Entries Tagged 'Radiant Heating' ↓

This is a challenge if I have ever run into one. We have done this quite a few times at this point and each new job offers challenges and requires specific attention that others have not. The 1st problem with a hybrid hot-water system (hybrid meaning it uses both radiators and underfloor tubing) is the temperature variance in the two conducting units. The radiators we work with are generally cast-iron as these are in the older historic homes, and those radiators operate at a supply-water temp of 160-180 degrees, the radiant flooring systems operate at 120-140 degrees. As we often are working with an existing boiler (and even with new boilers), the boiler has one input and one output for heating water. Therefore we are obligated to keep the boiler operating at the higher temp – usually we settle at 175 degrees Fahrenheit. This then requires us to use “circuits” for each type of heat conductor and “circulators” to move the water. Generally in a historic home, the radiators are on one circuit and the radiant flooring is on another. With those two circuits, we use three circulating pumps or circulators to move the water through the system. The first circulator is the boiler circulator and that is mounted on the return pipe just above the boiler, the second circulator is on the supply side of the main hydronic loop (I will define that loop in another post) which is basically to say it is on the supply pipe for both circuits, the third circulator is on the return end of the in-floor heat system right after the manifold (check the post for in floor heating) for the floor heat. Got all that? That will take me into the next post, the main hydronic loop.