HVAC vs. Radiator
Seeking advice about HVAC vs RADIATOR heat for a center slope 3-story brick renovation. Looking to cut costs as we review contractor bids, one of the items in our plan is new duct work for HVAC: 2 heating/cooling zones (2-family), shared ducts and equipment for air conditioning and humidified forced hot air heat. We really…
Seeking advice about HVAC vs RADIATOR heat for a center slope 3-story brick renovation. Looking to cut costs as we review contractor bids, one of the items in our plan is new duct work for HVAC: 2 heating/cooling zones (2-family), shared ducts and equipment for air conditioning and humidified forced hot air heat. We really love this idea, but our budget is calling for cuts. We feel its a real value to have the system put in, less for the AC and more for the humidified hot air. (I’ve visions of waking up with a crusty nose to refill the bowls of water on the radiators, not to mention the ear plugs I will need to shroud the deafening whistle and knocking when the heat kicks on) What do others advise? One idea is to install AC but leave radiators for heat, which to me seems like a job half-done.
There are so many unknown variables. Do you trust your engineer? I dont like forced air in homes with big staircases as the heat just goes right up stairs. Is this a gut reno? It sounds like you have a steam boiler. You can get rid of the banging by checking the pitch of your pipes and radiators. I have friends who did a gut reno with heat/ac in the same duct system. What they did on the ground floor is more interesting. They used radiant heat in the floor… that works so well they have never used the forced air heat on the second floor!
I got a/c, but left the radiators…I was never bothered with the lack of humidity. Keep in mind it’s a lot harder to change your mind later..