Heat loss calc for my new kitchen

Garret_4

I think the SlantFin heatloss s/w is free...

http://www.slantfin.com/he2/#HE2

You'll need broadband to download the install package (it's 171MB).. but you can order a copy on CD if need be.

Thad

Heat Loss Calcs for my new kitchen?

Howdy everyone,
I am starting renovation on a room in my house that is going to be my new kitchen. The room currently gets wicked cold in the winter and I chalk that up to leaky windows, little or no wall insulation, and only 4' of cast iron base board to heat a room that is 10.5' wide by 16' long with 8.5' ceilings. There is an insulated crawlspace below and a low pitched roof above. When I finish with the room the exterior walls, ceiling, and crawlspace will be insulated to r-19. There will be 3 new insulated vinyl windows (one on each side of the room and 36" wide by 50" high). The exterior of the room is stucco and it is exposed on 3 sides, plus the roof and crawlspace. I am located in Philadelphia, PA.



My issue is that I need a new steam radiator for the room, but I have no idea what size to order. I found one that should work on steamradiators.com but I would like to make sure that I get the right size. I pondered ordering the slant/fin heat loss calc software, but I only need it for this one room and it seems kind of wasteful of me to order it for just that. Can one of the pros around here give me an idea of how many btu/hr I need to adequately heat the space?
Much obliged,
Thad

John@Reliable_12

BTU's some where between ..................

5000 to 7200 as rule of thumb, but without a proper site visit its only a quess. You need to use find a pro as there are some real good people from your area that could help you. If system is steam,piping MUST only be done right or you will still be saying next spring "room currently gets wicked cold in the winter"

Thad

Thanks

Thanks John. I used to visit the Wall obsessively while learning what I needed to know to make my 2 pipe air vent system efficient and quiet, the way it was designed to be. The piping will be done right, and the location of the radiator is where one existed when the house was built 98 years ago. THere is even a plugged nipple in the steam main ready to be removed to pipe up one floor to the new rad. I even have a spare Gorton vent waiting to put on the new rad. I'll shoot for the high end of the BTU range since we have 3 exposed walls. Thanks again.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

You truly need a room-by-room heat loss calculation. Software for such available here free.

THEN compare your existing steam radiation to the calculated loss for each room served and size the new radiator similarly.

For a kitchen it's probably very safe to knock off 15%-20% by comparison.