FORWARD-BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY
A hydronic system is built for the life of the building
Low cost of ownership is achieved through long service life, ease of maintenance, energy efficiency and lack of proprietary components. Through forward-backward compatibility, hydronic systems excel in all of these areas.
Any given hydronic system typically includes components from dozens of manufacturers. These items are interchangeable because they do not feature proprietary controls and are all designed to move or contain water – the universal solvent.
Unlike refrigerant, water is never legislated into obsolescence.
One component of a system can be replaced without impacting the other components in the system. Because of this, upgrading hydronic systems to new, higher efficiency components is simplified. In similar fashion, expanding hydronic systems is a possibility even decades after construction.
Many other system types feature proprietary components, making upgrades an impossibility. In some cases, even repairing systems a decade or two old is impossible because the parts are no longer available.
A hydronic system can serve a building for more than a century while remaining relevant, efficient, and comfortable.
