Greg wrote:
> I am very late to this discussion, but the idea above is one I've been
trying
> to work out for some time. A masonry heater that also provides the
radiant flor
> heat, moving warm liquid into other parts of the house where the benefits
and
> mass of the masonry heater itself would't reach.
It does sound promising, doesn't it. Moving warm air is another
possibility. See below.
> Of course, this would have to include infloor tubing and some kind of a
pump,
> so the complexity factor does go up.
Possible, but that's what I'd like to avoid if it can be done. See below.
> Im not sure what you mean by thermosymphone.
Perhaps my bad spelling - and I even have spell check : ) It's
thermosyphon, I believe. I guess it comes from thermo as in heat, and
syphon as in natural movement of fluid. What it really means takes a brief
description. First remember that heat rises. Now picture a pot of boiling
water with the hottest water rising in the middle of the pot and the
relatively cooler water falling down the sides creating a rolling motion in
the pot. Now imagine a vertical loop of pipe or tubing filled with water.
If you heat one side of the loop, the water on that side will rise toward
the top. This pushes the water on the other side of the loop down. If one
side is constantly heated, and some heat is given off at the top or other
side, then the water in the loop will be circulating. That is called
thermospyhoning.
I think this is an exciting idea. We are using it now in our heating
system. The hot water from our water heater rises from the top of the tank
to the heat exchanger for the floor tubing; it cools and returns to the
bottom of the tank. Except for the rare high heat demand on very cold
days, the thermosyphon does the job, saving on some amount of electricity.
When it is not enough a circulating pump speeds up the circulation to
provide more heat to the exchanger.
The radiant system we put in my grandmother's bathroom is even more
elegant. Her water heater is in her basement (basements are not common
around here) so the hot water naturally rises up into the tubing in her
bathroom floor, cools and returns to the bottom of the tank. No pumps, no
thermostats, simple. Unfortunately, it is not approved by our county codes
since this uses domestic water in the floor tubing. A simple gate valve,
accessible from the bathroom, is used to adjust the amount of flow, and
therefore the amount of heat, to the bathroom floor.
It gets better! If the heat for the hot water came from the sun or a wood
stove, the whole system could be very simple and potentially sustainable.
No electricity, no mechanical devices, few and simple materials, etc. I
picture a solar collector below the floor level (+2 feet), possibly in a
green house or solar room. Nick's solar closet might fit in here (thanks
Jeff). I can also picture living above a greenhouse with a massive floor
in between that soaks up and slowly gives off the greenhouse heat to the
home above. (I know, the massive elevated floor might be tricky.)
Greg mentioned the combination of the masonry heater with radiant floors.
If the stove were below floor level the heat could rise up into the floor
naturally, whether by water or air. Air could allow you to avoid the
tubing, with air channels in the mass instead. And the thermosyphon could
allow you to avoid the pumps. For people in the solarly challenge parts of
the world, this may have some possibilities.
If these ideas trigger any brilliant ideas, let me know. I feel there is
some great potential stuff in there.
