Slant/Fin Hydronic Explorer 2 User manual

Slant/Fin

Hydronic Explorer 2

User Manual

Slant/Fin Corporation

100 Forest Drive

Greenvale, NY 11548

(516) 484-2600

www.slantfin.com

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION NOTICE

This document contains information proprietary to Slant/Fin Corporation. All

rights are reserved.

No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, processed or recorded

by any means or form, electronic, mechanical, photographic or otherwise, nor be

released to any third party without the express written consent of Slant/Fin

Corporation.

Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, and the Acrobat logo are trademarks of Adobe Systems.

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Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1

USING HYDRONIC EXPLORER 2 .....................................................................................................1

INSTALLING HYDRONIC EXPLORER 2.............................................................................................1

STARTING HYDRONIC EXPLORER 2 ...........................................................3

OPENING THE MAIN MENU ............................................................................................................3

HEAT LOSS EXPRESS........................................................................................5

PURPOSE........................................................................................................................................5

HEAT LOSS EXPRESS .....................................................................................................................5

Menu Bar..................................................................................................................................6

Toolbar.....................................................................................................................................6

Data Entry Area .......................................................................................................................7

PERFORMING HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS.....................................................................................8

Adding a Room.........................................................................................................................9

Adding a Floor .........................................................................................................................9

Entering Room Data...............................................................................................................10

EDITING AND DELETING ..............................................................................................................13

Jobs ........................................................................................................................................13

Rooms.....................................................................................................................................14

Floors .....................................................................................................................................14

Room Data .............................................................................................................................15

SELECTING BASEBOARD ..............................................................................................................15

SELECTING RADIANT TUBING......................................................................................................16

Description of the Radiant Tubing Screen .............................................................................16

Calculating Radiant Tubing Requirements ............................................................................19

PRINTING A HARDCOPY ...............................................................................................................22

EXPORTING AND IMPORTING DATA FILES ...................................................................................22

Exporting Data Files..............................................................................................................22

Import Data Files...................................................................................................................23

SELECTING A BOILER....................................................................................25

FINDING THE RIGHT BOILER ........................................................................................................25

Heat Load is Known...............................................................................................................25

Calculated Heat Load ............................................................................................................25

Boiler Selection ......................................................................................................................26

GENERATING A PROPOSAL...........................................................................................................30

VIEWING PRODUCT INFORMATION .........................................................32

OBTAINING PRODUCT DATA ........................................................................................................32

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Table of Contents

QUICK ANSWERS .............................................................................................33

PURPOSE ......................................................................................................................................33

How do I create, edit, or delete a job? ...................................................................................33

How do I add, edit, or delete a floor in my heat loss calculations? .......................................34

How do I add, edit, or delete a room in my heat loss calculations?.......................................34

One of my entries for heat loss calculations is incorrect. How do I change it? .....................35

How do I save my work? ........................................................................................................35

How can I transfer job data files from my laptop to my PC?.................................................35

Can I transfer job data files using “copy and paste” or “drag and drop”?..........................35

How do I export job data files? ..............................................................................................36

How do I import job data files?..............................................................................................36

How do I select the right boiler for a job? .............................................................................36

How do I select baseboard? ..................................................................................................36

How do I select radiant tubing? .............................................................................................37

How can I view Slant/Fin’s product literature? .....................................................................37

How can I get a hard copy of Slant/Fin’s product literature? ...............................................37

What is Adobe Acrobat Reader, and how can I get it?...........................................................37

iv Slant/Fin Corporation

Hydronic Explorer User 2 Manual

Introduction

Slant/Fin’s Hydronic Explorer 2 performs fast and accurate heat loss calculations and helps you select the

right boiler, baseboard, and radiant heating components for each job. It is easy to use, and, whether the

job is to provide heating for a single room or for a multilevel structure, the procedure is always the same:

you simply enter the required data for each room, and Hydronic Explorer 2 does the rest.

To further help you in selecting the right equipment, Slant/Fin’s Hydronic Explorer 2 allows you to view

product literature on boilers, baseboard, and radiant tubing with the simple click of your mouse button.

Using Hydronic Explorer 2

Hydronic Explorer 2 requires little computer experience. If you already know how to use a keyboard and

mouse, you are well on your way. If necessary, refer to your computer manual for instructions on how to

operate these devices.

