Hot Water Heating: Things I wish Homeowners Knew

Here are three things I wish more homeowners knew about hot water heating:

1. You can do more things with it than just heating.  If you have a boiler, you have the easy option to do many other things, such as snowmelt, hot tubs, towel warmers, etc.
2. Hot water tanks are the least efficient way to heat
3. You can zone your house much better with hot water heating than forced air.  This allows you to change the heating in your individual rooms to suit the use you put them to.

 And here's three things I wish more homeowners would do with any contractor:

1. Ask for a portfolio.  If you really want to get a good contractor, you should be able to see what kind of work he does.
2. Get everything in writing, especially any additions or changes.
3. Get a quote for everything.

Life of a Hydronic Designer

Plans, plans, and more plans. 

Plumbers (Heating Contractors) bring in house plans, and I do material takeoffs from their square footages and other features.  Basically, I figure out what sections of the floor will be heated with infloor hot water radiant pipe, and which areas are off limits or unheated.  I then perform a heat loss calculation on the heated room areas, complete with window and door details (I hate it when architects omit window dimensions on the floor plans).  I then often do infloor pipe layouts (yes, I draw all the pipe as it should be installed in the floor), and complete a package that the contractor can submit to the city to draw his permit.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Hydronic Help website.

Hydronics is hot water heating, to the layperson.

Yes, hydronics is a niche market in North America.  However, you'll be hearing more about it as gas prices rise and homeowners find new ways to add comfort to their homes, and efficiency to their rental properties.