ELECTRICAL SERVICE
Hot water Heat
Pillar To Post Continuing Education Program
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Table of Contents
• Chapter 1: Overview and Objectives
• Chapter 2: HWH (Hot Water Heating) Fundamentals
• Chapter 3: Traditional HWH (Hot Water Heat) Benefits
• Chapter 4: Hydronic Makes a Comeback!
• Chapter 5: Possible Complications
• Chapter 6: Converting from Hydronic to Forced Air
• Chapter 7: CEP Quiz
• Chapter 8: Presentation Feedback
Chapter
1
Chapter 1
Overview and Objectives
Chapter
1
Overview and Objectives
T
he most popular heating system by far is the forced air heating system. There are, however, many homes that still have hot water heat. These are sometimes a challenge for real estate professionals because:
• Some buyers perceive hot water heating to be an obsolete system
• If the buyer wants air conditioning, a home heated with hot water presents some challenges
It’s true that air conditioning is a challenge but hot water heat in the home should not be a deal breaker. There are many benefits to hot water heat. Furthermore, hot water heat has become more interesting with new options for air conditioning, in floor radiant heat and high efficiency systems.
This course will teach you -
▪ how the hot water heating system works
▪ the pros and cons of hot water heating
▪ the new options available
By the end of this session, you will be able to -
▪ describe the difference between a furnace and a boiler
▪ describe how heat gets from the heating system to the rooms of the home
▪ describe the difference between a radiator and a convector
▪ explain the function of the circulating pump and the expansion tank
▪ list five benefits of hot water heating systems
▪ list four cons of hot water heating systems
▪ explain how a high velocity ducting system works
▪ give a rough cost to install a high velocity ducting system in a small home
▪ explain how a ductless air conditioning system works
▪ give a rough cost to install a ductless system in a small to medium size home
▪ give two benefits of in floor hot water radian heat
▪ quote the approximate operating efficiency of the Polaris hot water heater
▪ explain why you need good technicians to service and modify hot water heating systems
▪ quote approximate costs to convert a small home from hot water heat to forced air
Chapter
2
Chapter 2
HWH (Hot Water Heating) Fundamentals
Chapter
2
HWH (Hot Water Heating) Fundamentals
M
any buyers are hesitant to buy a home with hot water heat. They see it as obsolete. At the very least, most will be unimpressed when they find out you can’t easily add air conditioning. This workbook seeks to educate the real estate professional about the benefits of hot water heat so that he/she will now be in a position to speak positively about the home and move the transaction forward.
Next to furnaces, boilers are the second most common heating system in the United States (Although they are less common in California). A boiler uses either natural gas, oil or electricity to heat water or produce steam, which is circulated through a network of pipes into radiators, baseboard convectors, radiant floors or fan-forced coils.
Boilers can be hot water or steam, and either type can be gas or oil boilers however the piping systems are different for each type. The hot water system boiler uses a pump to circulate the hot water while the steam boiler uses its own pressure to circulate the steam throughout the system. Both use a burner to heat the water to the temperature that is set on the thermostat. An aquastat monitors the temperature of the water and turns the burner off when the temperature reaches the desired level.
Hydronic Heat
Hot water heat is called hydronic heat. A boiler heats water for a hydronic heating system even though the water does not actually boil.
Furnace
Most people have never heard of a boiler. To them, all heating systems are called furnaces. A furnace however heats air and circulates the air around the home. This is different from hydronic heat.
Water Heater
A water heater heats domestic water for showering etc. This water temperature is much lower than boiler water. Usually a hot water heater is for domestic hot water and temperatures are fairly low (don’t want to scald anybody)
Note: Sometimes a hot water heater is used to supply heat to the house as well. This is only in very special circumstances. This will be covered in a later portion of this workbook.
How Does Hydronic Heat Work?
In its simplest terms, hot water is circulated throughout the house through a system of pipe loops. The hot water heats the radiators or convectors in each room which in turn heat the air and objects in the room. Essentially where a furnace heats the air directly at the heat exchanger, a boiler has an extra step or an extra heat exchange.
[pic]
This diagram show s the loop of water that takes place in a home that utilizes hydronic heat. Water is heated at the boiler then circulated into each room of the home. Heat is given off at the radiator. Cold water then flows back to the boiler.
[pic]
This image shows an older boiler with its cover off. Although there aren’t too many of this sort around these days you may still encounter them from time to time.
With the cover off you can begin to trace the hydronic process which starts at the circulating pump. Cold water from the house enters the circulating pump and flows through hot water coils above the burners. Water then comes out the top nice and hot. Combustion gasses go up through the middle and then up the flue pipe.
[pic]
This image shows a more modern boiler and is more typical of what you will see these days.
