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Conversion Factors

HeatingHelp
HeatingHelp Administrator Posts: 679
edited February 2018 in THE MAIN WALL
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Conversion Factors

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Comments

  • tgordon
    tgordon Member Posts: 1
    great web
  • dopey27177
    dopey27177 Member Posts: 887
    I hope the steam professionals and newbees print this stuff and keep it in file. Years ago I bought a book on conversion formulas that had this data in it. The book cost me 30 dollars. You put a lot of effort in here, so thanks.
    Steam: The Perfect Fluid for Heating and Some of the Problems
    by Jacob (Jake) Myron
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,329
    I still have the Burnham Heating Helper. A pocket sized book that has just about all the info you need. I dont believe they offer it anymore. Probably online.
  • HarlowAshur
    HarlowAshur Member Posts: 1
    btu/hr ~= 500 x gpm x delta t

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    HarlowAshur said:

    btu/hr ~= 500 x gpm x delta t

    For extra points, where does the "500" come from?
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • Reez
    Reez Member Posts: 2
    1 BTU by definition is the energy to raise 1 lb of water by 1 degree F.....
    8.333 lb/gallon x 60 seconds/hour = 500 BTU / GPM-F-Hour
    (note that this density is based on a water temperature of about 65F)
    Zman
  • Canucker
    Canucker Member Posts: 722
    > @Zman said:
    > (Quote)
    > For extra points, where does the "500" come from?

    Total pounds of water flow in a minute, right?
    You can have it good, fast or cheap. Pick two
    Zman
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    Pounds per gallon (8.34) X Minutes per hour (60) X specific heat of water (1) = 500.4.
    When you get into other fluids you need to be careful. With glycol the 500 goes up a little.

    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • Reez
    Reez Member Posts: 2
    Canucker said:

    > @Zman said:

    > (Quote)

    > For extra points, where does the "500" come from?



    Total pounds of water flow in a minute, right?

    Nope. it's total pounts of water flow in an HOUR
    MrStu02
  • cutter
    cutter Member Posts: 300
    I read somewhere that a 1,000 gallons of #2 heating oil had the same amount of BTU's as a cord of mixed hardwoods.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    Since you asked...
    It looks lie a cord of would is closer to 160 gallons of oil.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • nibs
    nibs Member Posts: 516
    This keeps me awake at night, the gas meter on the side of the house reads in cubic feet, but the gas company bills me in giga-joules. Why convert for billing?
    The electric meter reads in watts, or kilowatts, and they bill me in kilowatts.
  • Canucker
    Canucker Member Posts: 722
    > @Reez said:
    > (Quote)
    > Nope. it's total pounts of water flow in an HOUR

    Ain't nightshift brain awesome? :(
    You can have it good, fast or cheap. Pick two
  • cutter
    cutter Member Posts: 300
    Zman said:

    Since you asked...
    It looks lie a cord of would is closer to 160 gallons of oil.

    Zman I put one too many zeros in my post. I burn 6 or 7 cords of wood to heat this house depending on how cold and long a winter is. when I burned oil a couple of winters I was using around 800 gallons. so the 160 figure is in the ball park. Wood BTU's wood vary depending on the type and variety of wood that is used. I took my number that should have been 100 gallons from some information I had on paper. Looks like that was a little inaccurate.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    Wood does vary greatly by species and then also by moisture content. That sheet has some links to the sources so you can dial it in further.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • nibs
    nibs Member Posts: 516
    One pound of oven-dry wood of any hardwood species has an available heat value of about 8,600 Btu. Resinous softwood species, such as shortleaf pine, tend to average slightly higher at 9,050 Btu per oven-dry pound.

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