Quote:
Originally Posted by AC_Hacker
As I mentioned, this presentation was about low-mass and low-temp options.
As far as I can tell, not having your wealth of experience, the high mass solutions work best for conditions where it gets cold and stays cold, with more gradual variations in heat load.
As you surely know, with low-mass emitters, the buffer tank becomes the thermal mass, and when temps change rapidly, the heating system is able to adjust to those changes.
My interest is more in ultra high efficiency (fossil fuel is not part of the picture), which would call for ultra low feed temps, so heat load reduction (massive insulation) and maximizing radiant area seem to be the answer to this. Low mass or high mass makes no difference to me personally.
There are issues with optimum flow rate and distribution optimization that I have not come to grips with yet.
BTW, I just asked him why he did give significant mention to already existing low mass high efficiency floor options in his presentation... I'll share that with you when the answer comes in.
-AC
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Oddly enough, although I like the high mass methods more, I'm not against the low mass technologies. I think they have their place with our building methods but I do think low mass users lose some of the benefits of high mass systems (which I believe are greater than the benefits of low mass systems). I have put low mass systems into places where there is a lot of solar gain like some office buildings and moved the heat generated over to the rest of the building that is in the shade.
We all know (those who have lived in a radiant house) that the radiant floor is comfortable throughout a wide range of floor surface temps (unlike scorched air, which, when it is off, you know it's off). This is easier to achieve with a high mass floor over a low mass floor which will respond more like a steel rad than a 10 ton block of concrete. The floor will only give off the heat at the rate needed and since we are seeing (at least where we live) an increasing number of blackout situations and having the built up heat in a 6" or thicker slab is very welcome.