{"id":4604,"date":"2021-12-03T16:44:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T16:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climesense.com\/?p=4604"},"modified":"2021-12-06T18:56:30","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T18:56:30","slug":"what-is-steam-heating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climesense.com\/what-is-steam-heating\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Steam Heating, or Steam Heating Systems?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is steam heating? This is a question you are most likely to ask if you are buying an old home or if you are sick and tired of struggling to raise and maintain a constant temperature in your home without a high energy cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A steam heat system<\/a> is a type of central heating system that is designed to warm up homes or buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The steam heating system isn’t as common in modern buildings, but these steam piping solutions can be a great way to warm up your home without increasing your energy bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to learn more about these heating systems then you have come to the right place because we are now going to show you how these systems work and how they can help you reduce electric power usage in your home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Steam Heating?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Steam heat is produced when water is converted into high-pressure steam inside a boiler. In buildings with steam heat, a large boiler is usually fitted in one of the rooms (typically the basement). A pipeline is fitted to the boiler and runs through the house and back into the boiler. Rooms that need to be heated are then equipped with a radiator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the boiler<\/a> is heated, it converts water into steam. The buildup of steam then travels through the pipes to radiators. The steam radiators are designed to emit heat into rooms to warm up these spaces. All the steam circulates in a continuous loop through the house and returns back to the boiler where it is once again heated and pressurized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These forced-air systems are often considered energy efficient and the heating medium can help reduce your carbon footprint if you have the correct boiler type in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can identify a house with steam heat by looking out for radiators in rooms that are all connected to a one-pipe system. If the radiator is connected to a two-pipe system then the house likely doesn’t have a  steam boiler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Steam Heating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This type of heating technology is quite ancient and has been used to warm up interior spaces since 1784 when James Watt warmed up his office space with steam that ran through pipes. Scottish inventor, James Watt<\/a>, then built the central boiler system in his home and expanded it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His system used excessive pressure steam that traveled through pipes through his home and sourced back to the central boiler. Watt’s boiler system was later used in an industrial building in Manchester. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The radiator, a critical part of the steam system, was developed by Russian inventor Franz San Galli<\/a> in the 1850s. This steam radiator revolutionized steam heating systems since they allowed people to concentrate heat in specific areas in homes instead of having the warmth distributed all the way throughout the building walls. People were now able to warm up specific rooms inside the building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steam heating systems only became popular in households during the 19th century, and in these times the boilers were fueled by coal fire boilers. They became popular in most of Europe, the United States, and other regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boilers gradually improved and were later fueled by gas or even electricity to produce the first electric heating systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In electric heating systems, the boiler is warmed up with electricity to convert water into steam and the steam then travels through the pipeline to the steam radiator to warm interior spaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some electric heating steam boilers are now even run on solar energy and since the water is captured inside the boiler and pipeline, the steam heater becomes completely energy efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should You Use or Get a Steam Heating System?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Steam heating systems are not as common in modern homes as they used to be in traditional homes. This is mostly because they can be tough to install and temperature regulation isn’t always the easiest. But they also offer numerous benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to see if this type of heating system is a good fit for your home is by considering all of the pros and cons of this type of heating system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pros and Cons of Steam Heating Systems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As with all home heating systems, this one does have quite a few benefits. But for many people, the cons or drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Let’s take a look at the top pros and cons of these unique heating systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n