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new construction

berwick
berwick Member Posts: 7
WE are building a new 1600 square foot ranch home in southern maine. It will be well insulated. We want to go with an lp gas boiler with indirect hot water.Slant fin baseboard.This is a year round retirement home. We are looking for reliability above all. Should we go with a cast iron system boiler ? The mod con boilers are all new to me and i read a lot of horror stories about them. Thanks

Comments

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    A heat load calculation is the best first step, here is an ap for that.

    Try sizing the fin tube at a few different supply water temperatures.
    If you are considering a mod con, size to 120 supply if you want to maximize the efficiency.

    https://www.slantfin.com/slantfin-heat-loss-calculator/



    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • GroundUp
    GroundUp Member Posts: 1,888
    Is there a particular reason for wanting baseboard? In a new ranch I don't think you could pay me enough to have BB in my home versus a radiant floor. There are many ways to skin this cat, but if you were to go with a standard high temp BB emitter there's little sense in a mod/con boiler IMO. Cast iron is going to last longer and be less trouble, though a little less efficient. Now with low temp BB or radiant, a mod/con will thrive efficiency-wise but again be more maintenance with a shorter lifespan than a properly piped cast iron boiler. If it were my home, I'd go with floor radiant and a mod/con but I don't mind a little maintenance. If it were my parents' home I'd push for floor radiant with a CI boiler as the maintenance side of things is not welcomed over there. If I were forced to have BB, whether high or low temp, I'd be happy to pay a little extra for fuel and run a direct vent cold start CI unit like a Slant Fin VSPH or WM CGI series.
    SuperTechBillyO
  • berwick
    berwick Member Posts: 7
    Hi guys,thanks for getting back to me.I guess cost of the radiant floor is the main reason for going with the bb .
  • GroundUp
    GroundUp Member Posts: 1,888
    The additional cost of the radiant floor is minute, barely into 4 digits and will be recovered tenfold at resale down the road. A rental or quick sale house is one thing, but a brand new forever home might be worth reconsidering the option.
  • berwick
    berwick Member Posts: 7
    I was led to believe it was very pricey.So glad you mentioned that.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    I'd also look at panel radiators, quick responding, easily zoned. some prefer panel rads to fin tube.
    Panel rads can run down in the 120- 140F supply to give you the best efficiency.

    Is the home on a slab, basement, or crawl.

    http://qhtinc.com/purmo/
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    kcopp
  • berwick
    berwick Member Posts: 7
    Home is a full basement with a walkout
  • GroundUp
    GroundUp Member Posts: 1,888
    If radiant is out of the realm of possibility cost-wise, you're definitely not going to like the cost of panel rads. Radiant is expensive, but not as high as you'd think compared to a properly installed BB or panel rad system. The insulation under a radiant floor is a cost that most people scoff at, but realistically that insulation should be there regardless of heat emitters. It can be skipped of course, but it's a corner that everybody regrets cutting. The tubing itself is cheap just like BB but radiant is a much more efficient heat emitter IMO.
  • berwick
    berwick Member Posts: 7
    We have to watch our pennies , so its a balancing act between reliability and efficiency. slant fin seems to make a low water temp baseboard but i am a bit leery of mod con reliability
  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,418
    Are you located in Berwick, ME?

  • berwick
    berwick Member Posts: 7
    We are building in ogunquit maine
  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,418
    I will DM you.
  • berwick
    berwick Member Posts: 7
    Thanks
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 4,691
    Bb is a little 1980s, look at the European panel rads,
    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
    BillyO