There are currently hundreds of options for providing this level of heat input to a system. They include a single boiler or multiple boiler system fired by gas, wood, wood/wood pellets or electricity, as well as non-combustion options such as geothermal heat pump. Of these, gas- and oil-fired boilers are still the most common.
Although air collection systems have been functioning for years, they do not represent the best currently available technology for air elimination. As one who’s been in this industry almost 30 years, I can bear witness to a transformation in which air control/elimination has moved from a “keep your fingers crossed” proposition in some situations to a relatively simple, consistent, and reliable process in well-designed modern systems.
Last
month, the author began a discussion of how tubing depth affects the thermal
performance of heated slabs by noting computer simulations that show the effect
is significant. This month he looks at bare
slabs, as well as some details for protecting tubing where it passes
beneath sawn control joints.