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Home » Topics » Columnists » John Siegenthaler

John Siegenthaler
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John Siegenthaler gives a technical view of solar thermal systems.

ARTICLES

 Soaring fuel costs

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

Rekindled interest
Siegenthaler
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
Siegenthaler
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
Siegenthaler
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.
Siegenthaler
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.
Siegenthaler
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
Siegenthaler
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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Numbers inform design

John Siegenthaler: System designs need numbers to guide decisions

Numbers inform design
August 1, 2022
No Comments

I’ve written several “Heating with Renewable Energy ”columns covering the benefits of combining modern hydronics technology with modern air-to-water heat pumps.


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controller that measures and responds to temperature

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

Sensible details
Siegenthaler
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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Heating, cooling and DHW from a single system
RENEWABLE HEATING DESIGN

John Siegenthaler: Heating, cooling and DHW from a single system

Three from one
Siegenthaler
John Siegenthaler P.E.
June 1, 2022
No Comments

As global energy planning moves away from fossil fuels and toward electricity, an increasing number of hydronic heating systems are being supplied by heat pumps. Some use water-to-water heat pumps supplied by geothermal earth loops. Others use air-to-water heat pumps.


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Maintaining constant circulation in heated floor slabs is key

John Siegenthaler: Maintaining constant circulation in heated floor slabs is key

Keep it flowing
Siegenthaler
John Siegenthaler P.E.
May 3, 2022
No Comments

Heated floor slabs, without floor coverings, have one of the lowest supply water temperature requirements of any radiant panel system. This makes them well-suited for use with renewable energy heat sources such as air-to-water heat pumps, water-to-water geothermal heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal collectors.


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More Articles Tagged with 'John Siegenthaler'
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