Get matched with top boiler installation pros in Sun Valley, CA

Yes. Boilers need water to run without overheating, also known as dry firing. If you run it without a sufficient volume of water, either because of a burst pipe or a leak, you run the risk of damaging your machine or jeopardizing the safety of your home as a whole. When in doubt, shut off your boiler and repair any plumbing issues before turning it back on. Alternatively, consider installing a low-water cutoff (LWCO) before any issues arise. This gadget will protect your boiler by monitoring water levels and automatically shutting it off if it gets too low. 

Heat pumps offer much more efficiency than a boiler, relying only on electricity to provide 3 to 4 times the amount of heat you can get from a boiler, which runs on fossil fuels. You can save money over time as it costs less to maintain and operate a heat pump, though you will pay a higher price upfront to install it compared to a boiler.

Boilers are used mainly for central heating, and water heaters are used for ordinary household water use. In fact, a conventional boiler works best if your home already has a water heater system in place. Sometimes a boiler can be combined with indirect water heaters. But there are also premade combination boiler heaters.

If you want to have hot water in your home and part of your plumbing system, you'll need a hot water heater. An alternative may be to heat water as you use it, such as by boiling what you need on the stove. But that's much less efficient and takes considerably longer than hooking up a water heater. Another option is to rely on appliances, such as a dishwasher or washing machine, that heat the water themselves.