Customizable modular hydronic system
Interior space customizable, re-customizable, modular, hydronic system, comprising: one or more modular base heating and/or cooling units, each adapted for residing between studs of the room's wall and selectively comprising one of a frame adapted to be completely recessed between studs, partially (e.g., approximately ½-way) recessed between the studs, and not recessed at all but still substantially located between the studs, each modular base unit adapted for successive repeated linear implementation with other modular base units of like composition to meet greater or lesser heating and/or cooling needs of the interior space; and one or more contiguous face cover members, and optional edge members, adapted to be secured to corresponding modular base unit(s), wherein the face cover members and optional edge cover members each comprise peripheral edges adapted to achieve, singularly or in combination, an aesthetically coherent face, and optional aesthetically coherent edge cover members, for the system.
1 . A customizable, modular, hydronic system adapted for use in heating or cooling an interior area, the system comprising:
at least one modular base unit comprising at least one heat exchanger and a frame, wherein said at least one modular base unit is implemented in a horizontally-aligned plurality of modular base units or a vertically-aligned plurality of modular base units, and wherein each said at least one modular base unit further comprises an internal inlet pipe and an internal outlet pipe connected to the at least one internal heat exchanger within the frame, each said at least one modular base unit being adapted for retaining hydronic fluid in the at least one internal heat exchanger;
piping adapted for:
interconnecting the internal inlet pipe of the at least one modular base unit to the system, and
interconnecting the internal outlet pipe of the at least one modular base unit to the system,
wherein said piping is adapted for implementing the aligned plurality of modular base units as a singular appearing unitary unit, whether horizontally-aligned or vertically-aligned, and adaptable to be expandable to meet increased heating and cooling needs of the interior area; and
a modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member comprising
at least one modular face cover member portion per modular base unit,
a periphery, and
a plurality of edge cover member portions, wherein the plurality of edge cover member portions are
adapted for forming said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member for attaching to said at least one modular base unit at the periphery of said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member, and further
adapted to form said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member together with the at least one modular face cover member portion of said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member,
said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member adapted to be readily detachably secured to the system, and at least partially visibly presented to occupants of the interior area.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member further comprises at least one vent in an anterior surface thereof, and wherein said at least one modular base unit further comprises at least one fan adapted for blowing air across the at least one internal heat exchanger of said at least one modular base unit to carry heated, or alternatively cooled, air from the at least one internal heat exchanger through the at least one vent and into the interior area.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of edge cover member portions further comprises a plurality of peripheral corner edge portions, wherein the plurality of peripheral edge portions are adapted for attaching to a periphery of the at least one modular face cover member portion to form different color or surface pattern choices and forming said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the number of said at least one modular base units in the aligned plurality of modular base units, and the number of the at least one modular face cover member portions in said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member are equal.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of peripheral edge cover member portions together comprise peripheral side edge portions, peripheral top and bottom edge portions, and peripheral corner edge portions, and wherein the plurality of peripheral edge cover member portions are adapted to be combined together with the at least one modular face cover member portion to form said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member to enable expansion of the system from a supply of said at least one modular base units and said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member provided in view of initial and changing interior-design-type considerations.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one modular base unit, the at least one modular face cover member portion, and the plurality of peripheral edge cover member portions are capable of being used for an installation that is any of:
completely recessed between wall studs of the interior area,
partially recessed between the wall studs of the interior area, and
not recessed between the wall studs of the interior area,
to readily meet initial and changed capacity-type considerations and initial and changed interior-design-type considerations from the same stock of modular base units and modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover members.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one modular base unit comprises a plurality of modular base units in an aligned plurality of modular base units, and wherein the aligned plurality of modular base units is adapted to be fully-recessed between wall studs of the interior area, wherein said cover member further comprises at least one vent on an anterior surface of said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member and at least one tab normally-oriented relative to the anterior surface of said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member on an inside surface of modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member, wherein the at least one tab is used for plugging at least one vent in the frame of each said at least one modular base unit to re-route air flow from the at least one vent in the frame to the at least one vent of said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one modular base unit is adapted for being recessed substantially midway into a wall of the interior area.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member has an aesthetic design that appears visually and aesthetically singular, unitary, and contiguous to occupants of the interior area.
