Mastering Hydronic System Design

This course is self-paced, so you don’t need to be logged in at any specific time. You can get started immediately after you enroll and the course materials will remain in your account with minimum guaranteed access for 12 months (1 year) after enrollment.

This week we'll provide a course overview and review the benefits of hydronic heating, including: superior comfort, ability to zone, low distribution energy use, minimally invasive installation. I'll discuss why we might opt for water versus air, and where the most common mistakes are made by hydronic designers.

In this module we'll lay a foundation and explore the characteristics of various heating sources. Topics include: Conventional boilers (efficiency and boiler protection), Mod/con boilers, Electric boilers (when are they applicable?), Hydronic heat pump characteristics, Capacity & COP versus operating temperatures, Solar thermal collectors (design considerations, practical combisystems), and General heat source design considerations (head loss, buffering, protection against temperature extremes, and safety).

Good designers need to know the resources available to them. In the context of hydronics, there are thousands of available options for piping, fittings, and valves. This module discusses specific types of pipe and fittings that are appropriate for hydronic systems. It also covers both standard and specialized valves use in hydronic systems. Design tips are provided that help you avoid selection and placement errors. The knowledge this module provides on the "building blocks" will be used to assemble complete systems in later modules.

This week has a lot of content about the nature of fluid flow through piping. These are the building blocks of the calculations we'll be funning in subsequent modules.

In this module you'll learn: Common types of circulators (PSC, ECM), Review of circulation performance (pump curve), Design techniques to avoid circulation cavitation, Hydraulic separation, Applying variable speed circulators (constant and proportional delta P control), and Circulator selection.

Heat emitters and the distribution systems that feed them are at the heart of hydronic design. In this module you'll learn to master low temperature heat emitter options: Panel radiators, Radiant floors, Radiant ceilings and walls, Homerun distribution systems, 2-pipe distribution systems.

Heat emitters and the distribution systems that feed them are at the heart of hydronic design. In this module you'll learn to master low temperature heat emitter options: Panel radiators, Radiant floors, Radiant ceilings and walls, Homerun distribution systems, 2-pipe distribution systems.

Controls are critical to overall system efficiency. This week we'll discuss: Control terminology, Temperature setpoint control, Differential temperature control, Outdoor reset control, Mixing strategies (3-way and 4-way motorized valves, and injection mixing), and Using relays and switches to create logic.

This week we will go through a complete system design for a basic residential system using panel radiators, indirect water heater, mod/con boiler, buffer tank. Schematics, calculations, layout, controls.

This week we will look at a more advanced system from start to finish for a residential system with radiant ceilings supplied from a geothermal heat pump, inputs for solar thermal collectors, auxiliary boiler. Schematics, calculations, layout, controls. You will see how all the previous materials covered in the course come together to produce an efficient design.

This is our last module but you still have access to the all of course materials for 12 months (1 year), so keep working and you'll be able to complete the course at your own pace. After your year of access expires you can optionally extend access with a HeatSpring Membership. Enjoy the course and keep in touch!