It's a Numbers Game

A heat-loss calculation is where it all starts. It’s the basis for sizing any new or replacement system. It’s a roadmap to a well-designed, high-performing and comfortable heating system. And it’s not hard to do. It just takes some time and a little patience.

First, I measure each room ­— length, width and height. I also measure windows and doors and categorized them by construction type. Then I check the quantities and location of insulation. Usually I make a sketch to scale. For the average home, it takes about two hours to accomplish.

Next, I enter those measurements into a worksheet or use specialized software to produce a room-by-room and whole-house heat-loss calculation. The resulting numbers are the amount of heat lost by your house on the coldest days of the heating season.

These calculations tell me (or another heating designer) what size boiler or furnace is needed. It gives me the information I need to determine how much heating element or how many ducts are needed in each room — or how hot the water needs to be. Or what the flow rates need to be. And the pump sizes, pipe diameters, tubing spacing, panel size, and on and on and on.

Without a heat-loss calculation, it’s all guesswork. Luck. A wing and a prayer.

This is your heating system. The one you’ll be living with and fueling for the next 15, 20 — even 30 years. Ask for it. Demand it. Accept no shortcuts.

Heidronically yours,

Wayne

# 5 - Quiet: Why a hydronic heating system is quieter than forced air

This week's entry in the Heidronics blog is installment # 4 of the top 7 reasons why a hydronic heating system is a better choice than forced air — quiet operation.

Any well-designed, installed and maintained hydronic heating system will be virtually silent. This is true of hot water baseboard, in-floor radiant and even a steam heating system. If there's noise, your system's telling you it needs attention. These are not normal sounds.

A forced air furnace is inherently noisy compared to a hydronic system. Blower noise is the most common complaint. The mechanical whirring of the blower and the velocity noise of the air moving through ducts and across register grills are quite noticeable in most homes. Furnaces marketed as "high-performance" equipment are an attempt to minimize this noise by using variable speed blower motors that keep blower speeds as slow as possible — but the only way a furnace can match the silence of a hydronic system is when the furnace is off.

The ducts of a forced air heating system can also be noisy. The ducts will expand as they heat up and "balloon" as they're pressurized by the blower. This can create the popping or creaking sounds you've heard when the furnace starts up. At its worst, it can be like living in a tin can.

I've also seen forced air systems actually blow doors closed, move curtains and rattle blinds on windows.

Not convinced? Oh — there's more. Electronic air cleaners snap away. Humidifiers hum, hiss and rattle. Dampers shake. I think you get the idea.

Because a hydronic heating system uses a completely different distribution method, you don't get the "side effects" of hot air moving around your home. Water or steam move gently throughout your home via small tubing or piping. Water and steam can do their jobs silently, going unnoticed for months and years at a time.

The bottom line: Silence is golden, especially when it comes to your heating system!

Stay tuned  – next week's topic is cleanliness.

Heidronically yours,

Wayne