Need Electronic Component Built (will pay)

C

Craig Curtin

Guest
Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
could be positiioned in/on the tank

I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump

The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)

Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
off

Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
??

All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
back to a PC system

Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
done if someone feels that they can handle it all.

Craig
 
On 4 Sep 2004 02:58:36 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
could be positiioned in/on the tank

I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump

The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)

Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
off

Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
??

All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
back to a PC system

Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
done if someone feels that they can handle it all.

Craig
PLC (programable logic controller) could do this.

A PLC connected to a computer would be nicer.
On the screen you could have graphics like this
http://www.radtel.com.au/images/screens/water_supply_diagrams/raddem07.jpg
of tanks, pipes, pumps sensors etc to monitor and control
what was happening and give you the history of what has
happened.

You could over ride whatever automatic process takes your fancy
whenever you want to play with it and make adjustments, switch
stuff on and off etc.

Regards,
John Crighton
Hornsby
 
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

[snip]

Have a look at X10 controllers. You can get all sorts of sensors and
switches, they can be given instructions using a PC and they
communicate via the existing mains wiring. The solution to your
problem will be a computer so I think it would sensible to write or
buy a program that you can change. The alternative is an embedded
computer that requires firmware changes and is probably restricted to
the applications that you can specify now.
 
Yeah - unforunately the range of X.10 controllers is very limited in
Australia - I will check and see what i can find though

Craig


David Segall <david@nowhere.net> wrote in message news:<2bqjj0hqhabr0cg5sud3ocj1krp4g5icr9@4ax.com>...
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

[snip]

Have a look at X10 controllers. You can get all sorts of sensors and
switches, they can be given instructions using a PC and they
communicate via the existing mains wiring. The solution to your
problem will be a computer so I think it would sensible to write or
buy a program that you can change. The alternative is an embedded
computer that requires firmware changes and is probably restricted to
the applications that you can specify now.
 
OK but how do i make it happen - i.e. do you know someone i could
follow up re setting up a PLC ??

Craig


john_c@tpg.com.au (John Crighton) wrote in message news:<4139b19e.21752211@News.individual.net>...
On 4 Sep 2004 02:58:36 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
could be positiioned in/on the tank

I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump

The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)

Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
off

Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
??

All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
back to a PC system

Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
done if someone feels that they can handle it all.

Craig

PLC (programable logic controller) could do this.

A PLC connected to a computer would be nicer.
On the screen you could have graphics like this
http://www.radtel.com.au/images/screens/water_supply_diagrams/raddem07.jpg
of tanks, pipes, pumps sensors etc to monitor and control
what was happening and give you the history of what has
happened.

You could over ride whatever automatic process takes your fancy
whenever you want to play with it and make adjustments, switch
stuff on and off etc.

Regards,
John Crighton
Hornsby
 
You can buy a PID controller for around $80 or so - some cheaper
on ebay,

The rest you need is just good plumbing, insulation, heaters
and most likely council approvals...

Rgds

Mike



In article <266c18c8.0409040158.c10b7a3@posting.google.com>, craig.curtin@gmail.com says...
Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
could be positiioned in/on the tank

I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump

The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)

Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
off

Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
??

All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
back to a PC system

Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
done if someone feels that they can handle it all.

Craig
 
On 4 Sep 2004 21:36:38 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

OK but how do i make it happen - i.e. do you know someone i could
follow up re setting up a PLC ??

Craig

Look in your yellow pages and talk to electricians in your
area that have experience in PLCs and industrial controls.
You will then get some clues where to buy your gear and
who could help you. ]

If you use a PLC for your project, I would imagine that
you would learn how to use it yourself and make your
own little programme. Not employ someone.
Since you are a computer man it would be dead easy for
you to pick up what is called ladder logic or relay logic.

Google ladder logic
here is a sample.
http://xtronics.com/toshiba/Ladder_logic.htm

Go to the electrical department of your local Tafe college
and ask to see a PLC and how the students learn to use
them. The teacher might have a few local contacts
that could help you.

