You are currently viewing What’s the difference between a boiler and a furnace?

“Even though boilers and furnaces serve the same purpose (heating your home), they work in different ways. Boilers heat water and convert it into steam or hot water before dispersing it through your home, whereas furnaces heat air and use a blower to distribute it through your home’s duct system. Aside from this major difference, there are also several other disparities between boilers and furnaces, including price, installation and maintenance.

Boilers heat up water and turn it into steam or hot water, which is then circulated through pipes and pushed out through radiators around your home. There are several types of radiators in use today, including baseboard radiators, cast iron radiators or radiant floor heating systems (which include a set of pipes beneath the floorboards that emanate heat and warm your floors).

In contrast, furnaces suck in cold air, warm it up and disperse the hot air through ductwork in your home. From there, the air is released through vents to heat various parts of your house. Most furnaces run on natural gas, propane, oil or electricity.”

Read more about the key differences here.

When it comes to price, furnaces are more affordable with an average minimum cost of $1500 vs. $3600 for a boiler. While maintenance for boilers are less involved than that of furnaces, the lifespan of a furnace could be as high as 30 years. That’s about 10 years more than a boiler.

For over 4 decades Apple Valley Eagan Appliance has offered heating solutions to Twin Cities residents. This includes furnace installation and repair as well as newer technology like that of heat pumps. Call 952-953-0080 to find the right heating solution for your home today!