Written on: January 23, 2023

Boiler Vs. Furnace: What’s the Difference?

How Heating Oil Furnaces and Boilers Work

While furnaces and boilers will both keep your home warm, there are important differences that separate these two types of heating systems.

How Does a Furnace Work?

A furnace refers to the heating unit in a warm air, or forced air, system. After air is heated in the furnace, a blower fan distributes it through ducts. The warm air is then released through vents or registers in your home.

How Does a Boiler Work?

If you have a hot water (hydronic) system, water circulates around your boiler’s combustion chamber. A circulator pumps the hot water through pipes to heat baseboards or radiators. Eventually, the water returns to the unit to begin the cycle again. If you have a steam system, the boiler turns the water into steam, which then rises through pipes to radiators.

Important Maintenance for Furnaces

All warm air systems have an air filter to screen out dust and other impurities. In general, you should check the filter’s condition about once a month during the heating season and change/clean it when necessary.

Advice for Boilers

• If you’re not getting heat from a baseboard, check to see if the damper is open. Make sure the bottom of the unit isn’t blocked by heavy carpeting.
• For steam systems, check the boiler’s water gauge periodically. Low water levels are a leading cause for shutdowns. Steam boilers should also be flushed when the water in the gauge looks rusty. If you’re not familiar with this procedure, call us for advice.
• A radiator valve has only two positions, on and off. Keeping the valve’s handle in between does not regulate the temperature but can strain the pipes and produce a hammering sound.

Important Tips for All Heating Systems

• Keep the area around your system as clean and clutter-free as possible. Never store anything flammable near your system.
• Keep registers, baseboards or radiators clean and unobstructed to ensure maximum air flow.

If you think it’s time to replace your old oil furnace or oil boiler, please contact us about your options.

Today’s oil boilers and oil furnaces offer homeowners a great opportunity to increase their comfort while decreasing their energy usage. New systems now heat your home using significantly less energy compared to older-generation equipment. Energy-efficient equipment can be installed with controls to use only as much fuel as needed to heat your home or a specific part of your home.

Quality Boiler and Furnace Installations from Westmore Fuel

Our knowledgeable installers examine your current system, not only the old boiler, but the piping as well. And where others may just replace the furnace connecting it to existing ductwork, we upgrade the ducts to ensure optimal hot air carrying capacity and flow.

Westmore’s installation team is our own, we never use contractors. That means we can stand behind our work and will be there for you in the years to come.

Read more about a new boiler or furnace installation .