Regards
John Crighton
Hornsby
 
On 4 Sep 2004 02:58:36 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
could be positiioned in/on the tank

I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump

The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)

Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
off

Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
??

All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
back to a PC system

Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
done if someone feels that they can handle it all.

Craig


As you are already familiar with computer systems, how about a PC
based solution using something like National Instruments
multi-function card

http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/nioc.vp?cid=14117&lang=US

They also do some software called Labview. which is a visual
programming thingy where you just use drag and drop and a minimum of
coding.

National Instruments aren't the cheapest for this sort of stuf, there
are other manufacturers.

Another option is a PLC, but by the time you have added an LCD
display, it becomes more expensinve than a PC based version.

Kevin R
 
On 4 Sep 2004 02:58:36 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

|Hi guys,
|
|I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.
|
|We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
|of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
|(basically pump hot water through a slab)
|This will be in and running for next winter.
|
|What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
|controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
|market that will do everything that i want.
|
|I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
|the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
|setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
|temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
|e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
|degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
|could be positiioned in/on the tank
|
|I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
|the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
|(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
|differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump
|
|The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
|room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
|actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
|thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
|(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
|being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)
|
|Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
|active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
|would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
|3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
|off
|
|Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
|for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
|theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
|the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
|at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
|??
|
|All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
|monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
|back to a PC system
|
|Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
|do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
|done if someone feels that they can handle it all.
|
|Craig

Differential temperature controllers are commonly used on split system
indirectly heated water heaters such as
http://www.beasley.com.au/cgi-bin/bws/page.cgi?key=8 or
http://www.edwards.com.au/pdf/GT%20Tech%20Data05-04.pdf

Maybe they can help you out.
 
"Craig Curtin" <craig.curtin@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:266c18c8.0409040158.c10b7a3@posting.google.com...
Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

Take a look at the picaxe microcontrollers, hardware lcd + a bunch of relays
and temperature devices wont be a problem. The 2K memory limit might mean
you have to be a bit careful. I just finished a motor control device using
one and got in with 4b to spare.

www.picaxe.com


Mike
 
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Yeah - unforunately the range of X.10 controllers is very limited in
Australia - I will check and see what i can find though

Craig
I just received a flyer from Anywhere Computer Accessories
(http://www.anyware.com.au/). They seem to have a good range but it
does not include a temperature sensor. They are wholesalers so you
will need to turn yourself into a retailer to buy direct. The
wholesale prices range from about $35.00 for the lamp module to
$135.00 for the Active Home Software Starter Pack.

You can obtain temperature sensors that convert their output to serial
RS232 data that can read be directly via a COM port on your computer.
Here is a $US25.00 multi-probe kit:
http://www.phanderson.com/T_kit/overview.html.


David Segall <david@nowhere.net> wrote in message news:<2bqjj0hqhabr0cg5sud3ocj1krp4g5icr9@4ax.com>...
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

[snip]

Have a look at X10 controllers. You can get all sorts of sensors and
switches, they can be given instructions using a PC and they
communicate via the existing mains wiring. The solution to your
problem will be a computer so I think it would sensible to write or
buy a program that you can change. The alternative is an embedded
computer that requires firmware changes and is probably restricted to
the applications that you can specify now.
 
I'm in the mountains up near Toowoomba and I'm heating the 1 bedroom garage
to 2 bedroom garage extension with 200 meters of plex tubing and the
combustion stove hot water system. As I use the stove at different times
each day and have a natural thermostat of how much wood I add to the system
I don't plan to add fancy thermostats and controllers, just a few
temperature probes so I can measure the temperature at a few locations. A
simple switch will be used to turn on the pump when I want it, or a simple
mechanical thermostat can control the pump relay just as well.

As my hot water storage and heater is above the floor level, the pump must
be turned on to circulate the water and cause the floor temperature to
increase. I have heard of floor coverings being damaged by excess heat, and
I'll keep an eye on it and turn it off once I get it up to the temperature I
like.........

