What's the best system?

Sue_3

We are building a new 2200 sq ft Post & Beam house in the Northeast. We were all set to install oil-fired hotwater Basebaord heat, no AC, and then the opinions started to fly.
Why not radiant or Hydro-air?
I have never been a fan of forced hot air, but they tell me that this is different and I can have AC with little more cost. The radiant is too pricey and DIYing that makes me nervous.
What is anyone's take on the Hydro. What's it like to live with, noisy; air rushing, unit above an upstairs bedroom, dry?
Should I just be happy with HWBB? Thanks

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

go radiant

it is a one time cost, with virtually no maintenance. is is a luxury, but it is the best toy you could buy. every customer i have installed it for LOVES IT. how much is it worth to have all that dust blowing around, and the high and low temp. of hydro air or forced hot air. if your going to live in the house a long time the comfort is well worth the investment. bob

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John Felciano

Decisions

I've never been a fan of forced hot air heating personally, but hydro-air is better than having a furnace.It's not quite as dry,but you still have that movement of air.No where near as comfortable as radiant or baseboard.

One thing to consider is in the Northeast there are consederably more heating days compared to cooling days,so don't let your cooling issues dictate how you heat.

Once you decide to use a boiler as your heat source your very capable of doing some mix and match heating.We do many homes that have radiant heat in parts and baseboard or hydro in others.We tell our customers to put in radiant in the rooms where you will be spending the most time. Kitchens, family rooms, great rooms, and always the master bath.There is nothing nicer than warm floors when you get out of the shower.And use another type of heating in the bedrooms.If a whole house radiant isn't in the budget mix it up.

Yes radiant will be more expensive than other forms of heating,but once you get used to radiant you will never want anything else.

Good luck with your project

leo g_89

another opinion

my suggestion would be to forget the baseboard, and go with a mix of panel radiators, (buderus, myson, etc.) and radiant.

i find the panel rads, because so much of their heat is radiant, are way more comfortable then baseboards. they also, in my opinion, look better, and can "fit" into a room better.

leo g

Robert O'Connor_3

I've seen hydro coils

set ups with variable speed blowers that were much beter then reg hot air furnace set ups. Water temps were run around 140-160 and the blower kept on longer and slower, less of a draft felt. But VS blowers are expensive and in a post and beam structure, where are you gonna put the duct work? I'd rather look at a small ductless mini-split blower on a wall then bother with ductwork for 3 months max of cooling each season.

John Mills_3

HOW

is hydroair not quite as dry as a forced air furnace?

Sue_3

Joe

Your message about hydro coils was cut off can you resend?

Steamhead

The water temperature in the coils

is much lower than the temperature inside a furnasty's heat exchanger. So the heat input to the air is not so concentrated, and it doesn't scorch the air nearly as much.

But I'd still go with panel rads, cast-iron baseboard (not fin-tube) or radiant.

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John Mills_3

But isn't

relative humidity based on the indoor temp? So even if discharge air of the hot water coil is a bit lower than that of a furnace (and today's furnaces do run cool) wouldn't the relative humidity at 72 room temp be the same? Since hot water coils & heat exchangers don't remove moisture, I don't see either "drying" the air. The RH of the air coming from a hotter heating source would be lower but by the time that air cools to room temp, should be the same. Otherwise you'd need a condensate drain under the heat exchanger or hot water coil.

Robert O'Connor_3

Humidity is lost

out the structure with air infiltration, which all houses must have. I still feel hot air creates more positive pressure, forcing more air out of the structrure requiring outdoor air with less RH to get sucked back in. If a house is tight, normal cooking, showering, etc. should be generating enough humidity for the home.