About this course
Learn how to design state-of-the-art systems for residential and light commercial buildings that deliver unsurpassed comfort, efficiency and reliability.
Textbook - "Modern Hydronic Heating" (Not Included)
You'll need access to a copy of John's "Modern Hydronic Heating" textbook for this course, any version of this book is okay and there are many copies available on Amazon at low cost.
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Learning Objectives
- Learn the design elements underlying modern hydronic heating systems.
- Master design concepts and design tools for optimizing hydronic heating systems in a variety of contemporary applications.
This course is included in this bundle
Course outline
12 modules • 119 assignments • 27:27 hours of video lectures
Welcome • 4 assignments
Orientation Materials
- Download the Software: Hydronics Design Studio 2.0 (Trial Version)
- Textbook Options (.pdf)
- Set up email notifications and your student profile
- Introduce yourself on the discussion board
Module 1 • 8 assignments
Welcome & Fundamentals
- Welcome to Class & Introduction (25:08 minutes)
- What you're going to learn + my philosophy of radiant design (26:01 minutes)
- The benefits of hydronic systems (28:08 minutes)
- Why I think this class is important (15:38 minutes) Preview
- Read Chapter 1 in the textbook
- OPTIONAL: Visit www.pmmag.com to view archives and related content
- WEEK 1 HOMEWORK: Chapter 1 Exercises 1-10 (.DOC) (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 1 Homework (.pdf)
Module 2 • 10 assignments
Hydronic Heat Sources
- Introduction to Hydronic Heat Sources (41:26 minutes)
- Modulating / Condensing Boilers (27:58 minutes)
- Heat Pumps (30:27 minutes)
- Solar Thermal Collectors (36:38 minutes)
- Wood-fired & Pellet-fired Boilers (32:19 minutes)
- Read Chapter 3 in the textbook
- RESOURCE: Download and read issues 9 & 10 of Caleffi's 'Idronics'
- WEEK 2 HOMEWORK: Chapter 3 Exercises 5-15 (.DOC) (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 2 Homework (don't cheat yourself by looking at this before you do the assignment) (.pdf)
- Extra Homework
Module 3 • 11 assignments
Pipes, Fittings, and Valves
- Introduction to Pipes, Fittings, Valves (40:59 minutes)
- Fittings (10:38 minutes)
- Pipe Expansion (12:03 minutes)
- Valves (14:57 minutes)
- Specialty Valves used in Hydronic Systems (12:21 minutes) Preview
- More Specialty Valves, including Zone Valves (39:49 minutes)
- Valve and fitting information from Nibco
- Valve and fitting information from RWV
- Read Chapter 5 in the textbook
- WEEK 3 HOMEWORK: Chapter 5 Exercises 1-10 (.DOC) (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 3 Homework (don't cheat yourself by looking at this before you do the assignment) (.pdf)
Module 4 • 11 assignments
Fluid Flow Through Piping
- Properties of water (43:29 minutes)
- Read Chapter 4 in the textbook
- Introduction to fluid flow through piping (16:54 minutes)
- Static pressure in hydronic systems (15:50 minutes)
- Calculating head loss (33:04 minutes)
- Hydraulic resistance (21:24 minutes)
- Operating cost of a hydronic circuit (11:23 minutes)
- Read Chapter 6 in the textbook
- Software demo - so you can start getting comfortable using it (24:41 minutes)
- WEEK 4 HOMEWORK: Chapter 6 Exercises 1-5, 15, 16 (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 4 Homework (don't cheat yourself by looking at this before you do the assignment) (.pdf)
Module 5 • 13 assignments
Circulators
- Wet rotor circulators (23:46 minutes)
- 'Head' within the context of circulators (28:21 minutes)
- ECM Circulators (14:32 minutes)
- How programming of ECM circulators allows for valve-based zoning (24:11 minutes)
- Circulator efficiency (12:05 minutes)
- Cavitation (18:22 minutes)
- Hydraulic Separation (56:23 minutes)
- Note
- WATCH: Caleffi animated video
- Read
- WEEK 5 HOMEWORK: Chapter 7 Exercises 1-9 (.doc)
- WEEK 5 HOMEWORK: Chapter 7 Exercises 1-9 (PDF) (.pdf)
- Solutions for Week 5 Homework (don't cheat yourself by looking at this before you do the assignment) (.pdf)
Module 6 • 8 assignments
Expansion Tanks & Air Elimination