Or, if a simple J-K thermocouple, or a simple resister bridge with a
temperature dependent resister can give a voltage output that can be
connected to a simple voltmeter that could be connected to the sound card
with a pump control relay driven by the parallel port and read under
software control, then you could have the fancy system. If you do, then I
wouldn't mind hearing about it!

There used to be ISA cards that would give you 8 analog 0-5 volt inputs and
several relay outputs and they came with a simple basic program to run them.
There might of even been a circuit idea in one of the electronic mags once
upon a time? Of course, since Pentiums and pc world obsolescence made the
ISA card as dead as the dodo, I don't know of anything on the market today.
Maybe someone can tell us both?

Hope this helps,
Peter
 
CHeers thanks John, will follow up

Craig

john_c@tpg.com.au (John Crighton) wrote in message news:<413ab257.11264455@News.individual.net>...
On 4 Sep 2004 21:36:38 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

OK but how do i make it happen - i.e. do you know someone i could
follow up re setting up a PLC ??

Craig



Look in your yellow pages and talk to electricians in your
area that have experience in PLCs and industrial controls.
You will then get some clues where to buy your gear and
who could help you. ]

If you use a PLC for your project, I would imagine that
you would learn how to use it yourself and make your
own little programme. Not employ someone.
Since you are a computer man it would be dead easy for
you to pick up what is called ladder logic or relay logic.

Google ladder logic
here is a sample.
http://xtronics.com/toshiba/Ladder_logic.htm

Go to the electrical department of your local Tafe college
and ask to see a PLC and how the students learn to use
them. The teacher might have a few local contacts
that could help you.

Regards
John Crighton
Hornsby
 
Will investigate thanks Kevin

Craig


KevinR <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:<h3klj05qfe898ufesg1nhndoom0mk7ee9q@4ax.com>...
On 4 Sep 2004 02:58:36 -0700, craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin)
wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

What i need built is essentially a fancy differential temperature
controller - as i can not find anything even remotely similar on the
market that will do everything that i want.

I will have a storage tank of hot water which i will need to monitor
the temperature of - during the day this will be heated by a solar
setup on the roof so i will need to be able to have a settable
temperature difference between the two that would control a 24v relay.
e.g. Lets say i set that i want the tank to be at a maximum of 40
degreee C. (Set point 1) So this would need one temperature probe that
could be positiioned in/on the tank

I also want to set that if the roof is 5 degrees (or more) warmer than
the tank (and the tank is not at 40 degrees) then turn on the relay
(which will activate a small circulating pump). In the event that the
differential temperature becomes less than 5 degrees turn off the pump

The system would then need to have a 2nd Set point for monitoring the
room temperature (lets say i set that to 22 degrees) ( I would
actually like a couple of these inputs (say 3) for 3 seperate
thermostats) which the system could monitor and have seperate outputs
(relay) for each one. (So i could have 3 different areas that were
being monitored and potentially running at different temperatures)

Each of these outputs would be tied into a "master" so if any were
active the master was also active - this would drive a relay which
would drive a circulating pump and finally the outputs of each of the
3 zones would then drive a solenoid for each zone that would be on or
off

Lastly a time controller that could contol the different temperatures
for potentially differnet times of the day - so for instance the Home
theatre would run at 18 degress during the day but at 5PM would raise
the temperature to 22, whereas the laundry and bathroom area would run
at 22 degrees during the day and then go down to 15 degress overnight
??

All of this would have some form of LCD interface to enable the
monitoring and setting of each of the elements (or it could interface
back to a PC system

Any ideas how i would go about this - i am not up on Electronics but
do COmputer systems for a living. I am willing to pay for this to be
done if someone feels that they can handle it all.

Craig



As you are already familiar with computer systems, how about a PC
based solution using something like National Instruments
multi-function card

http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/nioc.vp?cid=14117&lang=US

They also do some software called Labview. which is a visual
programming thingy where you just use drag and drop and a minimum of
coding.

National Instruments aren't the cheapest for this sort of stuf, there
are other manufacturers.