Installing Hydronic Explorer 2

Hydronic Explorer 2 is intended for use on a personal computer using Microsoft Windows. To install, do

the following:

1. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. After agreeing to the

terms of use of the software, the Install screen will

automatically appear with Hydronic Explorer 2 Program

already selected. You may also select the product literature

and technical publication files if you wish to install them on

your computer (recommended).

2. Click the Install button. The software will be installed in the

folder shown and the Slant/Fin Hydronic Explorer 2 icon will

appear on your desktop.

Install Screen

Slant/Fin Corporation 1

Introduction

Select Directory

Note: If you want to install to a different path, simply

type in the new path in the Installation Folder box in

the Main Menu. Alternatively, click on the open folder

icon to display the Select Directory dialog box. Select

the drive and the path in the Drives and Directories

boxes and click OK.. Otherwise, simply use the

default setting.

If the Install screen fails to appear after inserting the CD into your CD-ROM drive, do the following:

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar, then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type the drive letter of your CD-ROM followed by a colon and a backslash, then

“setup.exe” (omit the quotation marks). For example, if the drive letter for your CD-ROM is D, you

would type: D:\setup.exe.

3. Click OK. When the Install screen appears, click Install.

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Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

Starting Hydronic

Explorer 2

Opening the Main Menu

You can start Hydronic Explorer 2 by double-clicking on the Slant/Fin Hydronic Explorer 2 icon on your

desktop, or you can do the following:

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar, and then point

to Programs.

•

2. Point to Slant/Fin and click on Hydronic Explorer 2.

The Main Menu screen is displayed allowing you to

choose the following:

Heat Loss Express – opens the Heat Loss Express

screen. This allows you calculate the heat loss of

individual rooms, floors, and the entire structure and

continues to help you select boiler, baseboard, and

radiant heating products.

Main Menu

Boiler Selector – allows you to select a Slant/Fin boiler if you already know the heat loss.

Product Literature – allows you to view product pages for boilers, baseboard, and radiant tubing.

Technical Publications – provide installation and service information for Slant/Fin boilers.

You can also search for available updates and automatically install them via your internet connection by

clicking on Check for updates on top of the main menu.

To exit Hydronic Explorer 2, click the X in upper right corner of the screen.

Each of the selections is discussed in the following sections of this manual.

Slant/Fin Corporation 3

Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

Heat Loss Express

Purpose

The primary objective of Hydronic Explorer 2 is to help you design a heating system that will provide the

required heating comfort for a specific job. The first step towards this goal is to determine the structure’s

heat loss (Btu/hour). Construction, outside temperature, and indoor temperature are significant factors in

this calculation. The second step is selecting the proper boiler and radiation that will compensate for the

heat loss and maintain the indoor temperature at the required level.

Heat Loss Express

The Heat Loss Express screen is your main work area. It is divided into three sections: the menu bar, the

toolbar, and the Data Entry Area. You choose commands from the menu bar or the toolbar, and you enter

room data in the Data Entry Area. This area also displays the heat loss calculations based on your data

and helps you select the proper heating equipment.

A

ll Rooms Select Boile

r

Radiant Options

Single Room Print Help Exit

Menu Ba

r

Toolbar

Data Entry Area

Heat Loss Express Screen

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Heat Loss Express

To open the Heat Loss Express screen, do the following:

1. Double-click on the Slant/Fin Hydronic Explorer 2 icon on your desktop. The Main Menu screen is

displayed.

2. Click on Heat Loss Express. The Heat Loss Express screen appears.

Note: The first time you open Hydronic Explorer 2, an introductory screen is displayed. You can check

the box on the bottom of the screen to prevent it from displaying again. Click the X in the upper right

corner to proceed to the Main Menu.

The following describes the Heat Loss Express screen’s menu bar, toolbar, and Data Entry Area:

Menu Bar

The following menus are available in the menu bar:

File – allows you to exit the program. •

•

Jobs – allows you to create new jobs, make corrections by editing existing jobs, delete a job, import

job data, and export job data.

Rooms – allows you to create new rooms, change the room name, or delete a room.

Floors – allows you to create new floors, change the floor name, or delete a floor.

Print – allows you to obtain a hardcopy printout of your work.

Data Entry Mode – when you select All Rooms, you view all the rooms of a selected floor at the same

time. When you select Single Room, the Single Room screen is displayed allowing you view one room

at a time.

