Most hydronic systems have the boiler running up to 180° F with water returning from the system at 160°. This rarely happens in real life, but it’s the traditional way we do things.
In larger domestic hot water applications, we often see centralized water heating lineups with or without storage tank equipment to produce and distribute domestic hot water inside buildings and facilities. I often see these more robust systems in healthcare projects, numerous hospitality (hotel) projects as well as some multifamily installations when energy metering is not required for hot water serving the units (apartments).
Codes and standards are intended to provide a minimum level of protection of the public’s health, safety and welfare. And, generally, these documents accomplish that intended purpose in the urban/metropolitan areas of the United States. However, that may not be accurate when one gets into the rural or more isolated areas of the country.
Happy 2023, PM Engineer readers! Thank you for spending this part of your day with me as I discuss topics in compliance. Let me introduce myself. I, Misty Guard, am a policy wonk, bibliophile, gastronome, musicophile, techie nerd and scotch whiskey aficionado.
In 2012 the price of #2 fuel oil in upstate New York was approaching a previously unheard of $4 per gallon. This spurred many pending heating system projects to consider the use of cordwood or wood pellets.
I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and welcomed the new year with family and friends. I always love the blank slate a new year brings, and 2023 is chock-full of new opportunities in the plumbing and HVAC industry.
The processes and systems in place for designing and installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems have largely remained the same for decades. Sure, there have been many improvements, from CAD and Revit to press fittings, and hundreds of innovations and systemic improvements.
If you’re my age, you’ll remember Chubby Checker singing the Limbo song. If you’re wondering who and what that is, check out the link. I found myself thinking of that song and how low can you go when reviewing some flat panel radiator pictures.
Many of the topics I have discussed in my column to this point have been about temperature considerations within the supply and return system based on recommendations in the community and right-sizing domestic water piping to reduce the overall volume of water in the building’s piping system.