Another option is a PLC, but by the time you have added an LCD
display, it becomes more expensinve than a PC based version.

Kevin R
 
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

Hmmm. I don't know what research you have done on this yet, but have
you determined the heating area and volume of water you will need to
provide adequate space heating? Or are you just trying to supplement
other forms of heating with solar?

I'm going on a bit of gut feel here (not having done the calculations)
but suspect you may be surprised how much water you'll need to heat
(and area of roof needed).

There is also the issue of stuff growing in your water. Do you have a
plan for dealing with this? At temperatures even up near 50 C, you'll
have problems.

Cheers
Glenn
Glenn Pure
Canberra, Australia
Web page: http://www.evans-pure.net
 
Glenn,

Thanks for that - the solar is only supplemental heating and as i
already have it for heating my swimming pool in summer, i will
interface to it and get "free" hot water.

The main heating system will be a Gas fired boiler of some description
- this is yet to be determined as a normal boiler wants to operate in
the 60+ degree range tro reduce condensation and this is hotter than i
want to run the floor. You then get into a need to run either a 4 way
mixing valve - which does nto appear to exist in Australia or have to
get into Variable speed injection pumping which i do not want to do.

By runnign constant circulation and adding a small dose of chlorine to
the system monthly there should be no growth of algea etc

Craig


glenn*delete_this_for_reply*@evans-pure.net (Glenn Pure) wrote in message news:<413c5161.989462@news.actewagl.net.au>...
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

Hmmm. I don't know what research you have done on this yet, but have
you determined the heating area and volume of water you will need to
provide adequate space heating? Or are you just trying to supplement
other forms of heating with solar?

I'm going on a bit of gut feel here (not having done the calculations)
but suspect you may be surprised how much water you'll need to heat
(and area of roof needed).

There is also the issue of stuff growing in your water. Do you have a
plan for dealing with this? At temperatures even up near 50 C, you'll
have problems.

Cheers
Glenn
Glenn Pure
Canberra, Australia
Web page: http://www.evans-pure.net
 
Guys,

After a bit of research (all week) it appears that the PICAXE range of
PIC units are going to give me the most flexibility and bang for the
buck - i just have to learn electronics now and brush up on the old
programming skills

thanks for all the advice

Craig


craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote in message news:<266c18c8.0409062117.5e4f9e27@posting.google.com>...
Glenn,

Thanks for that - the solar is only supplemental heating and as i
already have it for heating my swimming pool in summer, i will
interface to it and get "free" hot water.

The main heating system will be a Gas fired boiler of some description
- this is yet to be determined as a normal boiler wants to operate in
the 60+ degree range tro reduce condensation and this is hotter than i
want to run the floor. You then get into a need to run either a 4 way
mixing valve - which does nto appear to exist in Australia or have to
get into Variable speed injection pumping which i do not want to do.

By runnign constant circulation and adding a small dose of chlorine to
the system monthly there should be no growth of algea etc

Craig


glenn*delete_this_for_reply*@evans-pure.net (Glenn Pure) wrote in message news:<413c5161.989462@news.actewagl.net.au>...
craig.curtin@gmail.com (Craig Curtin) wrote:

Hi guys,

I was told over in the Basic Electronics forums to come over here.

We are doing some renovations at home (Sydney Australia) and as part
of this we are going to implement a Hydronically heated floor.
(basically pump hot water through a slab)
This will be in and running for next winter.

Hmmm. I don't know what research you have done on this yet, but have
you determined the heating area and volume of water you will need to
provide adequate space heating? Or are you just trying to supplement
other forms of heating with solar?

I'm going on a bit of gut feel here (not having done the calculations)
but suspect you may be surprised how much water you'll need to heat
(and area of roof needed).

There is also the issue of stuff growing in your water. Do you have a
plan for dealing with this? At temperatures even up near 50 C, you'll
have problems.

Cheers
Glenn
Glenn Pure
Canberra, Australia
Web page: http://www.evans-pure.net
 

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