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Is a kickspace heater possible here?

NTL1991
NTL1991 Member Posts: 103
edited September 2019 in THE MAIN WALL
I've got the typical cold kitchen complaints. It's very small (11' x 7') and there's really no room for baseboard radiation. The kitchen has a 4' wide archway into the dining room, which is heated, but it's not helping the kitchen very much.

My goal is to install a kickspace heater under the kitchen sink. My problem is that I'm not sure if the heater could be plumbed into the existing baseboard series loop while giving satisfactory performance and not effecting the existing baseboard radiation. The heater would be at the very end of a long 3/4" HePex loop, which runs up from the basement through stacked closets, and returns down the same way. This is a second-floor apartment so access is tough.

Is this feasible or should I be looking at other solutions?



Nick, Cranston, RI

Comments

  • Alan Welch
    Alan Welch Member Posts: 266
    Can you swap the supply and return pipes at the boiler?
  • NTL1991
    NTL1991 Member Posts: 103
    Definitely can!
    Nick, Cranston, RI
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    If the kickspace unit has the usual 1/2" pipe diameter, pipe a 1/2" bypass around it. This will maintain the flow rate in the 3/4" main loop.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • NTL1991
    NTL1991 Member Posts: 103
    Thanks! Simple solution, I like it.

    I'm very visual so here's what I drew up.



    Should I extend the 3/4" loop into the kitchen and under the cabinets, and tie the heater in with a short length of 1/2", or do the opposite, with a longer length of 1/2" to the existing 3/4" loop?

    Does the length of the bypass matter? Will I need a valve in the bypass to balance things out? Should I add in an air vent while I'm cutting into pipe? There's no high point vent for the loop, only the vent on the air scoop in the basement.
    Nick, Cranston, RI
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    That diagram will work. The length of the bypass shouldn't matter that much.

    You should have a purge station on the return line approaching the boiler- this is how you get the air out of the loop. If you use a valve in the bypass to help purge air from the kicker, make sure it's a full-port one.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • NTL1991
    NTL1991 Member Posts: 103
    Awesome! Doesn't seem like this will be too much work to get working well. I do have a drain valve at the return for purging and I've never had trouble with air in the system or purging so I think I should be okay without the valve, but if I need to cut one in, that's easy enough to do.

    This system is running a L7224U with Outdoor Reset. I am wondering whether I should up-size the kickspace heater to compensate for the lower water temperatures. Any thoughts?
    Nick, Cranston, RI
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    ODR will still produce hotter water when it gets cold.

    Have you done a heat-loss calculation on the room? That's the only way to select the kicker...............
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Brewbeer
    Brewbeer Member Posts: 616
    For any radiator, it's always easier to dial back output, than it is to increase it.
    Hydronics inspired homeowner with self-designed high efficiency low temperature baseboard system and professionally installed mod-con boiler with indirect DHW. My system design thread: http://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/154385
    System Photo: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/FileUpload/79/451e1f19a1e5b345e0951fbe1ff6ca.jpg
    Canucker
  • Jon_blaney
    Jon_blaney Member Posts: 316
    Some people recommend a unit with a larger output so you can run it at a lower fan speed which is quieter. Just what I have heard.