Category Archives: Radiant Heat

Heating system research and implementation.

Snug as a Bug

Posted on March 26, 2019 by ellen

Facebook reminded me that it has been seven years since we had our energy audit. Seven years since I retired. A bit over seven years since we purchased the house. The good news is that the property values have escalated, … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Energy Efficiency, Fireplace Boiler, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Snug as a Bug

Wood fired boiler!

Posted on October 30, 2018 by ellen

It works! I’m so pleased with the wood boiler system. This fall it was easy to start up. Just a few steps and it was all working as designed. I recorded the steps I took to get the first fire … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Fireplace Boiler, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Wood fired boiler!

Another Radiant Cooling SetUp

Posted on August 17, 2018 by ellen

I have again set up the 1/3 HP aquarium chiller that I bought in 2016. This time outside so that the heat from the chiller is not released in the utility room. The controller is inside and the wiring and … Continue reading →

Posted in Radiant Cooling, Trombe Wall | Comments Off on Another Radiant Cooling SetUp

Sun Shades

Posted on August 15, 2018 by ellen

It’s been a slow summer for home progress. A series of family visits and the passing of my dear mother have taken our time and energy. I was also hospitalized three times and I’m getting tired of it. I’m having … Continue reading →

Posted in Living Room, Radiant Cooling, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Sun Shades

Gleaning More Materials

Posted on March 3, 2018 by ellen

I’ve used most of the building materials that have been stockpiled in the past; although there is more finish work in the house that needs to be completed. I hope to use the log railings for door and window trim … Continue reading →

Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle, Solar, Spa, Trombe Wall | Comments Off on Gleaning More Materials

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 →

Posted in Radiant Cooling | Comments Off on Trying a Chiller Again

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

Ach Phooey! Taco Pump Siezed

Posted on January 24, 2016 by ellen

Since we returned from a trip to see our newest grandson about a week ago, I’d been noticing that the floor was not warm but the radiators in the back were. I thought since I had turned the heat down … Continue reading →

Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Maintenance and Repair, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Ach Phooey! Taco Pump Siezed

Another Flaw in Boiler Piping Redesigned

Posted on January 20, 2016 by ellen

The placement of the Taco iSeries mixing valve is designed to temper the water going into the stove, however, that valve also limits the flow of water returning from the storage loop. I realized this in the middle of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fireplace Boiler, Maintenance and Repair, Planning, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Another Flaw in Boiler Piping Redesigned

Fireplace Boiler System Re-design

Posted on January 19, 2016 by ellen

During our first fire in the fireplace boiler the hot water was not getting out of the stove. I took some thermal photos to try to capture where the heat was going. The photo appears to show that the hot … Continue reading →

Posted in Deconstruction, Fireplace Boiler, Maintenance and Repair, Planning, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Fireplace Boiler System Re-design

Fireplace Boiler in Action

Posted on January 3, 2016 by ellen

On Christmas Eve it was cold outside and we finally made a fire in the fireplace boiler. The fireplace outside air draft worked perfectly, and the glass door makes a spectacular fire show. The fireplace water got very hot but … Continue reading →

Posted in Fireplace Boiler | Comments Off on Fireplace Boiler in Action

Cleaning the Challenger’s Heat Exchanger

Posted on December 10, 2015 by ellen

When I was wiring the boiler, I checked the condensate overflow system on the boiler and noticed the plastic drain was full of black gunk. I cleaned it out and about a week later checked it again and it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off on Cleaning the Challenger’s Heat Exchanger