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Mechanical / HVAC

Boiler

In Plain English

A vessel that heats water or produces steam used to warm a building through radiators or heated pipes.

Definition

A closed vessel in which water is heated to produce hot water or steam for space heating, domestic hot water, or process applications. Boilers are fueled by natural gas, oil, electricity, or biomass and are rated by their output in BTUs per hour or boiler horsepower. Modern condensing boilers recover heat from flue gases to achieve efficiencies above 90 percent.

Example

A pair of 1,500 MBH condensing gas boilers provide heating water to the building's hydronic fan coil system.

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