Radiant Software

Brian_19

What is your favorite and most practical design software for radiant heat. I have been using Wirsbo Radiant Express 4.7, and today I tried Advanced Design Suite 6. After computing the same rooms in each program the results were not even close. One had the load at 18,000 btu's and the other had it at 8500 btu. Which one is right? What program do I trust?

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S Davis

Wirsbo

Just curious wich program had the higher number?

S Davis


Apex Radiant Heating

Brian_19

High Number

The older Radiant express had the higher numbers. Quite a bit higher.

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Ted_9

Its probably some kind of sttings differance or just some item was differant.

PATRIOT HEATING & COOLING, INC.

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Constantin

Assuming both are based on Manual-J..

... their numbers should be quite similar. I would be surprised if one program could justify a 2x difference, assuming that infiltration, design day conditions, wall thicknesses, window dimensions, etc. are similar.

For example, even though I used HVAC-Calc and my contractor used Wrightsoft, the sums came to within 10% of each other. Such subtle differences are easily explained by different wall material choices, etc. Incidentally, my contractor calc was 10% lower in its estimate.

So, I'd review infiltration and window sizes. Windows are wonderful heat-sinks and if you accidentally added a one here or there, then the whole calc goes haywire. As my boss at ADL would say, "the problem with a model is that it always gives you an answer", which is another way of rephrasing the old GI=GO adage WRT computer calculations.

Jed_2

Software

I'm not familiar with Wirsbo's program; I use an earlier version of Warm Source, and a current version of Ipex Radiant, and an earlier version of Wright Soft Right Radiant(Zurn). More recent, sophisticated programs have far more default selections and detailed value settings. i suspect this is the case with ADS 6. Read the instructions more carefully. They can be subtle, with large consequences.

Jed

jp_2

pencil & paper

learn how to do it long hand, learn what R & U factors actually mean. then when something like this happens you know whats up. relying on black box software is dangerous to your occupation!

Jed_2

GI, GO

As with computer software, pencils have erasers. It's all in the key strokes. But, computers don't make arithmetic errosr (whoops) errors.

Rookie

Watt Radiant

I currently use Watts Radiant nice software easy to use.

jp_2

thats true

if you don't understand the data you put in, you're sure the heck not going to understand what comes out! computers should be used as tools not as a crutch. understand heatloss, not just how to stroke the keys.

S Davis

Wirsbo

I use 6.0 allmost daily and have had no problems, I had 4.8R4 before that and noticed very little difference in the heatloss calculations when importing 4.8 jobs into 6.0 but I did have to go through all the parameters and make sure they were the same.

S Davis


Apex Radiant Heating

Jed_2

that's true

touche'