Heat Loss, Fin Tube, ODR Questions

Earl

Hello,

I have some questions on the following things. I need to replace some of my slant/fin and I thought about replacing the 30 series with the 80 series so I can run lower boiler temps. Currently the boiler runs at 180 at all times. I'm using Slant/fin's heat loss program to see if my current heaters are oversized or not. Also I was thinking about adding a ODR.



House info;

1972 Ranch



Boiler info;

2005 Burnham cast iron V8 series, cold start, no DHW.



Slant/Fin Heat loss program;

1. Program is asking for lenght and width of the room. So when you measure a room, what about the closets? What if the room is an odd shape?

2. What about the unheated hallway where the t-stat is?



Fin tube;

1. When the Slant/Fin program says I need "X" amount of heater, is that the housing size or lenght of fin tube needed?

2. When buying fin tube, is the measurements the housing or the amount of fin tube?

3. What needs to be done with the riser holes in the flooring when changing from Slant/fin 30 series to 80 series with the same lenght?



ODR;

1. With a cast iron boiler that needs 140+ return temp and if a delta T circ is added and set at 20, output limited to 160 degs boiler supply, is it worth buying and installing an ODR? My outdoor design temp is 8 degs.



Thanks,

Earl

bob eck

Copper baseboard

Check out the Synergy copper baseboard. It is designed to be installed with condensing gas boilers and geothermal H/P water to water systems. It delivers the following BTU

TEMP 4 GPM 1 GPM

180* F 932 BTU 872 BTU

170* F 820 BTU 781 BTU

160* F 717 BTU 674 BTU

150* F 597 BTU 567 BTU

140* F 502 BTU 477 BTU

130* F 411 BTU 390 BTU

120* F 328 BTU 312 BTU

110* F 250 BTU 232 BTU



You could send your water temp out at 160* F and return at 140* F



Check with Burnham how the near boiler piping should be installed to make sure your return water temp stays above 140* F so the boiler does not condense.



http://www.sterlingheat.com/modules/lit_lib/download.asp?litFileID=2640

Rich Davis_2

Cooler output

Be careful when you run your boiler at a cooler temp that it isn't below the condensation temp or you'll eat up your cast iron boiler.

CMadatMe

Heat Loss

1. Don't use that Slant Fin Program but you can calculate room sqft on paper and make length or width 1 and the other the room sqft. It's just doing the math for you.



2. I always add the closet as part of the room. It's not going to make a big difference.



3. If there is no heat above or below that hallway, then yes it must be calculated.



4. Outdoor reset is worth buying. Rule of thumb (it's accurate) for every 3 degrees you can run a heating system with less than 180 degree water you can save 1% of fuel. So if you reset between 180 and 160 supply you can pocket 6.5% before flipping a switch.



5. I'm inclined to have system reset via a modulating 4-Way Mixing valve such as the Taco I-Valve depending on the heat loss and emitter capable output at various water temperatures.



6. Don't replace any board until you have a room by room heat loss calculated as well as the heat loss broken into the zones. Then you need to compare the heat loss to each room per each zone to find what water temp provides the emitters to over come the heat loss. Baseboard puts out different btu/hr per sqft depending on the zones flow or gallons per minute rate.



7. You may also be able to down fire the boilers oil burner. Make sure this is done by a professional with a combustion analyzer.

Earl

Return temp

Yes, thanks. I do know what low return temps will do to cast iron boilers.



Earl

Earl

Heat loss

What do I do with the hallway heat loss? Add it to all the rooms? The hallway joins all rooms in the house together, so I guess they added it's heat loss to all rooms or to the living room?? No heat above, below or in the hallway and the t-stat is located in the hallway. Do I just do room by room heat loss and the hallway or should I also figure the heat loss of the entire house by its sqft? I want to see what my heaters can handle as well as the boiler size needed.



My boiler came with a lower firing nozzle and baffle for the burner. It's rated at two different MBH ratings for either nozzle. The low nozzle is enery star rated. I believe my boiler is oversized by twice with the larger nozzle. The large nozzle is IBR 107 MBH while the lower nozzle is IBR 91 MBH if I remember correctly. Once I figure heat loss and confirm my boiler is oversized, I can derate the boiler with the smaller nozzle and baffle to save some fuel, hopefully.



I will check into the Taco 4-way mixing valve with ODR. I recall seeing them on the Taco site.



Thanks,

Earl

CMadatMe

Hallway

Is treated as it's own room and you should be doing a room by room heat loss.

Earl

Heat loss

Thanks,

I will do a room by room heat loss and I will include the closets in each room. I will do the hallway as a room.



Earl