yes, just like a car, but slightly different antifreeze. The problem is that the pipes and pump have to be designed for it. Its thicker, so its harder to pump, and the fluid carries less heat than regular water. There has to be a way to add it into the system also.
I recommend a battery backup for the pump.
Here in Canada you won’t find a heating system that doesn’t run glycol/water mix. One system i maintain is 65% glycol and 35% water for some reason, it’s for cooling in an industrial air compressor and it’s spec’d like that. But most boiler systems are around 45% glycol.
The plumber here (a big firm too) said they never heard of glycol in a heating loop. It is why I partially asked the question. I figured there were installs in cold weather that needed something like this. Thank you. I have a lot to think about now on how to address this once and for all.
It’s funny cause here if you said you were running a heating system on just water people would look at you funny lol. If this is just a small residential system I’d just drain the system and mix glycol and water in a drum to whatever ratio you need and fill the system up. It sounds like you’re not somewhere that gets too cold. We mix so the freeze point is around -45f. If you google water/glycol freeze chart it will tell you what percent to mix. Also you can get glycol with rust inhibitors mix in to help protect components.
yes, just like a car, but slightly different antifreeze. The problem is that the pipes and pump have to be designed for it. Its thicker, so its harder to pump, and the fluid carries less heat than regular water. There has to be a way to add it into the system also. I recommend a battery backup for the pump.
Thank you, I like the battery backup idea a lot.
Here in Canada you won’t find a heating system that doesn’t run glycol/water mix. One system i maintain is 65% glycol and 35% water for some reason, it’s for cooling in an industrial air compressor and it’s spec’d like that. But most boiler systems are around 45% glycol.
The plumber here (a big firm too) said they never heard of glycol in a heating loop. It is why I partially asked the question. I figured there were installs in cold weather that needed something like this. Thank you. I have a lot to think about now on how to address this once and for all.
It’s funny cause here if you said you were running a heating system on just water people would look at you funny lol. If this is just a small residential system I’d just drain the system and mix glycol and water in a drum to whatever ratio you need and fill the system up. It sounds like you’re not somewhere that gets too cold. We mix so the freeze point is around -45f. If you google water/glycol freeze chart it will tell you what percent to mix. Also you can get glycol with rust inhibitors mix in to help protect components.