The Difference Between a Furnace and a Boiler

Despite what you may think, a furnace and a boiler are not interchangeable terms. They both generate heat for your home, but there are BIG differences between the two.

You may have heard your parents or grandparents refer to "that big thing downstairs" as a furnace when you were young, and just thought all heating systems were called furnaces. Dad may have called it a boiler, so that's what you call it.

Well, my dad called our boiler a furnace- and that's probably how his dad referred to their heating system.

Many homeowners as well as Realtors confuse these terms quite often, but the easiest way to remember the difference between the two is that a boiler uses hot water (just think of "boiling" water) to heat your home, and a furnace uses warm or forced air to heat your home.

Home Heating Systems Defined:

A Boiler is a "hydronic system" which uses water or steam to heat your home. In a hot water system, the boiler heats the water to approximately 180 degrees. A circulator moves the water through the pipes that lead to baseboard heaters, radiators or radiant tubing.

A Furnace is a warm air system which uses a furnace to deliver heat. The air is heated in the furnace and a blower forces it into a duct system. The warm air is then released into your home, through vents or registers in your walls, ceilings and/or floors.

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