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
No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, processed or recorded
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
rights are reserved.
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.
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
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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.
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Install Screen
Introduction
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.
Select Directory
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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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.
•
Boiler Selector – allows you to select a Slant/Fin boiler if you already know the heat loss.
Main Menu
•
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.
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Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual
A
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.
ll Rooms Select Boiler Radiant Options
Single Room Print Help Exit
Menu Bar
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
manual is a pdf format document, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing or printing.
Exit button – click to return to the Main Menu. •
. The user’s
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.
2. Keep U.S. Standard or click on S.I. Metric. Click OK. The
Create New Job screen is displayed.
Note the following:
Units of Measure
Create New Job Screen
Indoor Temp.is the minimum indoor temperature (oF) 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 (oF) as the default value for System Design Water
•
Temp. This can be changed if required.
3. Enter all of the required data then click OK. The New Room
screen is displayed.
New Room Screen
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Hydronic Explorer 2 User Manual
4. Enter the name of the room on the 1st 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.
•
1st 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.
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
Create New Floor Screen
screen will show the new floor and room.
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