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Considering Heating with Wood? You Need SunTouch WarmWire

Many homeowners frustrated with their current heating system imagine a wood-heat source such as a wood stove or a fireplace as a way to replace or supplement their current heat system. After all, they reason, a wood stove or fireplace has fewer repair issues than a radiator, baseboard heater, or furnace. Wood for a stove or fireplace can often be very inexpensive or even free, and a wood-burning system will work even in a power outage. While these can be advantages of a wood-burning system, if you are considering this form of heating, you may wish to consider SunTouch WarmWire instead. This is because wood burning heat has a number of key disadvantages:

1) Cost and maintenance. While it is true that getting wood is often inexpensive or even free, the cost of installing a wood burning system is anything but. You need zoning permission and a qualified contractor. Even installing a simple wood stove can cost many thousands of dollars. You need to pay for regular chimney cleanings as well, which can cost a great deal. There may also be tax and insurance disadvantages to introducing wood burning heat to your home. Your home insurance will almost certainly increase when you introduce this form of heat to your home. In contrast, radiant floor heat can actually mean a better home value and lower insurance costs, especially if you currently have a combustible heating system. Plus, there are no maintenance costs associated with floor heating – once correctly installed, radiant heating will provide you with an even, comfortable warmth with no hassle.

2) Health consequences. Research has shown that the pollutants released when burning wood can have harmful impact on our health. Those who are exposed to wood smoke may experience respiratory symptoms, a greater risk for lower respiratory infections, exacerbation of asthma, and problems with breathing. In contrast, those who switch to radiant heat often increase the air quality in their homes and report better overall health. This is because radiant floor heating systems release no emissions or pollutants.

3) Pollutants. When wood is burned, many pollutants are released. These include PM10 (a mix of microscopic particles that has been declared a toxic substance under the Environmental Protection Act due to the fact that they can cause respiratory ailments), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Hydrocarbons (HC), Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Formaldehyde, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Dioxins and furans, Acrolein, and other potentially hazardous pollutants. It is important to note that some of these substances are known carcinogens. Radiant floor heating systems, on the other hand, release no pollutants.