Let's chat Boilers.

sumx54

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Messages
5,479
Reaction score
5,702
Location
Rocky Mountain House
Website
www.absoluteadventure.ca
How are you guys heating your slabs? What type of boilers are you using. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm looking for a system that will heat a 1700sq/ft floor. I'd also want a fan coil for my furnace and possibly a Domestic Hot Water coil tank? I won't have a chimney so a Condensing system it is. Seems to be so many different opinions from the plumbing shops. I'm on a budget too :( Also has anyone ever heard of the furnace/boiler harming the concrete septic system because of the acidity of the condensation dumping into your system? Thanks for any help.
 

sledderdoc

Super Senior Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
15,161
Reaction score
850
Location
Wabamun
How are you guys heating your slabs? What type of boilers are you using. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm looking for a system that will heat a 1700sq/ft floor. I'd also want a fan coil for my furnace and possibly a Domestic Hot Water coil tank? I won't have a chimney so a Condensing system it is. Seems to be so many different opinions from the plumbing shops. I'm on a budget too :( Also has anyone ever heard of the furnace/boiler harming the concrete septic system because of the acidity of the condensation dumping into your system? Thanks for any help.

I heated an 800 sq ft pad using a oversized hot water tank which also supplied the hot water for the house. Used a closed glycol system no issues. Water heater was biggest expense.
 

kidder17

Active VIP Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
484
Reaction score
613
Location
Saskatoon
Budget- Lochinvar Cadet Boiler
otherwise look at the Lochinvar Knight boiler.

100,000 Btu's would be all you need.

I always recommend using a neutralizer for the Condensate. Check out Axiom Industries in Saskatoon for their Neutrapal.
 
Last edited:

gforce

Active VIP Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
4,776
Reaction score
728
Location
ANTLER LAKE
my company sell boilers...just let me know what yer looking for and i can hook you up!..we are frontier plumbing and heating supplies
 

Caper11

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,604
Reaction score
18,822
Location
Edson,Alberta
100000btu for a 1700 sq ft pad?? Seems a bit overkill. Mine is only a 50000 and heats more sq footage than that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bhowes

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
916
Reaction score
380
Location
calgary ab
depending your your construction and floor coverings you will need approx 20 btu/sq ft 20x1700 = 34,000 btu stand alone for the slab plus your domestic hot water and fan coil 100,000 way to big and a condensing boiler will never condense at that load waste of money
 

sumx54

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Messages
5,479
Reaction score
5,702
Location
Rocky Mountain House
Website
www.absoluteadventure.ca
depending your your construction and floor coverings you will need approx 20 btu/sq ft 20x1700 = 34,000 btu stand alone for the slab plus your domestic hot water and fan coil 100,000 way to big and a condensing boiler will never condense at that load waste of money

Please explain further.... I want an 80 gallon indirect hot water tank, and two zones in my basement. I think I've decided to not go with the fan coin in the furnace rather than just a stand alone HE furnace for backup. (Upstairs) 80'000 btu. The hot water tank I want to go with is a HE 80 gallon (indirect). I'm looking for a quality boiler that will meet my needs. I also want the option to tie in Solar as needed.
 

kidder17

Active VIP Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
484
Reaction score
613
Location
Saskatoon
20,000-100,000btu modulating is perfect because of your domestic requirement. 80 gal indirect tank. Is 100,000 way to much for your slab.......yup, but that's the beauty of being able to modulate down to 20,000, or anywhere in between.

Would I look at or consider down sizing to a 70 or 80,000 btu model.......maybe, but only after calculating an actual heat load calculation based off actual plans. I certainly would not throw out a estimated load based upon a guestimated BTU/ft2. Any qualified radiant design tech should be able to do this for you. The domestic requirement also needs to be considered. If you are looking at doing Any type of custom shower configuration I would being going to the 100,000 btu model if using the 80 gal tank.

As for condensing the boiler......... Any properly designed infloor system that is returning 85f or 90f degree water to the boiler, it is going to condense lots. Any return water that is below dewpoint( approx 120f depending on your location) will cause any appliance to condense.