[pic]
This image shows the same boiler with the cover off. At a quick glace you will notice that modern boilers are high tech devices with sophisticated electronics equipped with safety components.
[pic]
This is the same diagram you saw on the previous page. The circulating pump at the bottom of the diagram moves the water through the system.
|[pic] | |
This image shows a modern circulating pump.
Closed Systems
[pic]
The hydronic system we see in this diagram is a closed system. What this means is that the same water circulating through the pipes day after day. When water is heated, it expands. Since this is a closed system, we must provide for the expansion. The expansion tank takes up the slack. An expansion tank is usually 1/3 full of water when the system is cold and 2/3 full of water when the system is hot
[pic]
This image shows a modern expansion tank.
|[pic] |Often buyers are concerned about the hot water heating pipes in an old home – won’t they|
| |corrode? In fact they don’t corrode because there is no oxygen left in the water. Were |
| |you to cut open an old hot water heating pipe, it would typically be corrosion-free |
Radiators
[pic]
These images show are hot water radiators which are part of the old traditional system. They are designed to heat up slowly and release heat slowly. A radiator has a pipe coming in and a pipe going out. (sometimes called a two-pipe system). As hot water comes in, some heat is released and the water, now cooler, comes out.
Radiators will have a shut off valve. These valves are not made to be operated on a daily basis hence if the homeowner turns these valves they often will start to leak.
Individual radiators are usually equipped with a thermostatic bleed valve. At room temperature, the valve opens the radiator to the air, but as hot steam flows into the radiator and pushes the contained air out, the valve heats and eventually closes, preventing steam from escaping into the room.
Convectors
[pic]
In practical use, the term radiator as described on previous pages refers to any of a number of devices in which a liquid circulates through exposed pipes. The term convector refers to a class of devices in which the source of heat is not directly exposed.
The image above shows a hot water convector. Although it looks a lot like an electric baseboard heater, there is a hot water pipe with fins on it running through this convector.
|[pic] |The heat characteristics of the convector is different from the radiator in that it |
| |heats up quickly and cools off quickly and it takes up less space. |
|[pic] | |
| |Check Your Knowledge |
| |Answer the questions below in the spaces provided |
1. What is hydronic heat?
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2. What is the difference between a radiator and a convector?
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3. What component of the HWH system is shown in the image below?
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Chapter
3
Chapter 3
Traditional Benefits of HWH (Hot Water Heat)
Chapter
3
Traditional Benefits of HWH (Hot Water Heat)
You may have noted that many large old homes and large buildings still have hot water heat. For a large homes and buildings it is simply easier to move water than air. This is because water can be considered an incompressible fluid – we can move it through long distances through a pipe with a little circulating pump. This is in direct opposition to moving a large volume of air which is very difficult to move over a long distance.
|[pic] |HWH provides for long heat cycles since radiators heat up slowly and ooze heat for a |
| |long time. The end result is even heat which is perfect for large drafty homes. Even |
| |heat, with long cycles, is often preferable for clients rather than the extremes of hot |
| |and cold that one gets with a forced air system. |
| |In addition, we can’t forget that HWH is also associated with good, old fashioned |
| |comfort. Imaging - mitts and socks heating on rads. |
The chart below demonstrates some general benefits of HWH in comparison to forced air systems
|HWH |Forced Air |
|Long heat cycles are created because radiators heat up |Furnace heats up the home quickly because hot air |
|slowly and ooze heat for a long time. This results in even|circulates quickly through the home. Once the thermostat |
|heat. |is satisfied the furnace shuts off until the temperature |
| |dips below the thermostat set point. In a large drafty |
| |home the furnace will cycle on and off constantly |
|Hot water pipes take up less space inside the wall than |Hot air ducts take up a considerable amount of space |
|hot air ducts |behind the walls |
|Quieter than forced air (As long as the system is set up |Has the potential of being noisy |
|and running properly) | |
|Does not circulate odors throughout the home |Odors easily travel through the ducting system |
|Good for allergy sufferers because HWH does not blow dust |The air is heated directly at the heat exchanger. Any dust|
|around the home. Dust in the air is not exposed to high |in the air is exposed directly to the hot surface of the |
|temperatures and hence does not become pyrolized (burned).|heat exchanger. This causes the dust to be pyrolized |
| |(burned) and forms smaller and lighter particles that are |
| |more of a problem for our lungs – we can’t filter these |
| |particles out |
|Easy to create more then one completely independent zone. |This is fairly difficult to create independent heating |
|A separate heating loop for a second floor with a separate|zones with forced air heat |
|thermostat is very easy to do. | |
Why Has HWH Lost Popularity?
