Radiant heat question

[maytagman]

Hello,
I am installing a central boiler 5036 next week and I have a forced air furnace and radiant heat in my basement floor. I currently heat the radiant floor with a regular gas water heater. I am wondering what the best way to hook up the wood boiler to the radiant floor would be. I am leaning towards the way the diagrams on the central boiler site show, but most people I have talked to say to use a plate heat exchanger. I have heard that these tend to plug with lime, which is why I planned on using a side arm exchanger for the domestic hot water. Any opinions or links to diagrams would be appreciated.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

What is your BTU load of the radiant? If you use a plate-type HX, put a Y-strainer before the inlet on your supply line. Choose your mixing valve wisely too!

 

[Paso One]

Is the gas water heater currently dedicated to your radiant floor???

If it is I think I would hook one of the lines from your OWB manifold to the gas water heaters inlet.

I have a shop 18 x 24 attached to a larger shop that I heat with two electric water heaters via radiant floor heating.

In your case the gas water heater will likly never come on which is good.

 

[abohac]

Water heater.

Was your water heater used soley for the radiat heat? I ran four lines into my house (two supply and two return). One supply goes directly to a large plate heat exchanger for my potable water (I'm assuming you know how that hook-up goes). Then, after the boiler water exits the plate exchanger that water goes to my forced air furnances and then to my garage floor and returns to the boiler. The other supply goes to three different manifold for different floor heat loops in my house (basement floor, and any harwood or tiled floor areas). Let me know if you want a picture of the manifolds.

 

[maytagman]

The water heater is dedicated to the in floor heat. I was wondering if I could just put a side arm heat exchanger on the heater and leave the rest of the setup alone, but I don't know how fast the recovery is with a side arm setup.
I have heard of problems with the plate exchangers plugging up so I am leary of those.

 

[abohac]

The water heater is dedicated to the in floor heat. I was wondering if I could just put a side arm heat exchanger on the heater and leave the rest of the setup alone, but I don't know how fast the recovery is with a side arm setup.
I have heard of problems with the plate exchangers plugging up so I am leary of those.

I have not had any problems with mine but I do think they could plug.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

I don't see why that wouldn't work.....