Hot water boilers are a popular choice for Connecticut homeowners looking to heat their homes reliably and efficiently. Powered by oil, propane or natural gas, these systems heat your living space by pumping heated water through baseboards, radiators, radiant flooring, or hydronic heating units.
How old is your water boiler? If your system is 15 years or older, upgrading to a new high-efficiency boiler can significantly cut your energy costs and reduce your emissions output. Sippin Energy is proud to sell, service, and install high-efficiency oil and propane-fired water boilers. Our certified HVAC experts are available to assess your current equipment and offer upgrade recommendations to best suit your home heating needs.
How Do Hot Water Boilers Work?
Hot water boiler work by heating water and circulating that hot water through baseboards, or radiators in your home. The hot water can also be fed to tubing under a floor which is called radiant heating. Hot water boilers can also be used for Hydro-Air systems. These systems are a hybrid system utilizing a hot water boiler to heat water which is then used to heat a hot water coil.
A hot water coil resembles a radiator in a car, through which air is passed though with a fan and is heated and circulated throughout the home. Some replacement hot water boilers are designed to produce steam instead of hot water, due to the extra energy required to produce steam, they are not commonly installed in new homes.
Baseboard Heating
A variety of different types baseboard heating systems are available for installation or upgrade. Baseboard heating systems are available in convection and radiant type construction. There are also varieties that use copper fin/tube designs, as well as cast-iron radiant designs. High-performance baseboard varieties are also available to help boost radiation in difficult to heat areas.
Hydro-Air Heating
Air Handling Unit
A Hydro-air system combines the benefits of both a hot water boiler with a warm air heating system. Hydro-air system consists of two main components, a hot water boiler, and an air handling Unit (or multiple air handling Units). In a Hydro-air system, the water is pumped into a heating coil, that resembles an automobile radiator. This heating coil is located in an air handling unit which is basically a cabinet enclosure that holds a blower fan, a heating coil, and an air filter. Air handling units may also have a cooling coil that circulates refrigerant rather than hot water.
- Water is a better medium for transporting heat, therefore hot water boilers are generally more energy efficient than warm air furnaces
- A hydro-air system can be equipped with IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) enhancements, such as high efficiency air filtration, humidifiers, and UV air cleaners.
- A hydro-air system can accommodate both heating and cooling
Radiant Heating
Sippin Energy Products provides a comprehensive selection of radiant heating options to complement any hot water boiler system. Radiant heating systems are an excellent choice for comfort and efficiency and do away with the need for baseboards or air ducts. Radiant systems are generally available in four different types, two that are suitable for retrofit applications, two that are preferred for new construction applications.
Pre-existing Home Installations
Staple up system
A staple-up system can be installed in existing homes were the underlying floor area is accessible. In this type of installation, a radiant floor plate is installed on the underside of the flooring and provides channels to secure plastic radiant tubing. Once the plates and tubes are installed, they are insulated and enclosed. These types of systems provide a minimally invasive installation and are moderately efficient.
Quiktrak® Radiant System
Quicktrak® is a radiant flooring system designed to retrofit over the existing subflooring system of a home. It consists of a pre-design series of boards that are fitted together to match the dimensions of the room. Each port provides a channel in which radiant tubing is installed. Once completed, finished flooring such as hardwood, stone, or carpeting can then be installed on top of the radiant system. These systems our extremely efficient and flexible. The installation of this type of system will raise the floor level approximately three quarters of an inch, so entryways must accommodate this with door saddles.
New Construction Options
Poured Concrete Radiant System
Newly constructed homes or additions can benefit from a radiant heating system by including the system within the poured concrete flooring. During the concrete installation process, radiant tubing is mapped out and wired in place on top of wire mesh. Once completed, the concrete floor becomes a large radiant surface area, and can efficiently heat large areas.
Warmboard® Radiant System
Warmboard® is a radiant flooring system that provides a comprehensive radiant system combine with a new construction subflooring material. It is essentially a three-quarter inch laminated subfloor system with a radiant heating transfer plate attached to the top side. Within the transfer plate are channels that hold the radiant tubing. The advantage of this type of system is that it combines the subflooring system in the radiant heating system into one unified component. This type of system is a bit costly, but it does eliminate some redundant installation labor and is quite efficient.
Hydronic Space Heaters
Space heating solutions are available from Sippin energy products in many different types of configurations, and consist primarily of hydronic space heaters (that use hot water), and forced air type space heaters. Hydronic unit heaters can be used in conjunction with a hydronic heating system, and are ideal for difficult to heat areas such as garages and workshops. Forced air space heaters are generally fired by natural gas or propane, and can be used to heat individual rooms, workshops or detached buildings where no central heating source is available.