10 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one modular face-cover member portion of said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member covers the piping to and from the system.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member covers piping to and from the system.
12 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising interconnecting piping adapted for interconnecting the internal outlet pipe of one said at least one modular base unit directly to the internal inlet pipe of another said at least one modular base unit, wherein the at least one modular base unit comprises an aligned plurality of modular base units that are linearly-aligned horizontally, and wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member bridges at least one wall stud of the interior area and covers piping to and from the system and said interconnecting piping between a plurality of modular base units of the aligned plurality of modular base units.
13 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising interconnecting piping adapted for interconnecting the internal outlet pipe of one said at least one modular base unit directly to the internal inlet pipe of another said at least one modular base unit, wherein the at least one modular base unit comprises an aligned plurality of modular base units linearly-aligned vertically, and wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member covers piping to and from the system and said interconnecting piping between the aligned plurality of modular base units.
14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one modular base unit and another of said at least one modular base unit comprise an aligned plurality of modular base units adapted to be partially-recessed between wall studs of the interior area, and wherein the modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member appears as a singular coherent design and is readily detachably secured to said at least one modular base unit and the another of said at least one modular base unit.
15 . A customizable, modular, hydronic system adapted for use in heating or cooling an interior area, the system comprising:
at least one modular base unit comprising at least one heat exchanger and a frame, said at least one modular base unit adapted for use aligned with one or more other such modular base units as part of the system comprising a first and a last at least one modular base unit, wherein each said at least one modular base unit further comprises an internal inlet pipe and an internal outlet pipe connected to the at least one internal heat exchanger within the frame, each said at least one modular base unit being adapted for retaining hydronic fluid in the at least one internal heat exchanger; wherein the at least one modular base unit is adapted to be implemented in an installation of an aligned plurality of such at least one modular base units that is any of:
completely recessed between wall studs of the interior area,
partially recessed between the wall studs of the interior area, and
not recessed between the wall studs of the interior area,
piping adapted for:
interconnecting the internal inlet pipe of the at least one modular base unit to the system, and
interconnecting the internal outlet pipe of the at least one modular base unit to the system,
adaptable to be expandable to meet increased heating and cooling needs of the interior area; and
a modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member comprising at least one modular face cover member portion per modular base unit and a periphery, wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member covers the aligned plurality of modular base units and said piping, and wherein said modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member is adapted to be readily detachably secured to the system and at least partially visibly presented to occupants of the interior area.
16 . A customizable, modular, hydronic system adapted for installation and use at least partially within an interior area to be heated or cooled, and adapted for use with other connected hydronic components, the system comprising:
first and second modular base units, each said first and second modular base unit comprising at least one internal heat exchanger comprising an internal inlet pipe and an internal outlet pipe within a modular base unit frame adapted for being one of completely recessed in a wall of the interior area between studs, partially recessed in the wall of the interior area between the studs, and not recessed in the wall of the interior area, said first and second modular base units being adapted for retaining heated, or alternatively cooled, hydronic fluid in each at least one internal heat exchanger, wherein the internal outlet pipe of the at least one heat exchanger of said first modular base unit is designed to be interconnected with the internal inlet pipe of the at least one internal heat exchanger of said second modular base unit by interconnecting piping, wherein said first and second modular base units comprise an aligned plurality of modular base units, the system thus being readily adaptable for expansion from like supplies to meet increased heating and cooling needs of any of a number of different interior areas by successive repeated implementation of said first and second modular base units; and
first and second modular face cover members adapted to be readily detachably secured to each respective said first and second modular base units, wherein each of said first and second modular face cover members comprises a peripheral edge, wherein said first modular face cover member is designed to be adapted for use with said second modular face cover member, singularly, and in combination with each other, to form a modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member readily detachably secured to said first and second modular base units, the modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member appearing as a singular coherent design, the modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member being at least partially visibly presented to occupants of the interior area and adapted to be readily customized from like supplies, and wherein the modular contiguous-and-singular-appearing unitary cover member is also adapted to be readily re-customized from like supplies to achieve an alternative aesthetic design that appears visually and aesthetically singular, unitary, and contiguous.