[Hans Blom, 960923]
(20 Sep 96, David Wolsk):
Years ago, my uncle Jiggers, invented and started manufacturing
(Heat Timer Corp, in N.J.) a system that we have in our home: Its
an electric hot water furnace (quite small) that connects with
baseboard hot water radiators. There is a sensor mounted on the
outside of the house. When the outside temperature is cold, the
circulating water is quite hot; for warmer days, it's lukewarm. It
incorporates the standard inside thermostat that we set according to
our own desires. Jiggers made a lot of money since it saved much in
the heating bills for New York City apartment buildings and we have
been happy here for 22 years of troublefree temperature control of
our house. I have no idea if this is what Hans was describing.
Much the same, although I have just an outside temperature sensor,
not a room thermostat. The general idea is the same: "When the
outside temperature is cold, the circulating water is quite hot; for
warmer days, it's lukewarm." A natural gas burner heats circulating
water, which is distributed to all the rooms of the house, which have
water filled radiators. The general idea is to compensate the heat
energy lost to the environment with a heat energy produced by burning
gas. Energy loss depends on the sensed outside temperature, but a
funny thing about the sensor is that it also reacts to wind speed.
The gas burner is not just an on/off thing; the flame height can be
modulated from about 1/3 maximum to maximum. With a varying wind, you
can actually see (or hear) a varying flame height. One way to do this
would be to force a large enough current through the sensor, which
slightly heats it. Varying wind speeds will then provide more or less
cooling, and thus a different sensed "temperature" -- much like in a
wet-bulb thermometer.
I'll try to find additional details. My heating system has been in
use for some ten years now, so I don't know whether the same model is
still manufactured.
Greetings,
Hans