New Zone - Diverter Tee or Loop?

Big Ed

The 7K byu could be correct. Since most basements are underground , which has little heat loss , it could be correct. The cold damp slab floor is not a heat loss, but you may want to add a vapor barrier(plastic sheet). Fin and tube 3/4" puts out around 500btu per foot. I think castiron baseboard is around 550btu , but you get the added radiant heat comfort. Two big castiron radiators may be a overkill for the space. If you want to use them run them at a low temperature and use dirverter tees on multiple radiators. Adding more baseboard then needed will only heat the place up faster and possibly over ride the temp setting a bit.... Over heating castiron radiators will over ride too much...I would use a separate circulator and flowvalve for the basement zone....Better job and cheaper in the long run...

LongTownFellow

New Zone - Diverter Tee or Loop? (& other Q's)

Hi Wallies, love this forum, have learned so much from reading all the great info here. I got some questions for you all on heating options for a basement.

I will be finishing most of the basement of my circa 1957 ranch house in western Mass, and will have installed a new zone of heat to keep it warmer than the current winter equilibrium temp of 52 degrees.

The basement will have 3 heated rooms (24x24 family room, 8x8 bathroom, and 8x10 laundry), and one unheated room (11x15 workshop with boiler & HWH in it). The family room & bathroom with be fully insulated in the walls (greater than R-13) & has an un-insulated concrete floor. The laundry will have minimal wall insulation (R-4). The new family room will have a new 36 inch insulated metal door leading to the exterior through a bulkhead, and has 3 small (about 5 sq.ft. each) single-pane metal frame basement windows. The bath and the laundry each have one of the same kind of window. The rim joist around the entire basement perimeter is already well insulated (about R-15). Ceiling is 7 feet above the floor. The floor will remain bare (painted) concrete.

Someone in the scorched air business did a heat loss calc for me, but I don't believe it. The calc indicated that I would need about 7,000 BTUs/hr to heat the space, however, their calc did not appear to include any factors to account for heat loss through the floor slab (which feels quite cold to the feet). The bathroom has in it a 4-foot cast iron baseboard already installed (but not yet connected). I will be using cast iron baseboard for the family room, and would like to use fin tube for the laundry. The quality of heat in the laundry area is not as important to me as the family room and bath.

The boiler is a new Utica USC-4, oversized to accommodate a future house expansion. Pump away, one zone, diverter-tee distribution, 7 baseboard radiators totaling 60 feet of cast iron baseboard radiation. (had fin tube in my last house, boy do I love that cast iron)

My questions:

1) Does the heat loss calc sound correct? 7,000 BTU/hr equates to about 12 feet of baseboard radiation. Just looking for a reality check on this from the hydronic experts.

2) I would like the basement warm, and was considering installing 2 cast iron baseboard radiators in the family room, probably one 4 foot and one 6 foot.

3) Is the diverter-tee distribution for the basement zone the way I want to go? Seems like the heat would be more even.

4) Can I use a fin tube in the laundry (like a 4 footer?)

5) The existing circulator is a Taco 007 for the upstairs zone. Should I go with a zone valve, or a separate circulator for the new zone?

Thankx so much. This forum is great. --=--Ed.

kevin

You need....

a hydronic heat loss for HWBB... forced air calcs. are different. Figure out what size you need from there. Ed's advice is good...kpc

steve_29

> Hi Wallies, love this forum, have learned so much

> from reading all the great info here. I got some

> questions for you all on heating options for a

> basement.

>

> I will be finishing most of the

> basement of my circa 1957 ranch house in western

> Mass, and will have installed a new zone of heat

> to keep it warmer than the current winter

> equilibrium temp of 52 degrees.

>

> The basement

> will have 3 heated rooms (24x24 family room, 8x8

> bathroom, and 8x10 laundry), and one unheated

> room (11x15 workshop with boiler & HWH in it).

> The family room & bathroom with be fully

> insulated in the walls (greater than R-13) & has

> an un-insulated concrete floor. The laundry will

> have minimal wall insulation (R-4). The new

> family room will have a new 36 inch insulated

> metal door leading to the exterior through a

> bulkhead, and has 3 small (about 5 sq.ft. each)

> single-pane metal frame basement windows. The

> bath and the laundry each have one of the same

> kind of window. The rim joist around the entire

> basement perimeter is already well insulated

> (about R-15). Ceiling is 7 feet above the floor.

> The floor will remain bare (painted)

> concrete.

>

> Someone in the scorched air business

> did a heat loss calc for me, but I don't believe

> it. The calc indicated that I would need about

> 7,000 BTUs/hr to heat the space, however, their

> calc did not appear to include any factors to

> account for heat loss through the floor slab

> (which feels quite cold to the feet). The

> bathroom has in it a 4-foot cast iron baseboard

> already installed (but not yet connected). I

> will be using cast iron baseboard for the family

> room, and would like to use fin tube for the

> laundry. The quality of heat in the laundry area

> is not as important to me as the family room and

> bath.

>

> The boiler is a new Utica USC-4,

> oversized to accommodate a future house

> expansion. Pump away, one zone, diverter-tee

> distribution, 7 baseboard radiators totaling 60

> feet of cast iron baseboard radiation. (had fin

> tube in my last house, boy do I love that cast

> iron)

>

> My questions:

>

> 1) Does the heat loss

> calc sound correct? 7,000 BTU/hr equates to

> about 12 feet of baseboard radiation. Just

> looking for a reality check on this from the

> hydronic experts.

>

> 2) I would like the

> basement warm, and was considering installing 2

> cast iron baseboard radiators in the family room,

> probably one 4 foot and one 6 foot.

>

> 3) Is

> the diverter-tee distribution for the basement

> zone the way I want to go? Seems like the heat

> would be more even.

>

> 4) Can I use a fin tube

> in the laundry (like a 4 footer?)

>

> 5) The

> existing circulator is a Taco 007 for the

> upstairs zone. Should I go with a zone valve, or

> a separate circulator for the new zone?

>

> Thankx

> so much. This forum is great. --=--Ed.

steve_29

combustion air

I'm currently going to school for heating and have a question for the pro's.

Would this room of 15x11x7 have enough available air for combustion for this boiler, I'm also assuming that the HW is either electric of off the system?

I know if it was gas it would not.

thanks

Big Ed

Combustion Air

You will need about 140 square inch of fresh air opening for each 140,000 btu of burn..... Best off adding the intake then relaying on the cracks and holes of te room.

Wayne_12

combustion air

Put the fresh air or combustion air in like Ed explained. Use a 6" intake hood at the sill plate and drop the intake tube to with in 6" of the floor. The vertical drop will act like a damper, when the boiler or water heater have a call for heat, combustion air will flow down the vent pipe to the burner. Placing the vent termination away from any traffic areas will eliminate cold spots. Behind water heaters or a corner of the utility room works great.