Radiators

This house runs two boilers.  One for each floor, each on separate meters.  This is because the house is zoned as a double.  This also serves the purpose of letting us sort of "zone" our heating.  We can keep the upstairs at a lower temperature because of the heat rising from the first floor. 

The heat in the house is also rather steady because it is provided via radiators.  These are hot water, not steam.  This makes them a little easier to deal with.  While we have not had to have any service calls for the radiators, we have had to deal with a few furnace issues over the year.  In fact both boilers (Dunkirks) have been replaced in the past ten years.  It costs less to buy and have hot water boilers installed than it does with steam.  There are many more technicians who know how to work with water boilers than there are those compent with steam.

This is the detail of one radiator.  We have about six or seven like this.  The one in the formal dining room downstairs is twice as long as the others like it in the house.  There are also smaller radiators in less prominent rooms.  We try to keep them painted with a metallic finish because that is supposed to increase their effectiveness.  A periodic coat of rustoleum and regular bleeding is about all it takes to keep these in good shape.

They're functional and also beautiful.