What's New
NEW PUBLICATION Radiant Precision 2nd edition
After months of work, the second edition of RADIANT PRECISION has just arrived.
The first edition of Radiant Precision was published in 2002, and served as the training manual for many advanced hydronic radiant panel heating seminars since that time.
A lot has changed in those five years. New concepts such as hydraulic separation, variable speed circulators for automatic pressure regulation, active solar heating and Internet-accessible control systems were virtually absent from the North American radiant panel market in 2002, but are now quickly gaining acceptance and soon will be "the norm" in hydronic system design. These contemporary concepts are each discussed in detail in the second edition.
Other changes include the addition of a step-by-step procedure for designing multiple circuit radiant panel systems. This procedure can be the basis of manual calculations or used as the algorithm for a spreadsheet.
The piping schematics in the second edition have been extensively revised to show the best current practices. Furthermore, they are all in full color to aid the reader in "seeing" the temperatures in various parts of the system.
A section on specialty applications has been added to discuss concepts such as buffer tanks, geothermal/radiant systems, and even a revised method of sizing expansion tanks for low temperature radiant panel systems.
The second edition also includes appendices that cover topics frequently referenced as part of routine system design. These include the use of switches, relays and ladder diagrams, as well as procedures for calculating the relationship between flow rate and head loss in a variety of hydronic circuits.
Although the second edition includes many new topics, it doesn't abandon the "classics," such as sizing and configuration of mixing assemblies, boiler protection and the underlying theory of outdoor reset control. These are fundamental topics that any competent radiant heating professional must understand and properly apply.
This edition also comes to you in FULL COLOR.
If you're looking for advanced, up-to-date, and generic design information on hydronic radiant panel heating this publication is the place you'll find it.
Purchase this publication through the e-store link.
NEW BOOK: Planning and Installing Solar Thermal Systems
I've been looking for a good, up-to-date technical book on designing and installing active solar energy systems for at least 3 years. This summer at the American Solar Energy Association Conference in Cleveland I came across this title, and found exactly what I'd been searching for.
This book is not about the altruistic, political, or socio-economic impact of solar energy systems. It goes immediately to the technical core of how active solar thermal systems should be designed and covers a wide spectrum of hardware. Beautifully illustrated in full color, this book is published in the UK. Although it's written in English, it does use metric unit throughout. I found it covers methods of system design currently used in Europe where solar energy use is growing very quickly. These methods are sure to follow into the North American market as interest in solar energy usage continues to increase .
Trust me, it will take you quite a while to read through this 300 page book. It's packed with information and very well organized. The artwork is superb, and conducive to quickly understanding concepts such as thermal stratification, heat exchanger performance, and how collector mounting systems can be adapted to different roof styles. It's obvious that hundreds of hours went into the artwork alone.
If you're interested in adding solar to you repertoire of hydronic heating skills this is a great book to go through. It will without a doubt influence the choice of materials and methods you'll eventually choose to work with. This is not a cheap book intended for average consumers. It's a comprehensive technical reference you'll refer to many times, and it's worth every penny of its price.
New Website feature - Current Projects
We've redesigned our website and now have a new area to showcase current hydronic system designs. It's called "Current Projects." Just click on this title on the left menu and take a look at our projects. More will be added in the near future.
HYTECH Heating has a new website
My friend and fellow hydronics professional Harvey Youker has recently been developing a website for his company - Hytech Heating. It contains some interesting comparisons and photos of radiant done right with radiant done wrong. Take a look at the case studies for some state-of-the-art installations.
Check it out.