Air conditioning has become steadily more and more popular over the years. HWH has dropped in popularity over the past thirty years mainly due to the fact that you cannot add air conditioning to the system.
|[pic] |A/C piggybacks on the forced air heating system – it uses the same ducting and air |
| |handler. If the home has hydronic heat your client will have to add an independent |
| |ducting system for the air conditioning |
Quick Comparison Chart
|Benefits of HWH |Benefits of Forced Air |
|Easily move heat through a large home |Inability to add air filtration |
|Slow even heat |More expensive system to install |
|Quiet |Boilers are more expensive than furnaces |
|Does not blow dust |Fewer models to choose from, particularly at the high |
| |efficiency end |
|Does not circulate odors |Water damage if it leaks |
.
|[pic] | |
| |Check Your Knowledge |
| |Answer the questions below in the spaces provided |
1. If your client were concerned about purchasing a home with HWH, what benefits could you list about homes that have HWH?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter
4
Chapter 4
Hydronic Makes a Comeback!
Chapter
4
Hydronic Makes a Comeback!
There are three main reasons why hydronics is becoming popular again. In no particular order they are:
• New options for air conditioning
• In-floor, hot water radiant
• More options for boilers
New Options for Air Conditioning
High Velocity Systems
High velocity systems are independent air conditioning systems. They use small diameter ducts that can easily be installed and pulled through existing wall and ceiling cavities. They are called high velocity systems because the air moves very quickly through the ducts to make up for the fact that the cross sectional area of the duct is so small. These systems are actually not new, it’s just that there are more of them because of competition. You may know this system as the ‘space pac’ system. Space Pac is a brand name.
|[pic] |Independent ducting systems are still fairly expensive but not as expensive as they were|
| |in the past. Either way, this is good to know when a client is showing resistance to |
| |buying a house just because it has hot water heat – just tell them that for $15,000 you |
| |can have a wonderful independent air conditioning system. No sense walking away from a |
| |great house just because it does not have air conditioning. Of course if the house is a |
| |mansion, it will cost a lot more than $15,000 for the system. |
How to Spot a High Velocity System
|[pic] | |
| |This image shows one of the duct outlets. You would |
| |see these mounted flush in the ceiling pouring cold |
| |air into the room. |
|[pic] | |
| |This image shows another view of a high velocity |
| |ducting system. The large pipe would run through the|
| |attic or other bulkhead. The small duct would be |
| |pulled through walls and floors to get to the |
| |individual rooms |
Other Available Options – Ductless Systems
Ductless systems are becoming more common and available. This is another option that is much less expensive than the high velocity ducting systems A unit is mounted high on the wall – often at the top of the stairs to the second floor. It is a point source of cooling but the cold air distributes fairly well if the house is not too spread out
[pic]
This image shows a ductless system unit
[pic]
This image shows a condenser. This condenser would be just like the one used in a standard central air conditioning system.
The Benefits of Ductless Systems
Ductless systems have the enormous benefit in that they save dramatically on the cost of ducting, which is very expensive. It is important to note however that cost of a ductless system itself is quite expensive – about 30% more than conventional system. In the end however it is still much less expensive than high velocity system. A small two story three bedroom can be done for approximately $3,000 +
For a two story, three bedroom home that is fairly small, a single cooling point will suffice as this would require only one cooling point or zone. For a larger home, many cooling points are required and with each zone increases the cost dramatically.
|[pic] |To increase the number of zones more than one set of refrigerant pipes is required. This|
| |is still cheaper than high velocity ducting but maybe only half the cost. The down side |
| |to this system is that your client will not get as even a cooling effect as a ducted |
| |system. For example, if your client closes the door to their bedroom at night, they |
| |smply won’t get any cold air |
In-Floor, Hot Water Radiant
In-floor hot water radian systems are becoming popular in high end homes. Hot water pipes are run inside the floor either embedded in concrete or attached to the underside of the floor. This system is known to provide the most natural and comfortable heat in a home. It works through the process of radiation or direct transfer of heat from a hot to a cold surface. Hot water running through the pipes creates a radiant heat that oozes into the space. The result – no visible heat source, nice form of heat, cozy feet.
[pic]
This diagram shows how hot water pipes are run inside the floor either embedded in concrete or attached to the underside of the floor. Hot water running through the pipes creates a radiant heat that oozes into the space. Heat is concentrated where your client “lives” - close to the ground, not stratified near the ceiling.
|[pic] |Because the heat is concentrated where your client wants it and heat is radiated to |
| |objects and people in the room. Because of this your client can achieve the same |
| |effective level of comfort with a lower ambient temperature – this means energy saving! |
More Options for Boilers
There are now more options for boilers. More models, more efficiency and lower prices means that that boilers are making somewhat of a comeback.
In the past, homeowners could only get conventional efficiency boilers (low efficiency rating). Then furnace technology took off and boilers got left in the dust. It has taken a little while but boilers are back on the map. Mid efficiency boilers are the standard now and without paying an arm and a leg. High efficiency boilers are still quit expensive because the technology required to get that last 10% to 15% efficiency out of the system.
