Central heating systems consists of the following components, a boiler which generates heat, a heat exchanger which transfers the heat from the boiler to the water which needs to be heated and lastly, a radiator, from which the heat circulates in the house to keep it warm. The most important thing out of these three components is the boiler. It is the heart of the central heating system. You must be well-educated about how central heating boilers work, only then you can successfully understand central heating. This article will help you a lot in educating yourself about boilers.
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How does a boiler works
A boiler works on fuel, either oil or gas. The main work of a boiler is to generate heat. Some boilers don’t need heat exchangers to transfer heat to the water, as they can directly heat the water up. The heating process is such that the boiler burns the fuel, the burning or combustion generates a lot of heat. Now a heat exchanger comes into play. The heat exchanger, if a boiler is incapable of directly transferring the produced heat to the water, takes the heat and flows it through the water and heats it up to a desired temperature. Some modern boilers are capable of directly transferring heat to the water without the need of a heat exchanger.
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The cost of a boiler
About new boiler cost, a lot of central heating contractors will have a fixed price rate for a boiler, regardless if the fuel prices are increasing. Options such as paying half amount, full amount or paying in installments is available. A boiler is an integral part of a central heating system, so it is quite expensive. Therefore, it is suggested to properly take care of your boiler and timely maintain it, if any problem comes up. Boilers are usually of good quality, so they don’t malfunction quickly. But negligence and lack of proper care will cost you a lot.
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Types of boilers
If you are new to central heating, then you need to know about the different types of boilers available. The type of boiler will determine whether you can easily install central heating in your house or not.
Boilers are of different types, such as conventional boilers which have big storage tanks, for both hot and cold water; they take in cold water and heat up the water directly. They take up a lot of space, because they are huge and have separate tanks for different temperature waters. They are not used as commonly now, as a lot of modifications have been made in its design.
Combination boilers don’t have storage tanks, which makes them more convenient and easy to install, they can heat up water a lot quicker too. These boilers are used where demand for quick hot water is needed. Then there are system heaters, which are compact, and they have all the heating components integrated into a single box, which makes it easier to install and there is no hassle.
