It doesn't take long for someone new to the hydronic heating trade to discover the versatility and benefits of zoning. If that person came from the forced-air side of the fence, they'll likely be amazed at how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to create a residential heating system with six or more zones. When the system is properly designed and installed, they'll also find it operates in a very “well-behaved” manner. No whistling registers or “dump zones” to be found.
Hydronic heating lends itself to several methods of zoning. The two most common approaches in North America use two-way zone valves or zone circulators. Both have been around for several decades, and both are predicated on the idea that stopping heat flow to a zone requires stopping flow through that zone.