Garage radiant questions

Num

Related to my post here but specifically to radiant.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/190434/new-g115-5-install-need-to-heat-garage#latest


I have a radiant system in my garage, current fed by a Central Boiler 5036 wood burning boiler. I want to get rid of that and have it serviced by my Buderus g115/5.

The garage is 40x40 with 15' ceilings. floors at 8" of concrete, 12" on the edges.. I use it as a workspace / shop, park 2 cars and some large lawn equipment. The floorplan is all open, no walls.

The current radiant comes in through insulated pex, then goes into the orange 1" pex, into a manifold with a mixing valve, then into 6 zones in the floor.

The 1" pex supply runs all the way to my buderus and then back out my buderus (circulator is on my wood boiler and on the manifold serving the floor). This is how it was plumbed on my old boiler and the purpose of that was the wood boiler would heat everything in the winter and the oil would supplement if temps dropped over night.


Does anyone here see and issue in sizing or efficiency if I were to put the radiant of the garage on its own zone off the buderus and cut out the wood boiler completely ? I'm aware this is a loaded question, but nobody is willing to look at this work citing a labor shortage and lack of profitability. Thanks.

hot_rod

Maybe a simple drawing of what you are thinking. Should be no reason not to have the garage on its own zone. Consider glycol if it will be off for any period in freezing weather. the loop(s) in front by over-head doors can freeze easily in a climate like yours.

Im my small shop I run the garage zone constantly. When a call for heat the boiler injects into that loop with a 3 way valve. Gives me some piece of mind freeze protection without adding glycol. It keeps flow moving a 3 feet per second in the loops close to the OH door.

Num

One image is the manifolds off the oil boiler, I asked for it to be ready to accept another zone just incase I decide to do this. The pex is coming from the supply and return in the other picture.

That other picture shows the supply and return from the wood boiler, the manifold into the floor and that weird jumper bit that somehow allows the floor to make heat while the oilboiler valves servicing that pex are closed.

The only thing not shown is the wood boiler, but that's not very interesting.



So, that's what I have. the Taco 007 on the garage floor also has a line voltage thermostat that essentially works like a light switch since no matter the temp, it doesn't kill power to the circulator.

My thought is to hook this into a zone off that 4th slot on the boiler, but I am not sure if that's a good idea or what's entailed vs going with something like a hydronic modine.

My oil boiler is a 136k btu g115/5 so it has the capacity, i'd hope.

hot_rod

It certainly looks doable.

It's really your choice as to radiant or unit heater. Having worked in shops with both, I find unit heaters are great for keeping the ceiling warm and the slab cold. And adding noise to the space. Units heaters heat air, period
Radiant heats objects inn the room, anything in line of sight.

It depends on how you use the shop and your heat distribution preference? I think you know my answer

No reason you couldn't add a unit heater, give it a try. Go back to the radiant if it is not what you expect. Use the unit heater for days when you just want a quick car melt off.

If you abandon the radiant floor use a compressor to blow out the lines or risk a freeze.

Hydronic system are infinitely configurable. Since you already have that in place, seems odd you want to add another fuel line, vent, combustion air to run a fired shop unit heater?

I assume the wood boiler is out of the picture completely?

Here is how you could add a 3 way zone valve for constant circulation.

Num

Thanks!

From the pic of the radiant manifold I showed you. Can you take a stab at how the system works now? That tee from the supply that jump over the return and in front of the circulator confuses me. It works, I just can't explain how. With that open, I can heat the floor without having the water run through the oil boiler. WHen I close it, I have to open the oil boiler valves for the PEX and then heat works again.


Also, for constant circulation, what kind of t-stat do I put on the system? The one on the floor is essentially line voltage and I can turn it on and off. but what about the circ that gets put on the 4th zone off the boiler?

hot_rod

The pipes laying on the ledge come from the wood boiler? Looks like a jumper valve, the one with the handle removed, adjusted to maintain flow out to the boiler to prevent the lines from freezing maybe? It’s hard to see which connection goes where in the pic. A drawing might be better.'
The middle and right valve are into the same line? Hot supply from the boiler?

Num

You're right. I've been staring at it so long I see it in my sleep. I'll mark it up.