What is forced air, hydro heat and central air?
Question:I am looking to buy a townhouse and the ads keep saying that the heating and cooling system is hydro heat or forced air or heat pump. What are these things? Which one is better in terms of maintanence costs? If it breaks I want to be able to afford to fix it without having to pay with my arms and legs and first born.
Answers:
usually forced air means any type heat that has a air handler and duct system to evenly heat your home..could be gas, electric or fuel oil or a heat pump .hydro heat is hot water heat and uses a boiler to heat water and circulates it through radiators installed in the various rooms of your home...central air is basically the same as forced air except it also has a air conditioning unit or heat pump attached to it...each type of system has it own unique capabilities and problems...all can cost little to repair or lots to repair depending on the age of the unit and what is wrong with it...
Dunno but sign me up it sounds fun
and you are asking important questions such as this on such a large purchase? You should be asking heating contractors.
Hydro heat: is Heat generated from Hot Water,
Pro: Nothing Con: Hard To maintain, Expensive repairs
Forced Air : Furnce Heat, Usually Gas Heat, but no cooling.
Pro: Cheap Heating, Less Maintenance Con: No Cooling
Central Air: A unit which uses combination of Forced Furnce Heat and Outside Airconditioner unit which provides heating or cooling via vents in rooms.
The best option is Central Air.
Hydronic heating is tubes beneath the floor that heat the space. Forced air is a standard furnace, frequently with AC too. A heat pump is a reversible AC that heats as well as cools. Each come in cheap to expensive grades and marginal to very high efficiency and quality. A standard furnace it cheapest to buy because it is so common as is generally easy and inexpensive to repair. A heat pump can be low efficiency on very cold days when the electrical resistance back up heater is needed. Hydronic heat is a boiler that tend to be very reliable and easily fixed when broken. The PEX plastic tubing that runs under the floor has not proven itself over the long term and is a question mark in my mind.
wwwstat pretty much covered the AC issue! I just wanted you to double think your townhouse purchase. Unless you are 80, your might as well have a home and a yard to enjoy. You also don't have to hear everything going on next door at all hours of the night.
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