Category Archives: Radiant Heat

Heating system research and implementation.

Safety for the Birdies

Posted on May 1, 2017 by ellen

Covering the chimney opening with barrier wire has been on the to do list for some time. Luckily some square wire mesh was accessible in the full garage so I cut some and installed it on the chimney. Every spring … Continue reading →

Posted in Fireplace Boiler, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off on Safety for the Birdies

Nest Thermostat Info

Posted on January 6, 2017 by ellen

It’s been cold outside. We woke up this morning to negative ten degrees. The Nest thermostat is only recording the temperatures and boiler use in the living room so it is an incomplete picture of our heat use. I need … Continue reading →

Posted in Monitoring, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Nest Thermostat Info

Back to the Siding

Posted on November 11, 2016 by ellen

My brother generously offered to visit and help with the house construction. It is sort of a vacation for him and he likes house building projects almost as much as I do. He is much more of a perfectionist though, … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Construction, Trombe Wall | Comments Off on Back to the Siding

Coolness

Posted on August 2, 2016 by ellen

I had to give up on the chiller again. I had repiped through the heat exchanger with a single path for the return water to pick up the coolness but the chiller could not reduce the temperature in the floor … Continue reading →

Posted in Radiant Cooling, Ventilation | Comments Off on Coolness

Trying a Chiller Again

Posted on July 6, 2016 by ellen

I do not give up easily on an idea, especially when my research shows it is viable. It is just a matter of setting up the right combination of cooling and circulation to create a chilled floor. About a week … Continue reading →

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Cooling and Thermal Mass

Posted on June 28, 2016 by ellen

We are finding that the house holds heat well. In winter that is a good thing. In summer, it is more difficult to cool the house. It gets cool at night in Colorado. The humidity can go up at night … Continue reading →

Posted in Planning, Radiant Cooling | Comments Off on Cooling and Thermal Mass

Concrete Bricks as Thermal Mass

Posted on February 10, 2016 by ellen

While painting the kitchen block wall I started wondering what kind of block is our inner south wall made of anyway? At one point I heard this type of block called “slag block” and in Arizona where there are many … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Building Interests, Trombe Wall | Comments Off on Concrete Bricks as Thermal Mass

Tweaking the Pump Wiring Again

Posted on January 31, 2016 by ellen

As part of the pump install I changed the wiring again. In the past I had trouble with the primary and secondary pumps working independently. I thought that was one of the things that wore out the Taco 011 pump … Continue reading →

Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Maintenance and Repair, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Tweaking the Pump Wiring Again

Heat is Back On

Posted on January 31, 2016 by ellen

I left the heat off until the days stopped being sunny. During that time the house temperature didn’t go below 64 degrees. Even when it got down to 20 degrees outside at night. We woke up to a steady 64 … Continue reading →

Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Maintenance and Repair, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Heat is Back On

Over-sized Pump vs. Undersized

Posted on January 25, 2016 by ellen

How did I end up with a Taco 011 pump for the secondary system anyway? The project spreadsheet has the original calculations. Pressure Loss Zone Length Delta T 20 degrees Loss @ 20 Rear Bedrooms 1 50 0.03 1.50 Family … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Over-sized Pump vs. Undersized