Hot Water heat - Glycol? Other closed-system option?

LeBlanc said:

Below I've attached links to other photo's taken during previous trips. I believe one or more of the photo's will show the areas of potential concern. After viewing, please comment.

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The first three are still set to private, i think - I get a page asking Richard Leblanc to sign in. The other two work, but aren't the area of concern.

The pipe that runs straight down off of the water heater is not plugged. It is, however, too short. An inspector recommended I lengthen it and route it into the hole where the other drain is.

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Then you're okay.

The top end of that pipe, where it connects to the tank (whith the yellow paper's hanging, in your first picture on this thread) is a valve that opens automatically if the tank gets over-pressurized. Sometimes people who don't know any better block the pipe, then it's a hazard.

Ideally, a system would never need any makeup water. A boiler will not work right if it does not have the required amount of water in it at the right pressure. Too high, and it shuts down, same with too low. There are safety devices that (should) shut it down if the conditions aren't right. You have to consider if you can live with the situation where there is a small leak (or a big one) that shuts the system down because it couldn't auto-fill through the makeup supply valve because you turned off the water. If you can, then yes, it should work. Keep in mind, you are relying on the safety features to turn off the boiler. Think of a tea kettle left on the stove after it boils dry. Not a pretty picture. If you didn't drain all of the water lines in the house and prep the traps, when the boiler dies, the whole house's plumbing, toilets, washing machine, DW, and maybe frig if it has a water dispenser could be ruined.

If you leave the phone on, you could install an alarm that monitors the inside temp and maybe a water sensor to detect spills and it could call you or a monitoring company if something went wrong.

There is nothing better than someone checking the place on a regular basis, though.

Do you have some reason to believe there is a leak? With the makeup water turned off, does the pressure in the system drop over time?

If there is not a leak it is not "dependant" on the well. In a closed hydronic system thre is really nowhere for water to go. The only way you will need more water is if a pressure/temp protection valve opens. If that happens you have other problems and this should never occur. You might get very small losses from the gadgets the remove air. But I don't think that would be measurable.

Hot Water Heat

Again, thanks for the suggestions from everyone. I'm now considering a new option involving a retrofit to forced-air natural gas.

The hot water heat system does not appear to have any leaks, and while there yesterday I bled every bleeder screw at each location. I found no air in the system and believe it is leak-free.

However, I am still not comfortable unplugging the well pump, because it MAY need to draw water at some point. In addition, I just don't like the thought of leaving my well plugged in for the whole winter while the house is unoccupied.

Since we expect to spend only a few days there each winter, and since I do not like to pay for heat when I can't enjoy it, I am considering a new furnace. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

I've seen the new flexible ductwork and it seems to be easy enough for a mechanical person to work with. The house is 1450 square feet and a new furnace seems reasonably priced.

The ductwork would be placed in the attic (unless the crawl space is preferred), and there are no known obstructions. Any thoughts? I'd really be interested to know if this is a project beyond the ability of most laypersons.

If I do it, we'll have a used 3-year old hot water furnace / boiler system for sale in mid-Michigan next spring.

Thanks.

Richard

LeBlanc said:

I've seen the new flexible ductwork and it seems to be easy enough for a mechanical person to work with. The house is 1450 square feet and a new furnace seems reasonably priced.

The ductwork would be placed in the attic (unless the crawl space is preferred), and there are no known obstructions. Any thoughts? I'd really be interested to know if this is a project beyond the ability of most laypersons.

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The flex ducts are pretty ineficient, because the irregular surface interferes with airflow somewhat...

Having said that, I see them used a lot, on AC systems on the island, because they transport a lot easier (everything on the island comes in by ferry), and it's a lot cheaper/faster. For vacation houses, they're pretty typical.

They're pretty easy to use.

For heating, I think there's a certain distance from the furnace that has to be rigid duct... but I'm not sure. Probably somebody here will know.

If the ducts are only for heating, running them in the crawlspace may be preferable...the heat rises. Trying to push it down from above can leave you with cold feet and a hot head. if you want to consider a/c, then it's preferable to have them in the ceiling for the same reasons...the cold air falling is much more comfortable.

We stayed with HW Heat

It's been a while since I viewed this post. In retrospect, I am so glad we kept the hot water heat.

If I were to build a house, it would have that type of heat over conventional forced air. Clean, quiet, stable temperatures, etc, everything is great.

Thanks for the wonderful advice within this forum.

Richard