Geothermal heat pump with cast-iron radiators?

mc

It is a two-storey house built in 1920 taken down to the studs. About 1400 square feet. It needs a new furnace as well as some plumbing work. We are interested in a geothermal heat pump installation for heating. Will it work with the old cast iron radiators (hot water) in the house? We live in the Adirondacks in northeastern NY.

Unknown

depends

I have successfully done such conversions, our shop being one of them. You would have to calculate the surface area of your particular rads to see how low a temperature you can use, ideally 110deg @ design conditions.

these are available also if your rads are not large enough for conventional geo temps: Tranquility THW

Wayco Wayne_2

I consulted on

an old house that had great big cast iron rads. I found them in the EDR book and found they could generate enough heat at 120 degree water temp on design days. I don't know how the job will be done but it could work if you do the math. BTW, my friend Mark Utz who is doing the hvac told me this house is famous for a speech given by Prez Abe Lincoln in the Front yard after a battle near Birketsville,(sp?) the town that is also famous for the movie filmed there, "The Blair Witch Project."

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Unknown

if,,,

you need a little more than the HP max output on colder days you could always supplement, but preferably NOT with electric resistance. Have the water return to the HP first and then go through a high efficiency boiler. You could bypass the conventional with some type of automatic valve setup if you wanted to. Sounds like a great idea. Good luck!

Brad White_185

If I may

I strongly second the use (or more accurately the re-use) of cast iron radiators. The ultimate recycling! Cast iron output cannot be replicated by any emitter except maybe radiant floors (walls, ceilings).

The real reason for my response is that you have this gem "down to the studs". What I wish I did on my own home and would at any future opportunity, is to insulate the structure, at least in part with two-part urethane foams such as Tiger-Foam. The notion of air sealing and integrity of that stuff is the real selling point. They even suggest a hybrid installation with at least an inch inside the stud cavities and the rest filled with batts to keep the overall cost down.

But my real focus is air infiltration. Such an opportunity, I hope you are seizing it. Maybe you are!

My $0.02

Brad

mc

Thanks for the input. Like you mentioned, we will be focusing on insulating the house and sealing gaps and so on. We are looking into geothermal as well in order to get ourselves off of heating oil which is what we have up here. The price of oil is making us all wonder how we will survive next winter. We just hadn't been able to get a straight answer about whether geothermal heat pumps are compatible with our current cast-iron radiators. So thanks for answering.

mc

Darin Cook_5

MC

Where are you located at inside the Blue Line? Maybe I could help? I am above Albany.







Darin

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