Inexpencive heat source

Bigheadtodd

Have been asked to come up with an inexpensive design for a small straw bail house. Heat loss is 35,000 BTS's. 2 floors.Slab on grade, 6500 elevation.

We will use infloor radiant for the first floor, still have not decided what I want on the second floor. I think to keep the price down we shoud go with radiant ceiling, but if not, under floor or radiators. Will quote all 3.

I'm not sure which way to go with the heat source. Anybody want to make recomendations. I'm going to quote good better best prices. Water heater would be the cheap way to go, next two would be small boilers, are not many boilers tht small. Will be driveing an indirect also.

What you think, Our area requires at least 80% AFUE?

Thanks in advance BHT

Cosmo

When you involve and indirect....

Usually in cases like yours the indirect may need more btuh's than needed to heat the space. How much hot water is needed? If inexpensive is a must, than just get two water heaters, one for the domestic hot water and the other to use instead of a boiler. I think Laars has a Minitherm sized down to about 40,000btu but not sure. Just please if using a water heater to heat make sure that you either use a different water heater for domestic hot water, or use a brazed plate heat exchanger to separate the two water dist. systems. Good luck


Casmo
Dependable P.H.C. Inc.

ScottMP

look

at a munchkin.

Can throttle down for the heat and ramp up for the indirect.

Scott

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kevin

Interesting..

they want an inexpensive heating system in a straw house. i didn't think the bail style houses were cheap? If $ are the key I would go w/ either a laars JVi or Burnham 2pv. The SuperStor contenders Indirects are inexpensive and I have had good luck with them. A munchkin would be nice if the $ are there. Good luck. kpc

mp1969

Bale House

How times have changed , a bail house used to be located next to the courthouse or jail! This sounds like an interesting project. Here in Wisconsin I have yet to hear about or see a bale house . I have to wonder if our large population of dairy cattle and their political influence has not prevented the use of this technology.
I recently installed a system using the high temp for the domestic storage tank (in this case buffer tank) and secondary zones off the primary zone to heat two slab zones,two in between joists zones heating ceramic floors, and one in between joists heating a foyer. Five zones different heat needs and fairly easy to accomplish with the preferred higher temp/buffer tank.
Note need to temper water from storage tank but that only gives us more domestic hotwater GPM for whirlpool and other pluming fixtures.
Good luck! Would like to know what you decide on?? Two large candles may work but then there is that indoor air quality thing !!

ScottMP

Bale House

By the way, who's doing the work for the other two pigs.

I don't know about straw but brick has a high heat loss

Scott

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hr

Choices based on

temperatures that you will require. How many zones (micro loads) ? If you go with panel or baseboard a water heater would not be a good choice. 35,000 at that altitude and at 85% efficiency would put you around a 60,000 output heat source.

A small Munchkin would modulate down to 22,000, I believe. My next choice would be a sealed combustion (eliminates combustion air heat aches in cold country) cast boiler. Price may be "sixes" once you add mixed temperatures and boiler protection to the cast boiler!

Plenty of choices in the 75,000 input cast range.

hot rod

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