Read this paragraph from this web site!!

Steamhead (in transit)

Dave Lennox?

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tim smith

Read this paragraph from a web site I found!!

Read paragraph 5 below, this is an excerpt on hydronic heat from a web site called, Guide2Furnaces.com

Radiant (Hydronic) Heat Distribution Systems
In-floor or in-wall hydronic radiant heating
Radiant hydronic heat distribution systems warm walls, floors, or even ceilings by circulating water, alcohol, or some other heat transfer fluid through pipes or channels inside of the buildings walls and floors. Sometimes these channels are directly within the building, which makes for very warm surfaces all over the structure.

The more common method is one that you may have seen in large institutions such as schools, older homes built at the turn of the century and older apartment buildings: the radiator system. Radiators are installed in each room to spread heat throughout the interior of the building. These objects then warm the air in the room. Either radiators or convectors can be used - the primary difference between the two is the mechanism by which the heat moves around the room, but they amount to the same thing overall - both devices warm the floor, walls, and air by continuously pumping or flowing warm liquid inside.

Some systems use electric heating panels to generate heat, which is radiated into the room. These systems are usually installed in warm climates with minimal heating demand or where electricity is relatively inexpensive. Unlike forced-air ducts, radiant or hydronic heating systems are not generally used to distribute cooling from an air conditioner or other climate adjustment devices.

There are even systems using solar panels to generate heat for radiant heating applications, as well as the option of using a geothermal heat pump to provide hot water for such a system.

The liquid in these systems is typically heated by a boiler, which is essentially a furnace with a water jacket allowing you to heat a fluid instead of blowing air across a hot surface. Hydronic or “radiant” heat systems are generally less efficient for a given amount of heat when compared to a forced-air system, but they often permit a home’s inhabitants to be comfortable at a comparatively lower temperature.

How could you feel more comfortable at a lower temperature? Picture yourself on the beach on a warm, mostly windless day - you’ll tend to feel warmer with the moderately warm sand beneath your feet. Conversely, imagine being out on a hot but breezy day - although it may be considerably warmer, the cool breeze lowers the temperature of the ambient air and the sand which means that you may not feel the same degree of comfort.

Weezbo

no wonder no one ever heard of it *~/:)

ttekushan_3

less efficient??

ttekushan_3

less efficient??

from paragraph 5:

"Hydronic or 'radiant' heat systems are generally less efficient for a given amount of heat when compared to a forced-air system"

I doubt that any study either controlled or anecdotal could support that statement. Also, efficiency is left undefined in this article.

-Terry