Another gripe session from your favorite Buyer Agent.

I get so tired of seeing homes that have "steam heat" listed as "hot water heat", and both steam and hot water listed as "gas forced air".

Just now a new lisitng came up for an eighty year old luxury home. The pictures show steam radiators. The air conditioning is listed as wall units. But the listing still says gas forced air.

For all you first time home buyers and listing agents who don't know the difference here is a quick summary:

Steam heat uses convection to get the heat from the furnace to the rooms. That is, steam is hot so it rises, in the pipes, right up from the basement to the room that needs the heat. Steam was used in new construction from at least as far back as the 19th century till about the 1940's.

The downsides are:

It is difficult to control the temperature in each room

The radiators are not enough to burn yourself on

The radiators impact furnature placement

There is a lot of steam noise

The must be maintained

Since there is no ductwork, it is expensive to add central airconditioning

Older systems are not very efficient

The upsides are:

It heats your house

Steam furnaces (boilers) can be very reliable (We once bought a home with a 90 year old steam furnace.)

The systems typically leak moist air so it isn't a dry heat

Hot water heat systems became popular in the 1940's and are still in limited use today. Hot water systems us a pump to move the heated water to rooms that need heat.

The downsides are:

Hot water radiators can impact furniture placement, they are longer than steam radiators

You do hear the pipes creaking as they expand and contract during a heat cycle

Since there is no ductwork, it is expensive to add central airconditioning

It is much more expensive to install today because of increased labor costs

The upsides are:

It is much easier to have multiple zones of heat

It is not drafty like forced air systems

Hot water furnaces ten to last a long time, maybe twice the life of forced air systems on average

It is a very comfortable heat

In newer construction floors are sometimes heated with hot water pipes

It is considered the best kind of heat for many alergie sufferers

Newer hot water furnaces can be very efficient

Obvously this is not an exhaustive list, but I think it helps to get the point across.

If you would like a knowledgeable real estate buyer agent to help you with your home purchase, call us. This is what we do and we are good at it!

Jon Boyd
Ann Arbor Real Estate Buyer's Agent
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
734-662-6240