Help – opens a menu where you can either open the Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual (this

document) for information to help you run the Hydronic Explorer 2 programs, or if you are connected

to the Internet, access the Hydronic Explorer 2 website located at www.slantfin.com/he2

. The user’s

manual is a pdf format document, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing or printing.

Toolbar

You can choose commands more quickly by simply clicking on the appropriate icon in the toolbar.

To add a job, room, or floor, click on the plus (+) icon. •

•

To edit a job, room, or floor, click on the pencil icon.

To delete a job, room, or floor, click on the minus (-) icon.

All Rooms button (Data Entry Mode) – displays all of the rooms of a selected floor at the same time.

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Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

• Single Room button (Data Entry Mode) – displays the Single Room screen.

Select Boiler button – Displays heat loss calculations for each room based on your entries. This is

followed by the Boiler Selection screen, which will help you select the right boiler for your job. See

the Selecting a Boiler section in this manual for additional instructions.

•

Print button – click to obtain a hardcopy printout of your work.

Radiant Options button – click to display the Radiant Options Components screen that allows you to

construct a list of Slant/Fin Terra Therma components. See Selecting Radiant Tubing.

Help button – opens a menu where you can either open the Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual (this

document) for information to help you run the Hydronic Explorer 2 programs, or if you are connected

to the Internet, access the Hydronic Explorer 2 website located at www.slantfin.com/he2

. The user’s

manual is a pdf format document, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing or printing.

Exit button – click to return to the Main Menu. •

Data Entry Area

The Data Entry Area is where you will be entering the required data for each room. As you do this, the

heat loss calculations will be continuously updated, and the lower portion of the screen will show the

baseboard requirements for each room for Fine/Line 15, Fine/Line 30, Multi/Pak 80, Base/Line 70,

Base/Line 2000, and Rhino-Cast. You can also determine radiant tubing requirements. This is discussed

in Selecting Radiant Tubing.

Note: Unlike other programs you may have used, this program does not require you to save your work.

All entries are automatically saved by the system. Should you make an error, you can always edit it or

delete it. These procedures are described in more detail later in the manual.

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Heat Loss Express

Performing Heat Loss Calculations

When working on a new project, the first step is to create a new job as follows:

1. In the Heat Loss Express toolbar, click on the plus (+) icon in

Jobs. The Units of Measure dialog box is displayed. U.S.

Standard is automatically selected.

Units of Measure

2. Keep U.S. Standard or click on S.I. Metric. Click OK. The

Create New Job screen is displayed.

Create New Job Screen

Note the following:

Indoor Temp.is the minimum indoor temperature (

o

F) to be maintained by the heating system. •

• You must determine the correct Outdoor Temp. (

o

F) and Altitude (Ft.) for use in boiler selection

for the job’s geographical location. Outdoor design temperature data is available from the

Hydronic Institute Division of GAMA in their H-22 Heat Loss Guide. Visit the I=B=R

publications page on their website at http://www.gamanet.org/publist/hydroordr.htm

to order a

copy of H-22.

The system will automatically enter 180 (

o

F) as the default value for System Design Water

Temp. This can be changed if required.

•

New Room Screen

3. Enter all of the required data then click OK. The New Room

screen is displayed.

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Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

4. Enter the name of the room on the 1

st

floor (i.e., kitchen, den, etc.) and click OK. The Heat Loss

Express screen will show three columns:

Room Column – this will have the name of the room you just identified, and where you will be

entering room-data.

•

1

st

Floor Totals – as you add more rooms to this floor, this column will automatically show the

total for the entire floor.

JOB TOTALS – this column shows the total of all the rooms on all floors.

As you add more rooms to the floor, the number of columns will increase.

Adding a Room

To add more rooms to an existing floor, do the following:

1. Make certain that Heat Loss Express is showing the correct floor. To change floors, go to the toolbar

and click the down-arrow in Floors. Select the correct floor in the pull-down menu.

2. Click on the plus (+) icon in Rooms. The New Room screen is displayed.

3. Enter the name of the room and click OK. The Heat Loss Express screen will show an additional

column for the new room.

Adding a Floor

To add more floors, do the following:

1. Click on the plus (+) icon in Floors. The Create New Floor screen

is displayed.

