Unless you live in a tropical climate, you most likely need a heater to keep your home warm in the frigid winter months. If you’re like the majority of homeowners, you don’t actually know much about that lovely piece of machinery entrusted with keeping your family warm and toasty. Read the information below on how heating systems actually work.

Types of Heating

Central heating systems have heating appliances like furnaces or boilers located in low-traffic areas of a home. They are often placed in basements, garages or laundry rooms. These produce heat and deliver it to each room of the house by pumping warm air through ducts or sending hot water or steam via pipes to radiators or convectors. Forced air systems utilize fans with metal or plastic blades to deliver warm air through ductwork. All types of heating are controlled by at least one thermostat that sets the temperature.

How the Systems Work

Forced air systems can provide a home with both warm and cool air, whereas a gravity furnace can only provide heated air. Forced air systems blow the heated or cooled air through the home. They require heat pumps that are normally powered by electricity. The blowers in these systems pull air in through intake ducts, heat the air on a coil and then send heated air back through the ducts. Gravity systems, on the other hand, do not use blowers but rather convection currents to carry warm air throughout a house to living spaces. These heating systems cannot produce air conditioning and normally requires extremely large air ducts.

Possessing a basic knowledge of how the appliances in your home function will help you to care for them properly. It will also help when repairs are needed as you will be able to speak intelligently with the repair company.