Difference Between

Furnace vs Boiler

Furnace and boiler are two techniques that are used all over the country to heat a home. Both are effective ways to provide warmth to a home but they are basically different methods having their unique advantages and disadvantages. People who do not understand the physics or working principles behind furnace and boiler remain confused between the two heating methods, and cannot make a right choice. This article attempts to find out the differences between the two heating methods so as to enable home owners to make a correct choice depending upon their circumstances and requirements.

While, furnaces heat air and distribute this air throughout the house to keep it warm, boilers heat up water and then use this heat of water or steam to heat the house. To distribute steam throughout the house, pipes are used that carry steam to steam radiators. On the other hand, hot water can keep the house warm through radiant floor heating systems or by heating air through a coil system. Even knowing these basic differences between a furnace and a boiler does not take us any closer to finding a solution to our problem of heating our home in the most efficient manner. There are manufacturers of both boiler and furnace based systems, and they are giving long enough warranties.

There are differences in maintenances of heating systems that need to be kept in mind when going in for a furnace or a boiler system. You need to clean or change air filter in case of an air furnace frequently. This cleaning or changing may be required every quarter or as early as every month depending upon location and requirements of the home. On the other hand, you need to bleed away excess air from the boiler system periodically. You know when to bleed away air from the boiler when the rooms are not getting heated sufficiently.

One advantage that a boiler system provides to users is the ability to heat rooms differently with the help of thermostats that can be set depending upon requirements. This means you heat rooms that are needed, while leaving out rooms that are not used or used rarely. This benefit is not available to those using a furnace system that distributes hot air throughout the house. There is a centrally located thermostat that heats different areas of the house uniformly. Another advantage of a boiler system is higher humidity levels in air inside the house. In case of furnace system being utilized, one needs to have humidifier installed in rooms or attached to the system.