Cast Iron Radiator Install

Does anyone have info on installing cast iron radiators, books, websites, or personal knowledge? I would be using pex.

Is it better to try and set it up to gravity flow? I think I could do this based on the setup of my house, my current system, heat exchanger in the oil furnace duct work and modine out in the garage, thermosyphon now, so radiators should be able to also. How would that effect my garage zone being on a pump though?

Or do I set up with a single pump, and zone valves? im thinking a zone for the two bedrooms, and a zone for the living room and kitchen.

How do I set it up with the valve in the pic? is that for a gravity flow system, or a pump system? You can get the head that is automatic also, how does that work? only in a gravity system? or does the pump have to run 24/7?

Or would it be easier to just put them in the garage and plumb them in and unhook the modine?

1/2" pex will move about 15,000 BTUs/hr without issue, and should be more than adequate for your radiators.

If this was my project I would make the house one zone and the garage another. Pipe the radiators in the house off a pex manifold. For maximum comfort, install a thermostatic valve on each radiator, and use a Grundfos Alpha circulator. This setup would allow you to balance the heat room by room, and the circulator will ramp up and down based on how many valves are open or closed. Silent & steady heat.

ok thanks a lot rob, so idk if you remember, but this is how im setup right now, I have the 4 bank manifold, and am not using two of them right now, the left one is the house heat exchanger, and the right one is the garage modine, so can I just come off the third line, which is 1", to another manifold mounted remotely, and then run 1/2" pex to all radiators, with thermostatic valves on each radiator, and still use my single grundfos pump?

and shut off the feed to my house exchanger?

Rob is saying that The Alpha Pump is key to making this a success. Without it it't not so easy.

B&G makes the ecoCIRC Pump which can work also.

These pumps are very frugal on electricity (ECM motor) and are very popular in Europe with their high energy costs.

However, as an alternative there still is a adjustable variable volume mechnical valve that can compensate for these pressure fluctuations of one loop with multiple independently controlled paralleled loads. It does nothing to save any electricity, though. It's simply like a finger on the end of a hose.

ok, so I would have to isolate the radiator zone from the garage modine zone though correct? use my current grundfos pump for the garage zone, and then install this new pump on the radiator zone? I would do this with what? zone valves?

Depends what you want to do. If you decide to use a variable speed circulator for the house, I would use the current circulator for the garage modine.

Plan on moving the existing circulator to one of the branches on your manifold.

So could I also just install zone valves on my manifolds, get a zone valve controller, and put a t stat in the bedrooms, and one in the living room, and have two zones? And forget the thermostatic valves and fancy pump?

Or...
do I run 3/4" pex to all, put the old fashion radiator shut off valves on each one, and let my present t'stat command my current pump on, pumping water through all the radiators, and adjust them accordingly in each room, and when the t'stat is satisfied, let the whole system gravity flow like it does now with my heat exchanger, all radiators will be above the boiler, so it should gravity flow.

I'm wondering if I even need the pump, but I need it for the modine in the garage..

How where these installed in old homes with hot water heat with wood and coal boilers back in the day?

What are you trying to accomplish by switching to hot water radiation? Once you answer that, we can get started on the system design.

If the goal is to have STEADY heat adjusted to your liking in every room, then that will require a different approach then just slapping some radiators together with pex tubing.

"You can have it good, fast, or cheap...pick 2" really comes into play here.

Well I came into a bunch of radiators, and I did the math and I can heat my house with them, I figured it would be a much better heat, radiant and constant, unlike the forced air, and quieter.

The fancy pumps...

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Bell-Gossett-6050B2000-Cast-Iron- ... anged-AUTO

Control Mode

Auto: the ecocirc auto has a proportional pressure control which automatically adjusts the pump performance continuously to the requirements of the heating system. Based on the curve that is set on the adjustable dial. When the zone or thermostatic valve closes, the pump performance is reduced to save energy and to avoid velocity noise in the system.

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Grundfos-59896832-ALPHA-15-55-F-LC-Cast-Iron-Circulator-Pump-w-Line-Cord

Grundfos is proud to introduce the next generation of energy efficient circulators - the Grundfos ALPHA. By incorporating a permanent magnet motor design, power consumption is now reduced by 50%. The Grundfos ALPHA adapts to the variable demands of the system without sacrificing comfort. Using the AUTOADAPT feature, the Grundfos ALPHA will analyze the system and adjust to meet your heating demands.

Features:

AUTOADAPT measures system changes automatically and maximizes energy savings
Easy-to-use operation
Select a mode with the touch of a button
Easy-to-read LED display shows flow indication and power consumption
Simple plug connections
No wiring required

Skip the fancy pump and use this with a plain ole pump...

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Bell-Gossett-113247-3-4-Differential-Bypass-Valve

Description for Bell & Gossett 113247

The differential bypass valve is used in systems where heating loads may be excluded from the circuit as zone valves close. It controls the excess flow in the system by acting as a bypass while ensuring adequate flow to the remaining open circuits. The differential bypass valve helps reduce velocity noise caused by excess flow through the circuits while maintaining the pump head at a constant value.

The differential by-pass valve should be installed after the pump between the supply and return piping. It can be installed either in the horizontal or vertical position provided it is in accordance with the direction of flow as indicated by the arrow on the valve body.

so I would be simply running this type of pump 24/7?

hotblast1357 wrote:so I would be simply running this type of pump 24/7?

I'm sorry,which pump?

the variable pump.