Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikesolar
You said:
"For instance, it seems to me that a ceiling-emitter system would face a higher temperature due to stratification, which would result in the need for greater delta-T to drive heat into the room. So this might be seen as a less desirable configuration, given the design goal."
Therefore I thought that your question had something to do with some previous topic. Perhaps you were just using it as a way to illustrate your question and he responded to that alone.
|
You know, I just discovered something...
The title of the Heatspring Webinar was, "Low Temperature Heat Emitter Options"
The title of the Diluth presentation I linked to was, "Low Mass Hydronic Emitters"
They were both the same talks... maybe the guy is just skating by.
Did you actually go through the slides that I linked to? I think that if you looked at the slides (beginning with slide 31 or 32) you'll see that floors were not the deluxe topic.
I was surprised that he didn't spend a great amount of time talking about the design of a high-performance floor. That was what I was expecting to encounter, and that is why I signed up for the webinar.
He did talk a bit about high-mass floors (like concrete & gypcrete), but he very quickly switched to the problems of high-mass floors when the heating demand for a house changes a lot. Then he went on to high-performance radiators (all European & low mass), and how radiant walls & ceilings avoid the decor problems of radiant floors (thick rugs, etc).
Near the end, he did show an example of a concrete floor, and what to avoid if you want to go with lower-feed temps (tubes in the center of the slab, good insulation under, minimize edge contact with cold foundation, etc).
Again, I wish I could post the audio, and you could step through the slides. A lot was in the audio.
As an aside, I do have to say that the discussion setup, in terms of the software, etc. that we have here at EcoRenovator, is so far superior to what they had at this Heatspring place, that it is like leaving a Mercedes, and climbing into a Yugo... we got it good here.
But, there was one person's follow-up after the presentation, that raised the question (as I did later) about temperature stratification, and delta-T and inefficiency, that could result from a ceiling heating setup. And JS really didn't pay it that much attention... pretty much said it works fine.
That was part of the reason that I inserted that issue into my question, to make sure that I understood. I mean, I have, on several occasions, measured the temperatures in various rooms in my house, and I can clearly see that temperature stratification happens, and that a higher feed temp should be required to drive heat into the room, if the surface is warmer... it's physics.
So there it was, and if somebody comes up with a way, the audio could be yours to hear.
* * *
I am beginning to think that he does get 'sponsored' by various manufacturers of hydronics products. If this is true, it could strongly shape what he says. I mean somebody did mention Warmboard, and he seemed to be only slightly aware of it.. he knew it was covered with .032" aluminum, used 1/2" PEX that was 12" on center... that's it. But the expensive European low mass radiators, got a detailed description, with cut-away Thermal Image photos, etc.
-AC