What is a Hydronic System and What is Needed to Balance it?

A hydronic system is a system designed to circulate chilled or hot water with the connections between piping and terminal units (heating and/or cooling devices). Most hydronic systems are closed and are usually made in a series loop. In addition to pipes and terminals, valves are placed in this series as a port to balance the differential pressure in the system. The balance of this type of system is often referred to as hydronic or hydraulic balancing.

Hydronic balancing is the process of optimizing the distribution of water in a building’s heating or cooling system by equalizing the system pressure. This provides the intended indoor climate at optimum energy efficiency and minimal operating cost. To provide the correct power output, this requires a certain flow known as the design flow. All flow designs are determined at the point which the structure is first built and can be found on a buildings’ blueprint. This flow is normally given at the time that the project is started.