I started out in the business working for a manufacturers’ rep on the Isle of Long. 

Most buffer tanks used in hydronic systems are piped in a “4-pipe” configuration.

The versatility of modern hydronics technology allows designers to create systems that are “customized” to the needs — and constraints — of almost any building. 

Some hydronic system designers cling to certain system piping configurations — even when existing projects using those configurations have produced problems.

Upfront costs and energy consumption are primary drivers when selecting a commercial HVAC system in new and retrofit projects.

When troubleshooting a hydronic system, the piping layout is often confusing. To understand the system, I sometimes sketch the piping to help me visualize the flow of water. 

Anyone who says they wouldn’t change a thing on the hydronic systems they’ve designed or installed over the last decade is either so oblivious to changes in technology that they don’t know any better, so egotistical they can’t accept that improvement of their work is possible, or so foolish they don’t care what they’re missing out on.

The pool industry — or the aquatics industry as it’s referred to by insiders — shares many similarities with the hydronic heating industry. 

Whether designing a residential or commercial system, there are several lessons to be learned from Siegenthaler, a.k.a. “Siggy,” including thermal considerations, piping, heat pump technologies, panel radiators, slab heating, controls and ECM circulators in order to provide the ultimate goals: Comfort, high efficiency and a happy customer.