Columnists: Eatherton
A time for renewal at the RPA — Part 3
Editor's Note: This is Part 3 of a four part interview conducted by Mark Eatherton with the new executive director of the RPA, Ted Lowe....
A time for renewal at RPA — Part 2
Editor’s Note: This is the continuation of last month’s article, an interview with the new executive director of the RPA, Ted Lowe....
Spring … a time for renewal at RPA
I attended what is known as the annual rite of spring for hydronic heating contractors ¯ the Radiant Panel Association’s Annual Conference. ...
The world of thermal imaging - Part 3
This is the last in a series of articles on the budding technology of infrared cameras. At present, there are no less than a dozen different manufacturers of infrared camera technology. Each and every one of them offers a unique feature....
The colorful world of thermal imaging — Part 2
At the end of last month’s article, we were discussing the potential application of this technology for locating leaks below grade. That is but one of the possible applications in the HVAC field. The most obvious application is looking for energy leaks (heating or cooling) in the buildings shell and core. Again, differential in temperature is critical before attempting to look for energy leaks....
The color of heat — Part 1
Since its inception, FLIR has made huge leaps and bounds as it pertains to its potential application in the industrial and mechanical fields. Energy in general, has different “ranges” in the spectral field. They now have infrared detectors that can actually “see” gas vapors escaping into the atmosphere, making visual inspection of large mechanical complexes a virtual snap. ...
Major advances in heat pump technology — Part 2
In last month’s column, we discussed some rough basic sizing and cost information. It should be noted that drilling costs fluctuate all over the board, and in some cases where the going gets tough, it may cost upwards of three to four times the cost that I projected last month....
Major advances in heat pump technology
With ground-source heat pump technology being a central focus of the U.S. Congress, allowing a 30% tax credit for residential ground-source heat pump...
Hydronicahh everything in modulation
As we head into the chilly portions of our Colorado fall season, and eventually winter, I look forward to performing operating tests on the hydronic and...
Adventures at Hydronicahh Part 6
Near the end of last month's column, I mentioned one of the means of providing hydronic heat to the dwelling a five-stage ground source heat pump. This...
Adventures at Hydronicahh Part 5
I promised to cover the hardware details of the numerous heat sources that will be incorporated into Hydronicahh in this series of articles. I will start...
Adventures at Hydronicahh Part 4
I have often said that a radiant wall will deliver more radiant energy to a human body than will a horizontal ceiling or floor surface. Think of absorbing...
Adventures at Hydronicahh Part 3
Since radiant comfort can be delivered from any large surface area, I decided that the primary method of delivery in the existing portion of the structure...
The ultimate comfort system Part 2
What's in a name? When I decided to undertake this project, it was my goal to show other contractors and designers that it was possible, in fact feasible,...
The ultimate comfort system Part 1
Ever since I got into hydronic heating, I have had a dream to have a system that would incorporate every reasonably available method of heating as it...
Servicing high efficiency boilers Part 2
This month's column touches on an aspect of servicing high efficiency modcon boilers that many contractors don't think about the paperwork associated...
Servicing high efficiency modcon boilers
Many faithful readers of my column know that I have a modcon boiler in my home. In fact, as soon as I get done with my special project in the mountains...
Alternative energy interfaces - Part 3
There's an old proverb that my father used to say - If you don't learn something new every day, you were either not paying attention, or were gone fishing....
Alternative energy interfaces - Part 2
In last month's column, we began to address some of the common basic piping violations on primary/secondary interfaces between alternative energy systems...
Alternative energy interfaces revisited
Hydronic heating authority Mark Eatherton searches for the hydronic interface between the old and new alternative energy technologies...
The largest, greenest job I've ever done, Part 2
The residential system is laid out as 22 individual zones of heating and cooling, which is a record for our company for the most zones of heating and...
The largest, greenest job I've ever done
Our company recently set a new corporate record for the largest residential job we have ever performed. It just also happens to be the greenest job we...
The color of green, Part 4
In last month's article, I promised that we would look into the intricacies of the safety controls that are common to solid fuel-fired appliances. As...
The Color of Green, Part 3
When opportunity knocks, you should answer. We did. Early this spring, I was approached by a gentleman named Dan Bihn. Dan is into promoting the use of...
Color of Green Found in New Resource, Part 2
A search of the Internet with the key words “gasifying wood boilers” bounces back 19,800 hits. When you Google just “wood boilers,” you get about 289,000 hits, so it is apparent that this new classification of boiler is relatively new to the world market. ...
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