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Home » Authors » John Siegenthaler P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.

John Siegenthaler P.E.

John Siegenthaler, P.E., is a consulting engineer and principal of Appropriate Designs, in Holland Patent, New York. In partnership with HeatSpring, he has developed several online courses that provide in-depth design-level training in modern hydronic systems, air-to-water heat pumps and biomass boiler systems. Additional information and resources for hydronic system design are available on Siegenthaler's website at www.hydronicpros.com.

Articles

ARTICLES

heating challenges from the floor up or from the ceiling down

John Siegenthaler: Modern hydronics technology addresses heating challenges from the floor up or from the ceiling down

Room with a view
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
May 1, 2023
No Comments

Over the years I’ve had opportunities to work with several architects. They’re interesting people who have the ability to meld art with building technology. Sometimes the result is more “art,” and sometimes it’s more “building.” In either case, their designs typically get handed off to engineers with the simple request: Figure out how to heat my creation…


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Sealing the deal

John Siegenthaler: Details for venting pellet-fueled boilers

Sealing the deal
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
March 31, 2023
One Comment

Given the current upward trend and volatility of fossil fuel pricing, there’s renewed interest in heating using wood pellets. Federal incentives that currently cover 26% of some qualified equipment adds enticement toward purchasing pellet-burning stoves.


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One size larger

John Siegenthaler: Opportunities to reduce head loss

One size larger
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
March 1, 2023
No Comments

When designing hydronic circuits, most engineers focus on what’s necessary for that circuit to absorb thermal energy at a heat source, carry it along like a conveyor belt and drop it off at one or more heat emitters.


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 Soaring fuel costs

John Siegenthaler: Soaring fuel costs drive adoption of high-efficiency/low emissions wood-burning boilers

Rekindled interest
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
January 31, 2023
No Comments

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.


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PME0123-Siggy-slide1.jpg

John Siegenthaler: Modifying high-temperature distribution systems for lower-temperature operation — part two

Part two of a series
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
January 3, 2023
One Comment

As with most things hydronic, there are multiple approaches, and the “best” approach for each installation has to consider cost, aesthetics, access to the existing piping, available wall space and the goal of how the overall system will operate based on existing or newly created zones.



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Aiming lower

John Siegenthaler: Modifying high-temperature distribution systems for lower-temperature operation

Aiming lower — part one
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
December 2, 2022
No Comments

What characteristic do solar thermal collectors, hydronic heat pumps and thermal storage tanks supplied by biomass boilers have in common?


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up arrows

John Siegenthaler: DHW Trifecta

Coordinated ways to add heat to domestic water.
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
November 2, 2022
No Comments

One of the best things about hydronic heating systems is that it’s easy to integrate some method of domestic water heating. This combination has been used for decades in systems where a boiler was the sole heat source. It’s also possible when a heat pump serves as the heat source.


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piping - tubing - connector

John Siegenthaler: Hydraulic energy conservation

Don’t be wasteful.
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
October 3, 2022
No Comments

Ask a professional engineer about the energy used by the heating systems they design. Their response is almost guaranteed to apply to the “fuel” energy (e.g., natural, gas, propane, oil, pellets, etc.) used by the system’s heat source(s).


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pellet boiler

John Siegenthaler: How to add a pellet boiler to a forced-air heating system

Pellets to plenums
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
August 31, 2022
One Comment

I’ve covered pellet-fueled boiler applications in several past issues of PME. All of them have involved hydronic distribution systems. While such applications are certainly the prevailing way pellet boilers are used, they are not the only option. It’s possible to couple a pellet boiler to a forced air distribution system.


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controller that measures and responds to temperature

John Siegenthaler: Sensor placement is critical to designing successful hydronic systems

Sensible details
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John Siegenthaler P.E.
July 1, 2022
One Comment

All hydronic systems designed around renewable energy heat sources — as well as those designed around conventional boilers — have at least one controller that measures and responds to temperature. Common examples are temperature setpoint controllers, outdoor reset controllers, mixing controllers and differential temperature controllers. Complex systems that operate in multiple modes, or use multiple heat sources, often have several temperature-based controllers.


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View All Articles by John Siegenthaler P.E.
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