I thought the video was very informative. Is it possible to install the radiant heating on a already poured concrete slab? My house was built in 1972 on a slab foundation. I will be needing to replace the furnace/air unit soon. I would like to install radiant heating. Thank you.
The additional floor build-up needed would most likelt preclude you from using the system shown in the video. You can still achieve the same result with an electric mat floor warming system. Most are designed to go under ceramic tile, like NuHeat, Warmly Yours and SunTouch. All similar in design and the least expensive to purchase. One other system can go under carpet and floating wood floors, it is called Step Warm Floor. It is more expensiveto purchase and in what you have to do to prep the floor, and more detailed in its wiring requirements so you would need an electrician to handle that part of it. I like it the best because it provides the most even heat, no hot and cool spots, but I have only used it in conjunction with tile installations. The bottom line is there are alternatives when the PEX hot water system wont physically fit into your floor layout.
Posts: 163 | Location: Ocean Grove, NJ | Registered: 25 January 2005
Check out http://www.radiantcompany.com/ to see what you can do on a slab. They've got some alternatives that'll only raise the floor about an inch. It involved installing a foil faced bubble insulation over the slab, then 16" pieces of 3/4" plywood spaced 1" apart (the pex then goes between the plywood panels). You then install your finished floor over the plywood.
quote:Originally posted by ProAdmin: What do you think of this video?
We are building a new house so I have been doing research on radiant heating and alternate cooling methods. This article is easy to understand and provides useful information.
I have found one company in Tulsa, Oklahoma that provides a resouce for radiant heating and I plan to meet with them this week. It isn't used much in Oklahoma...yet. I am really concerned about finding a qualified contractor to design and install the best system for our climate. Any ideas?
I thought it was good as well. We had just downloaded the Home Owners Guide to Indoor Quality Comfort by Robert and Karen Bean so the video animated some of the ideas in the their eBook. We'll definetly be going radiant after reading the book and seeing this video.
There is no doubt that radiant heat is by far the most comfortable and inexpensive to run due to the lower comfortamble thermostat setting, and the lower water temperature needed which raises your boiler efficiency. I reccomend checking out www.stadlerviega.com as it is one of the biggest radiant heating companies in the world. Also, to avoid cold spots, I reccomend spacing the radiant tubing at 8" apart maximum. The closer the tubing is placed, the faster it will heat the floor, and the more even the floor temperature will be, and the lower the water temperature you need to provide. It may also prove to be easier to put down wire mesh above the polystyrene to give you something to zip-tie to. IMPORTANT!!: Pressure test the tubing at 100 PSI for at least a few hours before and after pouring the concrete so that if there are any leaks, they can be fixed immediately before the concrete is set. If you have any questions, E-mail me at HVAC-EMT@msn.com with the question and a phone number to reach you at. If it is returned, try again later because my mailbox is full. Tom
To Bkaaye: You can't easily do radiant tubing in your slab, so I thought I would mention I'm having my new home built with radiant heating and cooling installed in the ceilings. I live in a hot/dry region, which is well suited for radiant cooling. Most likely you aren't in need of radiant cooling, just heating, but check out having it done on the ceiling. You can contact my guy, Dean Newberry at www.talbottsolar.com for more information.
Posts: 6 | Location: Sacramento CA | Registered: 12 April 2005
We also are in the Tulsa area and I would be interested in the name of this company. We will be building a new home and I am interested in this type of heating.
I would love to finish my basement off some day. It's a new home with a modular foundation with excellent R value. I want to do radiant heat only down in the basement, the rest will be hwbb. Can you do that? I'm looking to save money wherever I can and since the house isn't here yet I can decide on that.
I thought the video was informative especially for people with concrete floors.
I plan to replace the hot water base board heating in my home with radiant floor heating. I plan to remove the ceilings to access the second a third floors. I do not plan to replace my boiler and it works best when it heats water to 180 degrees. Thus I am guessing that I will need to install a heat exchanger and accessories to avoid circulating water that is too hot into PEX tubing.
Is there any other advice that you could offer me about this transition?
