Adding Radiant to Existing System

Tom Hopkins

I'm in the process of planning to remodel both of my full baths and would like to include radiant in the update, but currently don't have any radiant installed.

My current system comprises of a Biasi B10-3 Oil, Superstor Ultra 45 Gallon Indirect, 2 typical fin tube baseboard loops, and a Honeywell AQ251 controller with outdoor reset. There is no P/S piping or LLH currently Installed. All of this equipment is new, so I would like to keep as much as possible of it.

With such a small load for the radiant, I'm most concerned about short cycling of the boiler. I should add this system is working great right now and cut my usage by a good 25-30%. I thought about Ultra-Fin, as it would use the same temp water as my exisitng loops, but figured the response time over tile would be slow.

Should I re-pipe and add a mixing valve and additional pump for the radiant zone??

Any posability of using a flat plate exchanger and bronze pump off the superstor and utilizing the water in it a psudo buffer tank?? Not an open system, I would not run the radiant water out of the superstor, just use it to heat the flat plate, which in turn would give up its heat to the closed loop radiant. Obviously, this is not a 3 port tank like the system 2000 tanks are. I though about a dual coil indirect, but already spent a bunch on the stainless superstor.

Any thoughts??

Darin Cook_8

Use this

Get a Taco I-Radiant mixing valve and the necessary circulator to drive your zone. The I-Radiant is a motorized mixing valve with an outdoor sensor, either in 3 or 4 way configuration, has supply and RETURN sensors (this will protect boiler from getting water back less than 130'), and is very cost effective. Other than pipe in your supply and return from the mixing valve no fancy piping work is required.

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