Tapatalk HD for IPAD
 
Last edited:

rsaint

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
1,086
Location
Whitecourt
Go with a Navien combo boiler does domesic hot water and infloor with its own circ pump in it put one in the kids garage no problem with showering and washing clothes it was 2200 for the unit. Im sure there are other combo units that could be cheaper. It was a 240model i think.
 

Caper11

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
9,604
Reaction score
18,822
Location
Edson,Alberta
Isn't it now against code to use a hot water tank for infloor heating?. If yah had a tank before I was told it needed to be upgraded to a boiler.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

08arcticcat

Active VIP Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
Messages
173
Reaction score
290
Location
red deer
I believe a tank may still be used if its tied to a bathroom. a hwt for a slab only is against code.
 

Teth-Air

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2008
Messages
3,781
Reaction score
8,073
Location
Calgary/Nelson
How are you guys heating your slabs? What type of boilers are you using. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm looking for a system that will heat a 1700sq/ft floor. I'd also want a fan coil for my furnace and possibly a Domestic Hot Water coil tank? I won't have a chimney so a Condensing system it is. Seems to be so many different opinions from the plumbing shops. I'm on a budget too :( Also has anyone ever heard of the furnace/boiler harming the concrete septic system because of the acidity of the condensation dumping into your system? Thanks for any help.

We sell the condensate neutralizing tanks if you need one. That said there is very little condensate and I can't see it harming the concrete. I will say though that you should properly degrease the hydronic heating system and use a good corrosion inhibitor to protect your boiler and other metal components. Even if you are using glycol (antifreeze) This is my main line of work so if you have questions please ask.
 

raceu4it

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
1,123
Reaction score
1,646
Location
dewinton
I have a 200000 btu trinity boiler system heating a 5000 sq ft slab with snowmobiles as a insulating cover on the concrete surface.
 

bhowes

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
916
Reaction score
380
Location
calgary ab
have been teaching hydronic radiant design for 13 yrs now at sait and 20 btus per sq was a guestimate bassed on info supplied in thread send me a pm and i will give you a break down on how to size correctly am also a former director of the alberta hydronics advissory commitee and a current canadian hydronics council member preety sure im qualified
 
Last edited:

kidder17

Active VIP Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
484
Reaction score
613
Location
Saskatoon
have been teaching hydronic radiant design for 13 yrs now at sait and 20 btus per sq was a guestimate bassed on info supplied in thread send me a pm and i will give you a break down on how to size correctly am also a former director of the alberta hydronics advissory commitee and a current canadian hydronics council member preety sure im qualified

Not doubting your qualifications, but what size boiler would you go with if the domestic load required an 80 gal indirect storage tank? Just curious.
 

bhowes

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
916
Reaction score
380
Location
calgary ab
I actually would go with a vido dense ( viesssman)or an maybe an ICB if you had modulating technology say from 30,000 to 85/ 100,000 btu it would only ramp up on design days and on domestic demand but like I said pm me I enjoy the design work and I never charge for advice
 

bhowes

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
916
Reaction score
380
Location
calgary ab
I have a 200000 btu trinity boiler system heating a 5000 sq ft slab with snowmobiles as a insulating cover on the concrete surface.
Polaris has way to high of an r value you need to fill that shop with doos then you could run that slab cooler wasn't really watching the threads much since the last time we talked are you the new prez....?..?
 

renegade x

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2006
Messages
628
Reaction score
134
Location
leduc ab
Contact Nortec Plumbing and Heating in Edmonton they just upgraded my system to a ICB it was that or a Viesman pros and Cons to each. There all junk nowadays, the days of getting 25 years out of your heating system are long gone.
 

S.W.A.T.

Active VIP Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
4,493
Reaction score
7,846
Location
Smithers
Just bought a empyre/pro-fab pro series 400. Shop, house and garage will be heating 10000 sq/ft. Hopefully it all goes according to plan.
 
Top Bottom