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Good info on Hydronic vs. FHA

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Jeff W_2
Jeff W_2 Member Posts: 57
in THE MAIN WALL
Does anyone have nice informative article for a customer who is trying to decide between keeping their hydronic system vs. going to a forced air system?  This particular customer has oil now but is converting to gas.  They also have ductwork for A/C in the house.  He is wondering if it makes sense for him to just install a furnace instead of a boiler.  I have an opinion that may be obvious...but I wanted to present something to him that gives some good pros and cons for him to consider...



Thanks in advance...

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  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,432
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    well you can do....

    a few things. First thing you need to feel out is the customer. Do they just want done and cheap? Or are they looking at comfort value and longevity?? What is the existing system have for emmiters?
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,835
    edited June 2011
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    Try these links

    http://oikos.com/esb/28/duct_losses.html



    http://oikos.com/esb/44/forcedair.html
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • CMadatMe
    CMadatMe Member Posts: 3,086
    edited June 2011
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    Application

    Whats the overall application? What is the overall heat loss? How many zones is this hyronically? How many will it be with the FHA? Have we compared capable emitter output with the heat loss at different water temps?

    Each application has its own identity.  There is no flat anwser that fits every application. I do feel that you can deliver better comfort with a hydronic system as well as get better system efficiency then in a FHA system. It all boils down to budget and what the customers expectation of comfort is once the system is up and running.
    "The bitter taste of a poor installation remains much longer than the sweet taste of the lowest price."
  • meplumber
    meplumber Member Posts: 678
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    Ductwork size.

    Something to think about.  A/C only ductwork is typically sized much smaller than heating and a/c ductwork.  Cold air used for a/c is denser and requires smaller ductwork when using the psychiometric(sp?) chart.  A colleague of mine made this mistake a couple years ago.  Hooked up a condensing gas furnace with A coil to an existing a/c only system.  The ductwork wasn't large enough and he had all kinds of air flow problems when heating.



    Worth taking a look at...



    Good Luck.
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