Self-Test B-1.4 Hydronic Heating and Cooling Systems

Complete Self-Test B-1.4 and check your answers.

1. Why is water a good medium for transporting thermal energy?
   1. It can exist in all three states.
   2. It can only exist as a liquid.
   3. It has a low heat-storage ability.
   4. It has a high heat-storage ability.

    

2. With the ideal heating or cooling system, the occupants would not be conscious of either warm or cold sensations.
   1. True
   2. False

    

3. The purpose of a building’s heating system is to raise the temperature of the building.
   1. True
   2. False

    

4. What is the best definition of “comfort”?
   1. The absence of discomfort
   2. When your feet are warm
   3. When your face is cool
   4. It is too vague to define.

    

5. Approximately how many British thermal units (BTU) will an adult generate every hour through normal indoor activity?
   1. 200
   2. 400
   3. 600
   4. 1,000

    

6. What are the three main ways that a person loses heat?
   1. Convection, conduction, and respiration
   2. Conduction, respiration, and perspiration
   3. Radiation, convection, and evaporation
   4. Radiation, perspiration, and respiration

    

7. Where was the expansion tank located in the old gravity hot water heating systems?
   1. In the basement
   2. In the attic
   3. Below the boiler
   4. Beside the boiler

    

8. What addition to hydronic systems, brought about by the supply of electricity, allowed the use of smaller piping than that used in gravity systems?
   1. Copper tube
   2. Natural gas
   3. City water
   4. Pumps

    

9. Approximately what percentage of a person’s heat is lost through convection?
   1. 22%
   2. 30%
   3. 48%
   4. 55%

    

10. A [latex]\tfrac{3}{4}[/latex] in. copper pipe can carry as much heat out into the building as what size hot air duct?
    1. 3 in. round
    2. 6 in. by 6 in.
    3. 8 in. by 14 in.
    4. 16 in. round

     

11. What is the term given to the bands of temperature in a room caused by warm air rising and collecting at the ceiling and cold air falling to the floor?
    1. Stratification
    2. Ramification
    3. Collection
    4. Conduction

     

12. What feature of a forced-air system allows it to have a quicker response time than a hydronic heating system?
    1. High-velocity airflow
    2. High thermal mass
    3. Low-velocity airflow
    4. Low thermal mass

     

13. What is an area of control known as?
    1. Zone
    2. Pass
    3. Section
    4. Wing

     

Answer Key: Self-Test B-1.4 is on the next page.