KALISPELL, MT — The Radiant Panel Association (RPA) recently honored radiant contractors with its System Showcase. One runner-up for the award is Tom Simensen of Radiant Specialties, Inc., located here. Simensen completed a job that earned him second place in the residential retrofit category of the System Showcase.

Radiant Specialties improved the domestic hot water heat for a 5,000-sq-ft, four-story log home in Whitefish, MT. The company also installed 700 sq ft of hydronic snowmelt in the front of the home’s garage.

As Siemensen’s job progressed, the owners decided to have more snowmelt built in around the house to the hot tub area and all the way down the driveway.

According to the panel, the snowmelt system is divided into six separate zones that can work individually or all together. The system consists of two EBL 300 Lochinvar sealed, combustion, 2-stage boilers, which are controlled with a Tekmar 262 boiler control that monitors the 80-gallon indirect-fired water heater for domestic water.

The job also called for Grundfos circulating pumps to circulate a glycol/water mix through approximately two miles of Wirsbo ½-inch PEX tubing.

Siemensen said that the job was a challenge, but enjoyable, especially when the driveway melted a couple feet of snow and left it bare and dry.

Publication date: 10/22/2001