| With steam, a unique thing is possible: If the fuel is natural gas or propane, and, If the thermocouple and gas valve are millivolt, Then you can have fully functioning heat even when the power is out, because the steam does not need either a blower or a circulator pump to circulate, and the thermocouple provides the electricity to operate the thermostat and the gas valve. Even without a millivolt system, a small UPS can run the little low voltage transformer a long time, while it would take an impractical amount of battery (which will crap out in only 3-4 years) to run a blower or circulator for any length of time. Your points are all valid, and frankly outweigh this one except maybe at a vacation/camp house or something way out where the electric is bad, but this is something nothing else can claim. It is pretty nice that when the ice storm pulls the power lines down, and, because it's an ice storm and it affected entire states all at the same time, your power may stay down for days, and does so coincidentally in the winter...your heat just keeps working even if nothing else does, and indefinitely not just until a 45 minute ups runs out. Also... everyone with steam, replace your pressurtrol with a vaporstat and run your system at much lower pressure than it's probably set at. 1/2 psi per floor not counting basement, at most. |