- Expansion of Water (17:48 minutes)
- Sizing diaphragm type expansion tanks (25:16 minutes)
- Placement of expansion tanks within the system (12:45 minutes)
- Air removal devices (28:44 minutes)
- Dirt separating devices (28:07 minutes)
- Read
- WEEK 6 HOMEWORK: Chapter 12 Exercises 3-10 (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 6 homework (don't cheat yourself my looking at this before you do the assignment) (.pdf)
Module 7 • 12 assignments
Heat Emitters
- Baseboard (52:32 minutes)
- Panel Radiators (19:12 minutes)
- Fan-coils (23:58 minutes)
- Slab-on-grade floor heating (51:21 minutes)
- Thin-slab floor heating (18:25 minutes)
- Above floor tube & plate system (22:23 minutes)
- Is radiant floor heating always the answer? (13:40 minutes)
- Site built radiant ceilings (27:32 minutes)
- Thermal equilibrium (18:02 minutes)
- Read Chapter 8 in the textbook
- WEEK 7 HOMEWORK: Chapter 8 Exercises 1-5 (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 7 homework (.pdf)
Module 8 • 12 assignments
Control Concepts and Hardware
- Closed loop control systems and control concepts (56:44 minutes)
- Controller output signals (22:12 minutes)
- Regulating output of heat emitters (34:22 minutes)
- Controlling heat output using flow rate (09:53 minutes)
- Switches and relays (37:53 minutes)
- Hydronic zoning controls (32:58 minutes)
- Other common controllers (23:29 minutes)
- A survey of mixing methods (44:09 minutes)
- Read Chapter 9 in the textbook
- WEEK 8 HOMEWORK: Chapter 9 Exercises
- WEEK 8 HOMEWORK: Chapter 9 Exercises (.doc file) (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 8 Homework (.pdf)
Module 9 • 10 assignments
Distribution Systems
- Series distribution systems (11:22 minutes)
- Single circuit / mult-zone systems (27:59 minutes)
- Parallel / direct return piping (11:07 minutes)
- Homerun distribution systems (16:01 minutes)
- Primary / secondary piping (17:20 minutes)
- Hydraulic separation (12:13 minutes)
- Read Chapter 11 in the textbook
- WEEK 9 HOMEWORK: Chapter 11 Exercises 1-10
- Week 9 HOMEWORK: Chapter 11 Exercises 1-10 (.doc file) (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 9 Homework (.pdf)
Module 10 • 15 assignments
System Examples
- Single thermal mass-combi systems (20:54 minutes)
- Hydronic-based on-demand domestic water heating (51:01 minutes)
- BTU metering (32:12 minutes)
- Example System #1 (21:53 minutes)
- Example System #2 (26:34 minutes)
- Example System #3 (08:30 minutes)
- Example System #4 (30:13 minutes)
- PDF: Example System #4 (.pdf)
- Read Chapter 14 in the textbook
- WEEK 10 HOMEWORK: Chapter 14 Exercises 1-7
- WEEK 10 HOMEWORK: Chapter 14 Exercises 1-7 (.doc file) (.doc)
- Solutions for Week 10 Homework (.pdf)
- PDF: Details of Example Systems (.pdf)
- Take the final quiz and earn a passing score
- Answer Key, Formulas and Solutions - final quiz (don't cheat yourself) (.pdf)
Conclusion • 5 assignments
Feedback and Additional Resources
- LinkedIn: Mastering Hydronic System Design Alumni Group
- 1 Year of Access to Course Materials
- Feedback: 2-minute Exit Survey
- Consider Joining as a HeatSpring Member
- Certificate of Completion: Request a Certificate
Instructor
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John Siegenthaler, P.E., is a mechanical engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a licensed professional engineer, and Professor Emeritus of Engineering Technology at Mohawk Valley Community College. “Siggy” has over 40 years of experience in designing modern hydronic systems. He is a hall-of-fame member of the Radiant Panel Association, and a... Learn more
Frequently asked questions
How does this course work?
How long do I have access to the materials?
After this course would I be able to do a heat loss calculation determine BTU, GPM, flow rates, proper delta T, size of piping, size of pump? Also do you go over how to use a heat load program?
We do encourage students taking the course to use the hydronics design studio demo version software which does have a heat load module within it.
We do focus on flow rates, pump sizing, delta T, and other hydronic specific subjects in the course.