Custom Hydronic Heating Systems: Efficient and Comfortable Solutions

Discover the Right Custom Hydronic System for You

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Custom Hydronic Systems: Expert Equipment for High-Quality Heating

The Perfect Custom Hydronic System Designed for You

At Advanced Hydronics, Inc., we custom-design every hydronic system to suit its intended environment perfectly. Our in-house design-build team develops water-based, closed-loop heating systems.

Most designs feature either a mid-80% efficiency atmospheric hot water boiler or a 96% high-efficiency modulating-condensing heat source. These systems include intelligent controls, single or variable-speed circulating pumps, pipework, valves, and all necessary peripheral equipment for a complete custom hydronic heating system.

Fully automatic controls integrate boiler burner operation with variable water temperature delivery based on outdoor conditions, ensuring reliable and efficient system operation for maximum comfort. Fuel consumption is significantly reduced by combining boiler modulation with supply water temperature resetting based on real-time outdoor conditions.

Equipment Facts

High Efficiency Equipment

For our custom hydronic systems, we have experienced great success with the Lochinvar product line. Lochinvar provides flexibility in boiler sizes to cover most applications. Our primary heat source is the Lochinvar Knight WHN series (50,000 – 399,000 BtuH), a 96% high efficiency, sealed combustion, modulating-condensing wall hung boiler. The WHN series modulates the firing rate down to 5:1 turndown (20%) of input.

When the application conditions require it, we will specify multiple mod-con boilers or select an FTXL series (399,000 – 850,000 BtuH) or the CREST boiler, which increases coverage from (750,000 – 5,000,000 BtuH – 10 sizes available) with model modulation ranges between 10:1 –25:1.

Control Logic

The Lochinvar product line features a Digital Boiler System Control that automatically adjusts blower speed and gas flow rate to modulate boiler firing rate. The fully modulating burner, made of a 439-grade stainless steel heat exchanger, provides self-cleaning as condensate washes combustion residue away, resulting in constant efficiency and reduced maintenance. This modulating capability precisely matches the boiler output to heating load requirements or DHW heating demand, enhancing efficiency and reducing cycling.

Each boiler includes an outdoor reset boiler control to monitor real-time outdoor temperatures. As outdoor temperatures decrease, water temperature increases to meet the heating load of the building or residence. Water temperatures are maintained at the lowest necessary level to meet heating demands. The system dynamically responds to changing ambient conditions until outdoor temperatures rise above the warm weather shutdown (WWSD) point.

The system will be off when WWSD occurs due to outside temperatures above 65° F. Below 60° F, the boiler supplies low-temperature water, and at 20° F and below, the boiler increases supply water temperatures.

Thermostats and zone valves operate independently to allow heat flow to individual zones. For domestic hot water production, space heating is temporarily suspended to recover the tank quickly.

DHW Indirect Tanks VS. TurboMax Reverse Indirect

The domestic hot water system consists of either a Lochinvar SIT Squire DHW indirect tank or a TurboMax reverse indirect-fired water heater. Indirect DHW tanks are heated by a boiler and prioritize domestic hot water over space heating.

Compared to a standalone gas-fired water heater, an indirect DHW tank is more efficient. It benefits from a single heat source with multiple functions and no separate tank venting requirement. Over 24-hours, a standalone gas-fired water heater loses approximately 40% of capacity directly up the flue and through standby loss. In contrast, a well-insulated indirect tank loses only 2% of capacity or, .5°F per hour, reducing energy use. Year-round utilization of the heat source and the ability to prioritize DHW demand and WWSD during warm months make this an easy choice for consumers.

Indirect Fired Water Heater Types:
Lochinvar Squire SIT: This standard indirect-fired water heater is more efficient, has a higher recovery rate, and exceeds performance compared to a standard water heater. It comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty or a 5-year warranty on commercial projects.

TurboMax T-series: This reverse indirect-fired water heater has a 99% heat transfer efficiency, low standby loss, higher recovery rate, and exceeds performance when compared to a standard water heater. It is ideal for large residential DHW demands and multi-family projects, with a 10-year warranty.

Circulating Pumps

Grundfos water-lubricated circulators are used for radiators, radiant floors, hot water baseboards, panel radiators, and domestic hot water delivery. These circulators feature quiet, maintenance-free operation, reliable long life, and built-in motor protection.

Grundfos offers multiple variable-speed wet rotor circulators, such as the residential “Alpha” and larger project “Magna,” which will reduce energy consumption compared to standard circulators. These intelligent circulators are highly efficient providing powerful, reliable, and quiet operation. They feature a large front-mounted, easy-to-read display indicating low power consumption and circulator flow, simplifying system troubleshooting.

Both models include “Auto-Adapt” to measure system demands automatically, maximizing energy savings by operating on as little as 5 watts of power consumption. The Auto-Adapt function regularly adjusts the proportional pressure and sets a more efficient performance curve whenever possible.

Multi-family and large residential installations may include an additional variable-speed system circulator, providing backup redundancy if one circulator fails during normal operation. An internal intelligent control module alternates operation between the two circulators for equal run time or shares the load between the two circulators.

Primary Equipment

Amtrol: Space heating & potable expansion tanks
Aprilaire: Humidifiers
Axiom: Condensate Neutralizer & Glycol Feeders
Buderus: Boilers & panel radiators
Centrotherm: Polypropylene venting system
Caleffi: Anti Scald Mixing Valve, Back flow preventer, Flow switch, Fill valve & Hydro-Air seperator
Danfoss: Thermostatic radiator valves (TRV)
Dianorm: Panel Radiators & Towel Warmers
Fernox: Water treatment products
Flexcon: Space heating & potable expansion tanks
Grundfos: Boiler & DHW circulators
Heat Transfer Products: Boilers & DHW tanks
Honeywell: Digital programmable thermostats, Wireless thermostats with receiver modules, Zone valves, Humidifiers
Hydrolevel: Safety & control switch
Johnson Controls: Safety & set-point controls
Lochinvar: Boilers & DHW tanks
McDonnel Miller: Safety controls
Modine: Fan coil unit heater
Myson: WHISPA Kick space heater
OCS: Cast Iron Radiators
Oventrop: Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRV)
Panasonic: Bathroom exhaust fans
ROTH: Radiant floor panel or wall panel system
Runtal: Panel Radiators and Towel Warmers
Slant/Fin: FineLine 30 residential hot water baseboard
Slant/Fin – MultiPak 80, high-output hot water baseboard
Spirotherm: Spirovent Air Elimination Device
Taco: Boiler & DHW circulators
Taco – Zone valve & switching relay controls
Tekmar: Controls
Triangle Tube: Prestige Solo / Excellence, Flat plate & pool/spa heat exchangers
TurboMax: Reverse indirect DHW tank
Turbonics: Kick space heater
Ultra-Fin: Heat transfer fins (Under-floor)
Uponor: Radiant manifolds & PEX tubing
Viessmann: Boilers & Solar thermal panels
Warmboard: Radiant Panel Floor System (Provided and installed by others)
Watts Radiant: Radiant manifolds & PEX tubing
Webstone: Circulator isolation flanges and valves
WILO: Boiler & DHW circulators

Start Your Hydronic Project Today!

Act now! Whether you’re a homeowner seeking relief or an architect designing green solutions for a new home, Advanced Hydronics are the experts to call.