solar direct tie-in to radiant baseboard heat

Unknown

this is kind of like Bob Gagnon's System. a dedicated emitter (solar ONLY) can be used to dump whatever heat you can get, as long as it's over room temp and you're willing ot let the room temperature rise a bit. simple, elegant, effective, but not without its restrictions.

michael_34

solar direct tie-in to radiant baseboard heat

I got this question from a potential customer. He wants to know if it feasible to tie-in to his radiant baseboard loop directly with solar, BUT not the whole system. Just the loop for the basement radiator. NOT the other zones. And if any heat is leftover in the solar storage tank after heating this one zone than it would go for DHW.
So here's my question. I was thinking of using a duel coil tank. One of course would be for the solar loop. The other heat exchanger tied directly into the basement radiator. Is that feasible? I guess a kind of injection? I don't have all the details and I am not even close to having this figured out. It just got drop on me. I am trying to figure out if I can pull this off, directly from the solar tank through the heat exchanger. So if anybody knows these answers I would appreciate the input or if anyone wants to do some head scratching with me great. Fun exercise anyways.
Thanks
Michael

Ron Huber_2

Solar for what it is worth

Put the btu's into the water heater for domestic. In the winter you will not get enough to do a high percentage of the dhw, so do not waste it trying to heat radiant baseboard or any other type of high temp distribution, after the controls and extra exchanger, the benefit will be nill. Everybody is trying to re-invent the wheel with solar, take it for what it is worth, marginal winter gain, great from May to October.

michael_34

what if the I...

over size the system i.e. three 4x8 collectors for an 80 gallon tank (or whatever) and put a pump on the supply to the basement radiator from the storage tank.
Hey I'm trying reinvent the wheel, just trying to stretch thought a little.
: )

hot_rod

It would be an open system

if you connect the domestic water from the solar tank to the baseboard loop.

If you connect directly to the solar loop, easily done with a 3 way zone valve, that loop would have the solar glycol fluid in it, also. You would need a HX to isolate the solar loop from the baseboard hydronic loop. The amount of harvestable heat from a few panels, mid winter, may not pencil out.

Look up the winter months radiation for your area and see what is realistic, and if it is worth chasing down.

hr