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There are three types of heating a home systems,
steam, hot water, and warm air. The basic heating a home requirements
of each are the same-that they heat the house properly at a minimum
cost and with a minimum amount of effort on the part of the homeowner.
No matter how well a house is heated
and no matter which heating a home system is used, if the fuel bills
are exceptionally high the system cannot be considered efficient.
Likewise, a furnace that requires constant
attention is equally unsatisfactory.
There are many heating a home systems.
With the advent of modern, automatic, oil-burning furnaces, automatic
coal stokers and gas furnaces, all equipped with various devices
to regulate the amount of heat produced, the care required to keep
the heating plant operating has markedly decreased.
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But even the most modern and automatic plant
can, and often does, run up excessive fuel bills, or fails to deliver
the required amount of heat throughout the house, if certain factors are
overlooked.
Regardless of the type of heating a home
system used, hot water, steam, or warm air, or what kind of fuel is burned,
the heating system must be big enough for the house. Do not try to coax
an undersized furnace to heat a house for which it was never designed.
The final result of this practice will be the deterioration of the plant
from being forced to remain overheated for long periods.
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Many warm
air system in an old house were installed with the intention of
heating only a few downstairs rooms. A system such as this cannot
be expected to keep the entire house comfortable. This is not an
effective way of heating a home.
In the event that the heating plant
is too small for the house, the homeowner can either close off various
parts of the house during the cold months or have a larger heating
system installed.
An alternative heating a home system
to both of these remedies is to install additional equipment in
the part of the house not heated by the main system.
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There are many excellent portable heating
plants that operate with oil, gas, or electricity. Any one of these will
keep a room comfortable and is inexpensive to operate. Remember that in
the long run it is cheaper to keep a room moderately warm throughout the
day than to let it become thoroughly chilled and try to heat it for only
a few hours.
Before taking any of these steps, however,
determine whether all the heat provided by the system is being fully utilized
or a large portion allowed to escape through the walls, roof, and small
cracks around windows and doors. If this is the case, insulation throughout,
in addition to weather-stripping, may well be the answer.
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