An installer is asked to pipe up two larger commercial air handlers supplied by a dual boiler sub-system. The building owner wants to make it possible to supply either air handler from either boiler. Can you spot some shortcomings and suggest a better way to accomplish the same objectives?
The installer is tasked with setting up a three-zone radiant floor heating system using a 5-ton geothermal heat pump and a mod/con boiler, connected through a primary-secondary system with closely spaced tees. The system includes 4 earth loops of 1” HDPE tubing, each 500 feet long, supplying the heat pump, and features underfloor tubing with aluminum plates.
A hydronics newbie decides that he can eliminate the temperature drop effect by putting all three supply-side tees upstream of all three return-side tees. If you don’t think it will work, what would you do to change it?
An installer is asked to replace two aging cast-iron boilers with two mod/con boilers, but reuse as much of the existing distribution system as possible. Can you spot several details, omissions or other quirks that will lead to problems over the life of this system?
