Unico helps for warm weekend getaways

The combination of Unico Air Handlers and radiant floor heating means room by room temperature control.

Imagine trying to heat 8,300 square feet with a fire.without burning the house down.

Fireplaces were the first source of heat for a recently renovated Victorian-style New Hampshire home.

Luckily, times have changed since the 1900s and additional options are available for homeowners.

But historic homes make it difficult to install modern conveniences, such as heating, without ruining or inhibiting historical beauty and value.

In 1897, this Victorian home was built as a residence for the Cheeney family, the founding family of the American Express credit card company.

The heating system originally consisted of 13 fireplaces spread throughout the 45 room mansion.

In the 1920s, the home was donated to a local hospital to be used as a boys school, and the heating system was upgraded to steam radiators.

But with the steam radiators, it was impossible to control the temperature in the rooms, or to heat only portions of the home that were being used.

Three years ago, a family bought the historic mansion to use as a weekend home, and since then they have been doing renovations which include installing the Unico heating system.

"The Unico System was almost the only choice," said Jim Patterson, project manager.

"It would have cost $20,000- $30,000 more to install a conventional heating and cooling system".

With the Unico System the family can expect even heat-ing throughout the house, or in select portions of the home, with less than a two-degree variation.

The home is also draft free because it works on the principle of aspiration, in which streams of air enter a room and gently mix with the room's existing air currents; temperatures are even from floor to ceiling, without the hot spots and cold spots of conventional systems.

"With the combination of Unico Air Handlers and radiant floor heating, we have room by room temperature control," Jim said.

"An entire wing of the home can be shut off if it's not being used." With high, vaulted ceilings, spacious rooms, and a high historic value, heating efficiently without disturbing the natural beauty of the home was a necessity that the Unico System was able to provide.

The small, compact ductwork of the Unico System enabled the crew to install the heating system without taking away from the appearance of the home.

"The family wanted something that would be pretty much invisible and that would keep with the aesthetic appearance," said Jim.

To blend with the natural beauty of the home, the Unico installation team used oak grills that blended in well with the floors.

The 5" diameter outlets are unobtrusive, and they are available in stainable wood or paintable plastic to blend with nearly every back-ground.

With the high ceilings, the second floor did not have access for panels.

With a conventional heating system this would be a problem, but not for Unico.

A Unico 2436 and a 4260 Air Handler were installed in the attic, and hydronic piping and tubing manifolds were snaked through the wall by the chimney to heat the second floor.

To heat the main floor, three air handlers were installed in the basement, two 1218 Unico units and a 4260 Unico unit.

The Unico System also significantly reduces heat loss, due to the small, com-pact ductwork, which saves energy and money.

The Unico System also allows for the option to add a cooling system down the road.

"The Unico System gives the client the comfort level they want, while keeping with the aesthetic look, and also allowing for an air filtration system," Jim said.

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