Best heat being steam

Snowmelt

I am working close with a energy audit company, we both went to a job. I told him steam heat is better for you health wise. He disagreed and said which I didn’t understand a dry house is more safer so hydronic was better. He said steam can give you mold in a long run. I told him I would look that up so now I’m asking all my heating help buddies for some literature ( link to a website). On why steam is the better of the heat. Not talking about efficiency.

Jamie Hall

I can't link to a website -- other than, obviously, this one. However, the energy auditor's comments are hooey. How, exactly, is hydronic drier? A properly operating steam system puts no steam in the air, only in the pipes.

And he came up with another misconception -- a dry house is not necessarily safer. So long as the RH is somewhere between 30% and 60 to 70%, it makes no difference. Furthermore, it doesn't matter how you heat the structure. Indoor RH is closely tied to infiltration rate, but not heat source.

Snowmelt

Ok thanks .....

ethicalpaul

Almost everyone who doesn't have steam heat thinks that steam heating systems shoot steam into the living space.

It doesn't help that the poorly maintained ones sometimes do...

ted_p

Here's one you can throw at him.

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Flu virus' best friend: Low humidity

Not that it argues that steam is better, but it casts doubt on his low humidity is good premise.

dopey27177

Steam heat does not put mold or mildew into a house.
Steam heat where the temperatures are set to high will dry out the house. That can be taken care of by hanging a pan designed or radiators behind the radiator and filling with water. The water tat evaporates from the pan puts moisture back into the air.

Hydronic heating or heating with water i done t much lower temperatures will not dry out the house unless you set the T stat to high.

Every thing is relative, make a house to hot you will suffer from dry nose syndrome.

Jake

mattmia2

However forced air will create pressure differentials and create more infiltration over steam or hot water.

motoguy128

If you have a makeup vent in the boiler room, infiltration from a atmospheric boiler can be mitigated.

Steam will generate more convection than hot water while still heating by radiation which feels more comfortable. Convection, I believe would be good for health, reduce stagnant air in rooms without being drafty or creating pressure imbalances.

Having 400lbs of hot cast iron On a cold day 12” behind our living room couch Certainly makes you feel good.

Solid_Fuel_Man

I think @Jamie Hall said it best. Indoor relitive humidity is only related to how tight a structure is. Heat source has nothing to do with RH. 

Steam heated radiators, or water heated radiators.....only difference is the temperature of the iron. 

Food for thought.....a woodstove is 400 pounds of iron and is 300+ degrees.