The CXRC1 system requires a 120v AC power connection.
The CXRC1 radiant cooling dew point
controller can be used with any brand of hydronic heat pump or other
chilled water source, to provide radiant cooling via a standard PEX or
radiant panel heating system without causing condensation issues.
About the CXRC1 dew point controller for
radiant cooling - we never expected we would build such a product. Our
focus has always been on the "supply side" and with some tanks,
ductless, and ducted fan coil units. We always considered the actual
radiant side to be a highly specialized skill set best left to the
experts, and we still feel that way.
However, the radiant industry has not moved very fast with
understanding the physics of radiant cooling technology and customers
who could benefit from radiant cooling are often left without many good
options.
Existing options from Tekmar are costly,
and cumbersome, and are not ideal for a "smart" heat pump like Chiltrix.
And any other options are very expensive and require the customer to
completely replace their existing radiant controller in order to upgrade
to cooling.
Chiltrix decided to fill that gap and
develop a very simple and low cost radiant cooling "add-on" controller
that can add radiant cooling dew point control functionality to any
standard radiant heating controller. All that needs to be replaced are
any thermostats that don't have a cooling function.
Advantages of the CXRC1 Radiant Dew Point Controller
The CXRC1 is a stand-alone radiant dew point
controller that can work with nearly all radiant heating controllers. No
need for a new radiant control system, just add the CXRC1. Works with
Chiltrix or with any chilled water source to allow radiant cooling
without condensation problems.
Advantages, Disadvantages, Tips for Radiant Cooling In General:
Radiant cooling is the most efficient and
comfortable cooling method available for customers in dry or moderate
climates where it can be used as a complete cooling solution.
Radiant cooling is not an ideal primary
cooling option for humid climates, but even in a humid climate it can be
used to augment a forced air cooling system that is short on capacity,
or to save money by performing a large percentage of the cooling as a
higher efficiency. In wet climates, radiant cooling can be used along
with fan coils or other cooling equipment, or with a dehumidifier, to
carry part of the load, dramatically increasing the EER of the overall
system.
Radiant cooling requires the addition of a
special radiant cooling controller which modulates the temperature of
the water entering the radiant system, to keep the radiant surface above
the dew point, thus preventing unwanted condensation.
Indoor air quality is vastly superior with
radiant cooling, compared to forced air cooling. That's because dust,
mites, and pollen no longer drift continuously on air and instead are
allowed to fall to the floor by gravity where they are removed with the
vacuum cleaner or other floor cleaning.
Have a room with a lot of south facing window
glass? This makes the floor in that room a magnet (an absorber) for
summer time radiant heating which then heats the room up as it emits the
radiant energy it has absorbed. Such a room may "feel" hot even when
the thermostat is satisfied. Radiant cooling in the floor of that room
can eliminate or sharply mitigate such a problem, even in a humid
climate.
Radiant cooling allows customers who already have radiant heating a
fairly simple way to add cooling to their home with minimal additional
hardware and labor cost without adding fan coil units, air handlers,
ductwork, etc.
Radiant cooling (and heating) help you gain
extra comfort and efficiency in homes with high air changes, such as
when using outside air ventilation (or, simply a leaky home). Due to
the nature of radiant cooling & heating, a vast amount of outdoor
air can be brought in while maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures.
Radiant cooling and heating both work well
from the ceiling, in fact both radiant heating and cooling can work
better from the ceiling. This may go against 100 years of radiant "floor
heating" folklore but as a matter of physics it's clear that the
ceiling works as well if not better. Radiant heating and cooling are the
result of transmission and absorption/emittance of light (photons) at a
wavelength called LWIR (long wave infra red) that cannot be seen by the
human eye. But it is still light. With that said, would you light a
room from the floor? If you have radiant in the floor, that's fine and a
proven method. For new construction, consider radiant from the ceiling.
See Fig. 4 of this document.
Radiant cooling may require a dehumidifier at
times of high humidity. A dehumidifier removes humidity as needed to
protect against EMC, mold, corrosion, and to make the home more
comfortable - this process also lowers the dew point, allowing a radiant
cooling system to operate at a lower temperature thus having more
cooling capacity. While a dehumidifier may not need to operate
frequently, in many climates it is desirable to have a dehumidifier
since for example, rainy weather can cause a spike humidity. In
general, a small dehumidifier somewhat centrally located is all that's
needed.
Here are some interesting articles on radiant heating & cooling:
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/radiant-cooling
https://www.hpacmag.com/features/radiant-cooling/
https://www.cibsejournal.com/cpd/modules/2014-11/
See Radiant Cooling White Paper
See CXRC1 Radiant Cooling Controller Manual
See CXRC1 Radiant Cooling Controller Specification Sheet
See Dew Point Relative Humidity Chart
For Radiant Calculators Click Here
Under continuing development, our radiant
calculators are not pretty but they are functional. In the radiant
heating industry you will see a lot of rule-of-thumb designs. For
radiant cooling, we stick to the science (quantum physics to be exact).
We won't bore you with a lecture on quantum mechanics, or the
Stefan-Boltzmann Law, the Planck Constant, Kirchhoff's Law of Thermal
Radiaton, or Weins Law. Rather, we offer an expanding a collection of
calculators so that you don't need to worry much about these things.
Our calculators will focus on saving a lot of time and preventing errors
when designing (and understanding) radiant cooling and, radiant
heating.
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