Where to begin with an old home...

Weezbo

There are many forms of heat and this is where you can find some tactful answers for the heating system of your choise not that you will Like every answer you get however for the most part it is the Truth as best as we can figure:) The steam heat is what you really sure you would like we have some really sharp ladds who will do thier best to tell you all the latest on steam heat emmiters and all the trimmings.there is a book store here and ,AND ,a library. feel free to indulge and peruse at your leisure:) Enjoy as the Dan Man says:) there are a host of manufacturers and suppliers who have pdf 's that you can read and links to just about every where in the world...i also have some pictures of heating and cooling on the hubble and space shuttles if you'd like ...we are a fair minded batch and have no special agenda other than to help..Help sometimes isnt terribly agreeable to some however at least you get the option to hear it......Steam can and is still employed in America...

J Bramble

New Heat for an Old Home

I have an old brick home built by Mormon pioneers which was originally heated w/a multitude of wood stoves (possibly more than usual b/c the house was designed to accomodate two wives!). Later, they lopped off the many chimneys, removed the stoves & intalled a huge, god-awful forced air oil furnace. The furnace was submerged in a flood this summer and I am considering my options.
I must say, I adore the old steam heat more than any other. I have fond memories are of a former home in Vermont with great steam radiators hissing away... Is there a reasonable way to replicate this sort of heat in my home? Are there other forms of radiant heat that have similar results? I have been researching the hydronic heating information sites & all of them seem to be working with *NEW* contruction. Is it *THAT* difficult to retrofit an old home? Is it me, or are the only people still embracing steam heat in Europe? I have so many questions that I am unsure where to begin & I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the unclear information. Can anyone suggest a good book/resource/professional/website/etc for a beginner deciding on a system for an existing home? My home is in Southern Utah, so contacts in both Salt Lake City & Las Vegas are welcome. Many thanks for any advice/guidance/suggestions you may have.

P.S. Thank you Dan for such a delightful & helpful website, it is the very best resource I have found so far.

Constantin

Great Project!

I too bought a house that was originally heated by individual stoves (though not for multiple wives). In our case, they were "modern" stoves, featuring coal. Later on, they changed the house over to a gravity-furnace with coal before settling on forced-air oil.

It certainly is still possible to install a new steam system, folks like Steamhead love doing that. The trick is to find someone knowledgable to do the job. Like all forms of heat, steam has its idiosyncracies that have to be observed. Dan Holohans books on the subject will be a great introduction, BTW, particularly "The Lost art of steam Heating".

In our home, we went for radiant floor heat because I love that form of heat. It is also very energy efficient because the water used in the system is circulating around at very low temperatures. The issue for you is that you're probably not enthusiastic about ripping off the old floors just to get radiant floor heat. In fact, you probably like the floors in your home...

You should probably consider radiators... They can be flat and unobtrusive like the Euro-style stuff, or you could go retro and get some cast-iron stuff from yesteryear. Some companies make heat emitters that look just like real baseboards - flat, in any color you want, easy to assemble. The trick would be to ensure that these emitters can keep up with the heat loss in your home. (BTW, these are not the usual "baseboard" emitters at Home Despot, etc. that look like pipes with pieces of copper growing out of them)

Either way, you should have ample opportunity to re-use the old air ducts to run your tubing - hydronic heat requires far smaller holes in the house. Particularly if you go with the flat baseboard stuff, the appearance of your home will change little while the comfort should increase a great deal. I don't have the information handy... however, I'm sure one of the boys or gals here can jump in and point you in the right direction.

So, try finding a professional, get a heat loss calculation done, then weight the pros and cons of getting your home insulated and weatherized before or along with installing a new heating system. Todays insulation installers can inject dense-packed cellulose or foam even into closed stud cavities, giving you home much better protection against infiltration.

The Wall may be a bit slow over the next two days due to the great number of Wallies converging on Providence, RI for Westock V. Nonetheless, you'll find the Wall a fantastic resource. Many knowledgable folk here are more than happy to share their insights. However, like all resources, the Wall costs money, so if it turns out to be a great resource for you also, consider donating some money by Putting a Brick in The Wall. I have done it several times now, it doesn't hurt! Cheers!

J Bramble

Thank you for the responses despite the busy weekend -- I appreciate it! I ordered Dan's two hydronic heating books already & look forward to their arrival. I expect they will bring some clarity to my options. I just might pick up the steam book (mostly b/c it looks fascinating), even if I don't go with steam -- as I read more, it seems less feasible compared to hot water. Thank you so far for the tips about running plumbing through the existing ducting, insulating (though, I don't have *any* stud walls in my house -- all solid double brick inside & out!), etc. It gives me some things to think about (& just might add to my questions!)

And yes, I will be sure to donate to the Wall. Thank you again!

Maine doug_2

My building presented

some similar challanges. Walls three bricks thick then plaster. Basement foundation is granite, done like brickwork, sitting on bedrock, at the bottom about 2 to 2-1/2 feet thick. Main floor has 14 foot tin ceilings which we restored.

Presented all sorts of problems for piping and electrical.
We used saws and jack hammers to dig up the basement floor, dug down another 8-10 inches till rock and poured a new radiant slab. Electrical conduit and water piping was run under the slab. All wiring above the basement floor is surface mounted and just painted. Our apartment now has brick walls and brick pillars with curved ceilings.

We went with flat panel rads on the main floor and sunroom.
Radiant is variable speed injection, have twin boilers on direct vent. Enjoying barefoot in -10* temps and significant reduction in fuel consumption.

All design work done by me, the homeowner, from info in Dan's books and gained on this Wall. Work done as time permits since this is a complete building restoration or refurb or hole in the ground into which we put too much money- but warm and comfortable.