doors. If this is the case, insulation throughout, in addition to weatherstripping, may well be the answer.



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