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Posted by HeatPro on July 15, 2007 at 13:40:53:
In Reply to: circulators vs zone control flow posted by Doug on July 15, 2007 at 12:49:06:
Usually such discussions occur because there is insufficient education about control strategies. As it makes no sense to get a Hummer if the only use you get out of it (other than imagery) is to go a block to get a haircut, likewise, it makes no sense to have many circulators that can each handle 100,000 btuh (10 gpm @ 20f drop) in a home that has a 90,000 btuh heatloss. You can use one circulator with several zone valves to divide the flow from one circulator to each zone as needed. When the required water flow of the home from the boiler exceeds the amount the circulator can handle, then is the time to install another (each one also requiring a relay). It is much easier and less expensive to use a zone control relay box than to line wire circulators.
The usual reason that people use much more machinery than needed is 'to make sure' when there isn't enough realization of what is 'enough,' thus a home can become an over engineered, redundant but cost and energy inefficient Stonehenge.