Polaris Hot Water Heater
The Polaris system provides the best of both worlds - a hot water loop to provide heat to a forced air system. It is very flexible and can have a mixture of forced air and in- floor radiant along with forced air cooling.
The Polaris is a hot water heater however it does not heat the hot water as hot as a boiler. It is a condensing system which extracts heat from the combustion gasses by condensing the gasses to water. With this process in place the Polaris typically gets over 95% efficiency.
[pic]
This image shows a Polaris hot water heater. It is about the size of a standard hot water heater. It has the capacity in BTU’s to heat the entire house – (100,000 BTU’s or more if needed).
|[pic] |The benefits of the Polaris system are: |
| |95% efficiency |
| |One unit does both (lower cost) |
| |All the benefits of forced air |
|[pic] | |
| |Check Your Knowledge |
| |Answer the questions below in the spaces provided |
1. List the benefits of a high velocity system
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. List the benefits of a ductless system.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. List the benefits of the Polaris system.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter
5
Chapter 5
Possible Complications
Chapter
5
Possible Complications
In some cases where renovations have taken place in a home, it may become necessary to evaluate whether the HWH is an efficient means of heating the home.
[pic]
Look at the diagram above – can you spot the problem?
The Problem
This diagram shows a convector in a bathroom on the same loop as a cast iron radiator in the family room. Perhaps during a bathroom renovation, the cast iron radiator was removed and replaced with something with a lower profile – and this may have seemed to make sense at the time. The problem when the thermostat calls for heat, the bathroom heats up instantly while the family room is only just getting started. Since the thermostat is in the family room, the bathroom will continue to get warmer and warmer and uncomfortable. Once the thermostat in the family room is finally satisfied, the boiler shuts off. The cast iron radiator in the family room continues to give off heat for a long time while the bathroom gets very cold
|[pic] | |
| |Check Your Knowledge |
| |Answer the questions below in the spaces provided |
1. Why is it a problem for a home to have a radiator in the living room and a convector in the bathroom?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter
6
Chapter 6
Converting From Hydronic to Forced Air
Chapter
6
Converting from Hydronic
to Forced Air
If after all your efforts, you can’t convince your buyer that hydronic heat is not as bad as they thought, you can always remove it and replace it with hot air. For a two-story three-bedroom, single-family home it could run in the range of $15,000 to $20,000.
The conversion process will include:
• Removal of boiler and radiators
• Install ducting
• New forced air furnace
|[pic] | |
| |Check Your Knowledge |
| |Answer the questions below in the spaces provided |
1. What are the general items required for the conversion process from HWH to forced air?
a) __________________________________
b) __________________________________
c) ___________________________________
Chapter
7
Chapter 7
CEP Quiz
Quiz – Hot Water Heat
Name: ________________________
1. True or false (circle one), hydronic is another name for hot water heating
2. The purpose of the expansion tank is to (circle one)
a. to prevent pipe hammer in the system
b. to prevent the heating system from draining completely in the even of a leak.
c. to accommodate for expanding water in the system as the water heats up
d. to increase the flow volume of the water in the system
3. A hot water convector is (circle one)
a. A large cast iron heat source in each habitable room of the home
b. A compact hot water heat source that looks a lot like an electric baseboard heater
4. True or false (circle one), a home owner should adjust the heat output of a cast iron radiator by opening and closing the valve as needed.
5. In a large home, it is easier to move heat using (circle one) –
a. forced air in a duct
b. water in a pipe
6. True or false (circle one), one benefit of hot water heat is that it does not circulate odours through the house
7. All of the following are benefits of hot water heat EXCEPT (circle one) –
a. easy to add an air conditioning system ‘piggy backed’ on the hydronic system
b. does not blow dust around the house
c. the system is very quiet
d. long even heating cycle
8. True or false (circle one), it is more difficult to get even cooling with a ductless system than it is with a high velocity cooling system
9. True or false (circle one), in floor hot water radian heat is an obsolete type of heating system
10. True or false (circle one) it is not possible to get more than 90% efficiency out of a hot water heating system.
Chapter
8
Chapter 8
Presentation Evaluation
Presentation Evaluation – Hot Water Heat
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Please complete this portion:
Location: ___________________________________ Date: ________________________
Name (optional): _______________________________ License# (optional): ___________
Pillar To Post
( Pillar To Post
14502 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Suite 200,
Tampa, FL 33618
5805 Whittle Road, Suite 211
Mississauga, Ontario
L4Z 2J1
2015/04/19
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Burner
Burner
To Chimney
Circulating Pump
Water Tubes
(Hot Water Coils)
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