A tale of two homes (one all should see)

kframe

Nice assay...

Question, though...

What do you mean by proportional system?

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Both opened for "warming" in 1900. Both were built by very wealthy men who could afford nearly anything they wanted. I toured both shortly after being bitten by the hydronic bug.

The first is Biltmore in Asheville, NC. It was intended to be modern and usable forever. The mechanicals were supposedly an absolute marvel. Common spaces had "dual heat"--gravity warm air and massive fireplaces. Private spaces were heated solely via fireplaces. Hydronics were limited to the gymnasium, pool, etc. Control of these heating systems was crude requiring massive amounts of human labor. Those rooms not restored are blackened from decades of wood and coal burning--you would swear the home burned looking at them.

Electricity was used--almost solely for lighting. An Edison DC system was chosen and while it is a marvel to behold, it never worked well and again required massive amounts of human labor to stay functioning. Electric lighting in even the largest of bedrooms amounted to two bare bulbs installed in front of a mirror at either side of the ever-present fireplace mantel.

Bathrooms were used very liberally--even the servant quarters had some. Typically each guest bath serves a three-room suite with the master and his wife having private facilities. There are no lavatories except in the gymnasium. None are currently functioning having deteriorated or frozen.

The second is Rockcliffe in Hannibal, MO. It was built by a lumber baron named Crookshank. It was intended to be the ultimate expression of modern life and to be so forever.

Heating is hydronic in a PROPORTIONAL system. The pneumatic Johnson Control Company (before it became Johnson Electric) thermostats are an absolute fusion of art and mechanics in the tradition of the finest clockmakers. The ONLY key ever produced to operate them still hangs in one. Baths all have stand-alone gas-fired heaters for quick comfort. Nearly all of the paint and wallpaper are original and not being spoiled by soot from fireplaces has only a wonderful patina of age.

Again there is an original electric system--including convenience outlets in all rooms. Floor lamps, reading lamps, etc. were used liberally. Alternating current was chosen originally and much of the original system is still in use.

Plumbing is ABSOLUTELY incredible. Every bedroom has a private, full bath; toilet, tub AND lavatory. Lift-up access panels abound in the floors to allow easy repair. The heavy brass traps are original--judging by the drips I saw from most lavs, even the washers may be original as well. All of the plumbing still works.

In the present day one of these homes is STILL "modern" and suited to current lifestyles while the other (even with a staff of 50 or more) is completely obsolete.

What do YOU want when designing a "modern" heating system? While the mechanics of the heat at Rockcliffe have been improved upon, the proportional idea has not. Why not use it wherever possible? While the cost of this system in 1899 may be been phenomenal, this is no longer true.

Sell the comfort and longevity--those with vision WILL make room in their budgets.

DanHolohan

Fine thoughts.

Thanks, Mike.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Proportional Control (in heat)

is a system where the number of BTUs delivered is directly related to the variance from the desired setpoint.

The farther the room temperature is from the desired setting the more BTUs will be delivered. Once maintenance is achieved, the number of BTUs delivered into the space will CLOSELY match the number of BTUs the space is loosing to the environment.

This is the complete opposite of digital (on-off) control where you either have 100% heat or 0% heat. Staged control (where multiple digital devices are employed) is an attempt to add some crudely proportional behavior, but it still doesn't achieve the "real thing."

Hydronics is BY FAR the easiest way to achieve proportional control as you merely have to reduce or increase the flow of hot water as needed. Pneumatic controls are still used for large commercial structures, but the maintenance involved in keeping a steady supply of CLEAN air makes it rather impractical in a residential environment. TRVs are the most common method used residentially.

Proportional systems are highly dynamic and I believe this causes difficulty for some heating engineers as it [seems] highly complex. Given reasonable (sometimes even lousy) design, they are truly self-balancing.

Boilerpro_3

Rockcliff

Visited it a couple years ago, very nice, but didn't look into the boiler room...should have asked. Gee, I wonder why its not on the standard tour.

Boilerpro

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Rockcliffe

When I was there it was off-season and they let me lurk around in the basement for quite a while.