Forray into thermal hydronic heat.

[madosta]

One of my projects over the winter will be looking into radiant/thermal heating my house and my garage. I am in the early stages of research and design and looking for some "aha" moments or "gotchas" that others have had.

My system would ideally look like something like this.

1. Radiant below floor retrofit panels/fins/greenhouse delta-fins.
2. Wood stove in garage with heating coil
3. Pump in garage
4. Heat exchanger to pex feed to house
5. Some sort of heat storage cask (cast iron insulated tank) - so I can get heat after the boiler burns out for when I wake up in the morning.
6. Supplemental solar collection grid.
7. Auto fuel dispenser to fire box.

-

This might become my build log or it may just die off. Thinking out loud, and any feedback is great!

Solar Tanks
http://www.altestore.com/store/Sola...lement/p198/?gclid=CPC-7trl-7ICFQuk4Aodq0AADQ

 

[lzenglish]

I'm not sure of everything you want on your list, but here is a basic list of things! First off, you should "NEVER" pay "Retail for anything", unless you absolutly have too! Beg borow and scrounge up your parts, if you can. If you pay retail for a system, you will be pushing up daisies and will still owe on it.

You will need a good multi funtion temperature differentional controller! When I bought mine, they sold for 500 bucks, but I got mine for 50 bucks used, and it still works great.

You will need one or more good solar storage tanks, the bigger the better, and the more insulated the better. I got mine from an apartment complex for 100 bucks, for 3 tanks, hardly used.

Start scrounging up some hard drawn 3/4 inch copper piping, a drain down valve, thermometers, with wells, inline gpm flow meters, to control your flow.

At least 4 good 4'x10' solar panels, with vacum breakers. (The More the Merrier) A drain down valve if you are putting together an open loop system, which I recommend.

A good multi pass stainless steel fire box coil!

As far as your auto feed stove, the only ones I'm familliar with are commercial, and of course the residential pellet stove, which will not put out enough heat for you.

Keep in mind, that from what your want list says, this system will only preheat, or temper your supply water. You can rest asured it will allieve all your domestic hot water needs, but heating your house is another story. You will need a primary heat source to begin with, be it a gas, or wood fired boiler, etc. let me/us know if you have more specific questions, in terms of brands, liike AO smith, grunfoss, watts, taylor, etc, etc.! Good Luck!

Wayne