Hydronic Heating Systems: Design, Installation and Safety

About this course.

Hydronic heating is space heating that uses water as the medium for carrying heat around a building. A central heat source warms water, a pump circulates that heated water through a closed loop of pipes, and emitters — most commonly radiators or underfloor pipe loops — release the heat into each room before the cooled water returns to the heat source to be reheated. Because water carries heat far more effectively than air, hydronic systems deliver a steady, even and comfortable warmth, operate quietly and can heat separate parts of a building independently. These qualities make hydronic heating a popular choice in the cooler parts of Australia, where sustained winter heating is required.

The technology rests on three essential elements, and understanding them makes the whole system easy to follow. The first is the heat source, which raises the temperature of the water; this may be a gas boiler, a heat pump or another appliance, and the options are examined in Module 2. The second is the distribution circuit — the pipework, a circulating pump, valves and associated components that move the heated water from the source to the emitters and back again in a continuous, sealed loop. The third is the emitters, the devices in each room that transfer heat from the water into the space, examined in Module 3. In addition to these three, a real system includes controls, a means of accommodating the expansion of water as it heats, safety devices, and a way of adding and, where relevant, treating the water in the circuit.