Hydronic Heating

Posts Tagged ‘thermostat’

We just installed a radiant floor heating system and our plumber tells us that a regular thermostat is in fact more efficient than a programmable one, because it doesn’t have to use a lot of energy to get the water hot again. We installed a high efficient munchkin boiler. Thoughts?

One of the zone control valves in my heating system does not appear to be working. The thermostat is calling for heat, but no water is flowing. If the other thermostats call for heat, the valves seem to open as the pipes above the valve get hot from the water flowing through. The one that appears busted gets luke warm at best. All 4 valves in the system are fed from the same pipe, and the failed valve is the third in the series of 4 along the pipe (and #4 flows fine) so it doesn't appear to be something in the feeder pipe.

Is there anything I can do to try and fix the existing valve, can I replace the valve myself? Would replacing the valve top of the valve (the green/gold portion) possible fix the issue (maybe a problem with the operation of the piston? Is there anything I ahve to do before removing the valve top aside from removing power to the valve?

I've got this house. No heating system, and I need to redo the electricals. I am NOT going to sell it, so I'm thinking long-term.

I've been thinking outside the box, and it seems running PEX pipe with water, attached to a pump and a thermostat, would be the most comfortable, most reasonably-priced, and most efficient method of keeping the place warm.

I'm not interested in gas heating, and everything electrical means all sorts of vents, and ducts, and expensive systems.

What do I need to know about radiant heating before I start planning? What pitfalls can I avoid with the foresight of your experience?

And while I'm asking, is it possible to have 'radiant cooling' by having pipes that run cool water above the ceilings?

Thanks, everybody.

I have 20+ yr old standard electric baseboard heaters in my summer home which are pointy, ugly and starting to rust. The house is infrequently used in the winter and we keep the thermostat at 45 to prevent the pipes bursting. I thought I could just replace the outside covers but guess the whole unit needs replacing. I've run across standard units for less than but also found "hydronic" ones that are over 0. Why are they so expensive, what's the difference b/w these and standard units and is the technology really worth the extra cost? If we buy the hydronic units, how easy is it to swap out the old ones? Do we need an HVAC guy? Will the thermostat for the old units still work withthe new ones?