Create New Floor Screen

2. Enter the name of the new floor and click OK. The New Room

screen is displayed.

3. Enter the name of the room and click OK. The Heat Loss Express

screen will show the new floor and room.

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Heat Loss Express

Entering Room Data

Starting with a specific job, select a floor and enter the required data for each room (each room has its

own column). When you have completed all of the rooms, select another floor and repeat the procedure

until you have provided data for all of the rooms in the structure. As you enter data, the heat loss and the

required length (in feet) of Fine/Line 15, Fine/Line 30, Multi/Pak 80, Base/Line 70, Base/Line 2000 and

Rhino-Cast baseboard will be continually updated for each room, floor, and the entire job.

To enter data, select a room and do the following:

1. Place the cursor at the top of a column and enter the proper value.

2. Move the cursor down to the next cell and repeat. You can use your mouse, the arrow keys or tab key

on your keyboard to move around in the Heat Loss Express screen.

If you wish to display one room at a time, you can click on the

Single Room button in Data Entry Mode on the toolbar. The Single

Room screen will be displayed. To switch back to the “see all

rooms” mode, click the All Rooms icon.

A

ll

Rooms

Single

Room

Multi/Single Room

Single Room Screen

10 Slant/Fin Corporation

Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

You can enter data into all cells by typing in the proper values. In some cells, the system helps you make

the necessary calculations or presents you with options then automatically enters the values for you. A

calculator icon or down-arrow is displayed when you click in one of these cells.

Room Height, Room Length, and Room Width

Click in each cell and enter the values. All dimensions are in feet.

Door & Glass (sq ft)

Click inside the cell. A calculator icon is displayed (only when All

Rooms is selected in the Data Entry Mode). When you click on the

icon, the Door and Glass dialog box is displayed. Enter the height and

width in inches for all of the windows in the room the click OK.

Door & Glass (sq. ft.)

Note: You enter the height and width in inches, but the Heat Loss

Express screen shows the total in square feet.

Alternatively, you can enter the total square feet of windows and doors

directly in the Door & Glass cell.

Door & Glass Factor

Click inside the cell. A down-arrow is displayed. Click on the arrow and select

one of the items shown. The value is automatically inserted.

Exposed Wall Length

Determine the total length of all walls in the room that are exposed to the outdoors and enter the total (in

lineal feet) in this cell.

Exposed Wall Factor

Click inside the cell. A down-arrow is displayed. Do the following:

1. If you know the factor, you can enter it into the cell; otherwise, click on the down-arrow. The Wall

Factor pull-down menu is displayed. You are provided with a number of options that refer to the

general type of construction.

2. Move your mouse pointer to the proper option.

You will be presented with additional options that

are related to the amount of insulation. In most

cases, selecting the option with the correct

insulation is satisfactory. Click on an option to

select it or point to More Options under the

Slant/Fin Corporation 11

Wall Factor Options

Heat Loss Express

proper insulation thickness to obtain more precise values.

Cold Partition Length

Determine the length of each wall in the room that is exposed to adjoining unheated areas of the building

and enter the total (in feet).

Cold Partition Factor

Click inside the cell. A down-arrow is displayed. Click on the arrow

and select one of the options shown. The proper value is automatically

inserted. You can enter a factor, if different from those presented,

directly in the cell.

Cold Partition Factor

Ceiling Factor, Floor Factor, and Infiltration Factor

Click inside each cell. A down-arrow is displayed. Do the following:

1. If you know the factor, you can enter it into the cell; otherwise, click on the down-arrow. The factor

options are displayed.

2. Use your mouse to point to one of the options. You will be presented with additional options. Repeat

until you find the correct factor and click on it. The proper value will be entered in the Heat Loss

Express screen. The figures below show examples of finding ceiling, floor, and infiltration factors.

Ceiling Factor

Floor Factor

12 Slant/Fin Corporation

Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

Infiltration Factor

Editing and Deleting

You can edit or delete data in Heat Loss Express using the following procedures:

Jobs

To make corrections to the job description:

1. Move your mouse pointer to Jobs in the toolbar and click on the down-arrow. A pull-down menu

displays all of the jobs.

2. Select the job you want to edit then click on the pencil icon. The Edit Job Information screen is

displayed showing all of the job data. It is the same as the Create New Job screen.

