Heating System Update

Steven Fowler

My current system is a 1981 Oil Burnham with a new Beckett burner in 2003. It is set up for one zone, with a split loop returning down the center of the house. (see image)

I have several considerations for my update:

1) I had my domestic water by way of a solar collector with a electric heater (back-up), but the elect. heater died so I switch my domestic to run on the coil of the Burnham. I would like to go back to using the $olar as part of my update.

2) I finished the basement of my split entry home to have a living room, and am trying to space out for the office.(see house1b.jpg)

3) I will be adding a 4-season sun room to the back of the house this summer. (see yellow area in image house3.jpg)


4) I may be adding an additional 20x14 space to the back of house in 5 years. (see orange area in image house3.jpg)


5) The current placement of the chimney and boiler is only leaving me with an 8x12 foot office I intent to build. (see house1b.jpg) The chimney is red in the image, and the boiler is located next to it. The black is my oil tank, next to the dead water heater, and solar tank.

How best to position the boiler to maximize space for the office while keeping within manufacture and Massachusetts state fire safety specifications?

How much boiler will I need?

How best to zone the house?

Should I use electric sun room?

Steven Fowler

Brad White

So, Steve....

what did your last slave die of?



I mean, happy to help and all with a question or two.... but this gets into the realm of billable time...

I think you can sneak in under the radar with less of a broadside; this looks like a project that only the brave & unemployed might tackle...

All in good cheer, just trying to help.

Brad

Unknown

Where in Mass are you Steven?

I'd be glad to talk things out with you.

The additions to your home can be zoned fairly easily, though I would liketo see the existing piping to estimate for you just how easy it would be.

Maximizing office space is fine, though I would caution to provide service considerations into your layout as well as code requirements. Its something that could really use to be looked at in person.

- Norm

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Steven Fowler

Details?!?

Brad,

I apologize if the post seemed overwhelming, as an architect and engineer I tend to like detail. I provided the full scope of the project to increase the quality and resolution of the responses.

Not sure who the “brave & unemployed” might be, but I agree that not every HVAC tech would be both willing and able to handle such an engineering project.

I think my next stop will be some HVAC books, draft a plan, and have the folks here review. More to follow...

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Which way is north?

Brad White

Just having fun

Architect AND engineer... my word, the dinner discussions when one dines alone, Steve

Actually the detail is appreciated, sometimes too little begets more questions as one can imagine.

I think if we each grab a piece of this, it may come together.

Steven Fowler

All diagrams use this:

	South
East	+	West
	North

Here you can see the am sun from the east.

Steven Fowler

Thanks Norm. I live in Westminster.

Below are three diagrams. Red = heat exchange | Blue = out flow | Orange = return flow

(firstfloor.jpg) is the current layout of the heat exchanges. It is a single zone, with a split loop.

(firstfloor_new.jpg) is a proposed layout using two zones. One for the main living area, and the second for the bedrooms and bath.

(basement.jpg) show the space that I have to work with for both the office and the boiler. The red is the chimney.

Steven Fowler

Steven Fowler

Not only an architect and engineer, but a type A personality to boot

Steve

jp_2

move sunroom

i would move the sunroom right next to bedroom#4.

this would share walls, make the sunroom passive solar, lower the heatloss for bedroom 4 also give more direct sunlight to the kitchen.

looks like you have a good situation for roof top solar collector panels.

Steven Fowler

I should have mentioned that the house had a sun room on the back when we purchased it but was removed when the windows fogged up and the roof began to sag. I am reusing the foundation for the new sun room.

Steven Fowler

jp_2

why not start fresh?

since that slab is not insulated, why not start over, insulate well, run infloor tubing.......then you've got something, not something that kind of works?

Steven Fowler

The old sun room was on a 22’ x 12’ cinderblock foundation. I made a deck on it and is used as the primary entrance into the house. I will keep a 12x10 deck to the right of the sunroom. I plan on installing very good insulation on the floor, walls, and roof of the sunroom.