As chilly as a Maryland winter can be, it’s important to choose a heating system that can offer the best balance of comfort and efficiency. A hydronic heating system uses a liquid like water to heat your home instead of hot air like a furnace. This can offer many benefits for your home and your family, so let’s take a deeper look at the way hydronic heating works and its advantages.
What Is Hydronic Heating?
With a hydronic heating system, a boiler is used to heat water or other liquids, and that liquid is pumped through a series of pipes to each area of your home. A radiator, a baseboard heater, an in-floor radiant heating system, or similar solutions are used in each room or zone to transfer heat from the boiler into that room. Hydronic heating systems are more complex than furnaces or heat pumps, but they can also outperform the competition in several ways.
The Benefits of Hydronic Heating Systems
By heating your home using water instead of air, hydronic heating systems can offer several distinct advantages:
- More efficient heating: Liquids transfer heat more efficiently than air. Plus, up to 20% of the energy in a forced-air heating system like a furnace or heat pump can be lost to leaky ductwork.
- Greater comfort: Radiant heating systems heat slowly but more evenly, making you feel more comfortable at lower temperatures. And in-floor heating has the added benefit of making your floors feel warm and cozy instead of damp and chilly.
- Simple zoning: Hydronic heating systems can easily be split into multiple zones, making it possible to individually control the temperature in each area with its own thermostat.
- Less dry air: Forced-air heating can strip the moisture out of the air, which can cause skin, nose, and throat irritation while making it feel less warm at the same temperature. Hydronic heating helps to maintain healthy humidity levels.
- Reduced allergens: Forced-air systems can circulate air pollutants like dust, pollen, mold spores, and pet dander through the ductwork to each area of your home. Hydronic heating does not stir up dust or other contaminants.
- Quieter operation: With a furnace or heat pump, there are vents in every room, and they transmit the sound of the blower fan, the moving air, and the ducts as they expand and contract. Hydronic heating systems are virtually silent, with much of the noise located near the boiler itself.
Is Hydronic Heating Right for Your Home?
Hydronic heating requires a series of pipes, valves, pumps, and a combination of in-floor heating, radiators, or baseboard heaters to be installed in addition to the boiler itself. This makes it ideal for new construction homes, where all the necessary systems can be installed as the home is built. It would take extensive renovations to add hydronic heating to an existing home, though it may be easier than installing ductwork for a forced air system.
With the right planning and preparation, however, hydronic heating systems can be perfect for many new homes, older homes, townhouses, apartment buildings, and more. Installations may be more difficult in historic homes or commercial buildings, and a separate cooling system may have to be added for year-round comfort.
Hydronic Heating Services in Southern Maryland
Are you considering a hydronic heating system for your home in Montgomery, Frederick, or Howard County? Talk to our team at Stang Plumbing & Heating. We have been serving Gaithersburg and Southern Maryland since 1989. We can help you determine if a hydronic heating system is the best option for your home, and we can provide a professional installation.
Our company offers complete plumbing services, and we can help with all your hydronic heating needs, from boiler installations and replacements to maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and more. We feature over 50 years of industry experience with impeccable service, friendly staff, and honest pricing. Our commitment to comfort has earned us many great reviews from our clients, and we have been an Angi Super Service Award winner since 2013.
Call our plumbing experts today at (301) 926-1462 or contact us online for help with all your hydronic heating needs in the Gaithersburg area.