3. Make the necessary corrections and click OK.

To delete a job:

1. Move your mouse pointer to Jobs in the toolbar and click on the down-arrow. A pull-down menu

displays all of the jobs.

Confirmation Screen

2. Select a job and click on the minus (-) icon. A

confirmation screen is displayed.

3. Click OK. The job is deleted.

Slant/Fin Corporation 13

Heat Loss Express

Rooms

To rename a room:

1. Move your mouse pointer to Rooms in the toolbar and click on the down-arrow. A pull-down menu

displays all of the rooms.

2. Select a room and click on the pencil icon. The Edit Room Name screen is displayed. It is similar to

the New Room screen.

3. Enter the new name and click OK.

To delete a room:

1. Move your mouse pointer to Rooms in the toolbar and click on the down-arrow. A pull-down menu

displays all of the rooms.

2. Select a room and click on the minus (-) icon. A

confirmation screen is displayed.

3. Click OK. The room is deleted.

Confirmation Screen

Floors

To rename a floor:

1. Move your mouse pointer to Floors in the toolbar and click on the down-arrow. A pull-down menu

displays all of the floors.

2. Select a floor and click on the pencil icon. The Edit Floor Name screen is displayed. It is similar to

the Create New Floor screen.

3. Enter the new name and click OK.

To delete a floor:

1. Move your mouse pointer to Floors in the toolbar and click on the down-arrow. A pull-down menu

displays all of the floors.

Confirmation Screen

2. Select a floor and click on the minus (-) icon. A

confirmation screen is displayed.

3. Click OK. The floor is deleted.

14 Slant/Fin Corporation

Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual

Room Data

To change data that you entered for a specific room, use the mouse to highlight the existing data inside

the cell and type in the new data.

Selecting Baseboard

Once you have entered the data for all of the rooms, you can proceed with selecting the proper baseboard.

The Heat Loss Express screen shows the required length (in feet) for Fine/Line 15, Fine/Line 30,

Multi/Pak 80, Base/Line 70, Base/Line 2000, and Rhino-Cast baseboards for each room. To select

baseboard, do the following:

1. For each room, click in the ft. selected cell (displaying a red 0.0) of the desired baseboard. A down-

arrow will appear.

2. Click on the down-arrow. The Select Baseboard screen is displayed. It shows:

a. The room for which you are selecting baseboard.

b. The type of baseboard you selected.

c. The length of baseboard (in linear feet) required.

d. Available lengths of baseboard.

e. Available accessories.

Required Length

Total Selected

Length

Scroll Bar

Room

Description

Baseboard

Type

Select

Baseboard

lengths

Select

Accessories

View Product

Data

Select Baseboard Screen

Slant/Fin Corporation 15

Heat Loss Express

3. For each length of baseboard, enter the quantity. The total length will be displayed. This should equal

the required length.

4. Use the scroll bar to view available accessories. Select accessories by clicking on the adjacent box

and entering the quantity desired.

Note: To view product data literature, click the view button on the bottom of the screen.

5. When you have made all of your selections, click OK. The total length you’ve selected will be

displayed in the Heat Loss Express screen.

6. Repeat the above steps for the other rooms.

Selecting Radiant Tubing

If you intend to install radiant tubing, Hydronic Explorer 2 can help you with the calculations and

selection of the necessary components. With the Heat Loss Express screen still displayed on your

monitor, open the Radiant Tubing screen as follows:

1. Select a room and click in the ft. selected cell (displaying a red 0.0) of the Radiant Tubing. A down-

arrow will appear.

2. Click on the down-arrow. The Radiant Tubing screen for the selected room is displayed with default

and calculated values already entered.

Description of the Radiant Tubing Screen

The Radiant Tubing screen has two purposes:

Help select the tube size and required length of tubing in linear feet. •

• Indicate how much supplemental heat is required, if any, to maintain the required room temperature.

The Radiant Tubing screen is divided into three panes: Heat Loss – Heated Area, Floor Profile, and

Tubing Calculator. Each pane shows values already entered into individual boxes. You cannot change

the values in the grayed-out boxes. These are automatically entered and are based on the data you entered

for the heat loss calculations. You can, however, change the values in the white boxes.

16 Slant/Fin Corporation

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Slant/Fin Hydronic Explorer 2 User manual

Slant/Fin Hydronic Explorer 2 User manual

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