Any well-designed, installed and maintained hydronic heating system will be virtually silent. This is true of hot water baseboard, in-floor radiant and even a steam heating system. If there's noise, your system's telling you it needs attention. These are not normal sounds.
A forced air furnace is inherently noisy compared to a hydronic system. Blower noise is the most common complaint. The mechanical whirring of the blower and the velocity noise of the air moving through ducts and across register grills are quite noticeable in most homes. Furnaces marketed as "high-performance" equipment are an attempt to minimize this noise by using variable speed blower motors that keep blower speeds as slow as possible — but the only way a furnace can match the silence of a hydronic system is when the furnace is off.
The ducts of a forced air heating system can also be noisy. The ducts will expand as they heat up and "balloon" as they're pressurized by the blower. This can create the popping or creaking sounds you've heard when the furnace starts up. At its worst, it can be like living in a tin can.
I've also seen forced air systems actually blow doors closed, move curtains and rattle blinds on windows.
Not convinced? Oh — there's more. Electronic air cleaners snap away. Humidifiers hum, hiss and rattle. Dampers shake. I think you get the idea.
Because a hydronic heating system uses a completely different distribution method, you don't get the "side effects" of hot air moving around your home. Water or steam move gently throughout your home via small tubing or piping. Water and steam can do their jobs silently, going unnoticed for months and years at a time.
The bottom line: Silence is golden, especially when it comes to your heating system!
Stay tuned – next week's topic is cleanliness.
Heidronically yours,
Wayne
This is true of hot water baseboard, in-floor radiant and even a steam heating system.
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Aqueduct Heating Services specialises in servicing and repairs to the full range of Baxi Boilers. AHS is the premium residential hydronic specialist, Hydronic Heating System and an impressive track record for saving home owners time, money and effort on servicing and
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