Deadly Sushi
The One, The Only, Sushi
Anyone ever look into this? Like it? hate it? Worth it?
I wasnt sure where to put this post.
I wasnt sure where to put this post.
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Radiant Heated Floors????
- Thread starter Deadly Sushi
- Start date
My neighbor/friend has this and LOVES it. I wish I had it too.
The downside is that you still have to put in ductwork if you want/need an air conditioner in your home. But the radiant system in the floor (and it can also be put in walls in your shower/etc) is a great system for even and draft-less heating. And since it requires a boiler you can also use part of the system for hot water heating needs too.
The downside is that you still have to put in ductwork if you want/need an air conditioner in your home. But the radiant system in the floor (and it can also be put in walls in your shower/etc) is a great system for even and draft-less heating. And since it requires a boiler you can also use part of the system for hot water heating needs too.
thcri
Gone But Not Forgotten
Our complete lower level, two bathrooms on the main level, my garage and my front side walk has it. I am kicking my self and so is my wife that we did not put it completely on the main level.
Ten years ago our company put very little of these systems in, today any upper end houses have it. You can't find a better heat. Our boiler also heats our domestic water.
murph
Ten years ago our company put very little of these systems in, today any upper end houses have it. You can't find a better heat. Our boiler also heats our domestic water.
murph
Deadly Sushi
The One, The Only, Sushi
Excellent!!! Well Im thinking about joining a start-up company with a long time friend to distribute ALL of the high-end hardware for radient floors to distributors. Im doing some research 
thcri
Gone But Not Forgotten
Im doing some research
I suggest you do lots of research as I think the distribution channels are pretty well set right now. I have seen a lot of manufactures of this product come and go.
Deadly Sushi
The One, The Only, Sushi
Well these folks have been around for 6 years. You bring up a huge point. I shall sink my "teeth" into it! Thanks!
muleman
Gone But Not Forgotten
I have radiant under all my floors and snowmelt in the back porches so I don't have to shovel. Even have it run to the barn for the tack and feed rooms. Putting in a system in the green house we are building right now. keeps it nice and steady temp even in the coldest weather. Giving some thought to putting an outdoor temp sensing control on the boilers also.
Erik
SelfBane
my house has the tubing for radiant in the basement floor - but we're saving up for the manifold, pump, etc... (something about not having a spare $1200 at the moment).
Walk out basement has ICF walls, main floor is 6" SIP with 10" cathedral ceiling. ultra high efficiency water heater that supplies domestic hot water and feeds the water furnace. (same idea as geothermal heat, but water heater suppies the heat instead of a ground loop)
Adillo - it's a great system. Up front costs are a bit higher than stick built, but 10 year energy savings should pay for that. If you go the SIP or IFC route, make sure you get an air exchange system or a really good dehumidifier for the winter months or you will be fighting condensation constantly.
Walk out basement has ICF walls, main floor is 6" SIP with 10" cathedral ceiling. ultra high efficiency water heater that supplies domestic hot water and feeds the water furnace. (same idea as geothermal heat, but water heater suppies the heat instead of a ground loop)
Adillo - it's a great system. Up front costs are a bit higher than stick built, but 10 year energy savings should pay for that. If you go the SIP or IFC route, make sure you get an air exchange system or a really good dehumidifier for the winter months or you will be fighting condensation constantly.
thcri
Gone But Not Forgotten
Running cooled water through the pipes will not work as you would have no way of dealing with the condensation.
muleman
Gone But Not Forgotten
I use a hot water coil in my air handler to control humidity. It has an A-coil for a 2.5 ton a/c as well. I seldom need to run the hot air but the wife likes a hot blast when she showers. The radiant in my basement floor has slabshield under it and I wrapped the block basement with 1 inch foam board. It stays nice and dry and the walls are warm to the touch except the garage end.
Deadly Sushi
The One, The Only, Sushi
muleman
Gone But Not Forgotten
Well I only ever have the garage end running and it is on for maybe 3 months at most. I have no condensation at all upstairs or down. If you control air infiltration from outside, the inside humidity level is easily adjusted. Actually I run humidifiers to increase my humidity most of the winter. I have gauges to monitor it for our bird population.
Deadly Sushi
The One, The Only, Sushi
muleman
Gone But Not Forgotten
Hey Sush, have you ever installed any heating systems or built any houses?? I have over 290 systems out there working and am certified as a silver service technician on a national level and certified by the commonwealth of Pa. as a home oil heat and a boiler technician. Now, spout your knowledge level to me!
muleman
Gone But Not Forgotten
5 macaws,2 african greys,1 double yellow headed amazon,1 senegal and 2 cockatiels. The macaws require a completely different environment from the others, hence the need to monitor humidity and dust levels. They all eat anything that I eat as well as the stuff they are supposed to eat. They must have learned that from my heart docs.!!Bird Population? What kind of birds?
Deadly Sushi
The One, The Only, Sushi
Hey Sush, have you ever installed any heating systems or built any houses?? I have over 290 systems out there working and am certified as a silver service technician on a national level and certified by the commonwealth of Pa. as a home oil heat and a boiler technician. Now, spout your knowledge level to me!
Ive touched some of the brass fittings.
I asked about the cooling part and the guy that has been selling the product for years said there is a way to do it but if you dont do it correctly the material will have condensation
muleman
Gone But Not Forgotten
For sure I could run chilled water through my heating coil that is in my air handler and get the same effect as the A-coil with freon running through it. That is how a lot of BIG commercial units operate. But the need to monitor water solution and the cooling towers to exhaust the heat are not very practical for a homeowner. To enjoy the benefits of a/c you need a means of transferring the heat and humidity from the air in the house and exhausting it outside. This is what the freon and condenser unit in a conventional system do.
thcri
Gone But Not Forgotten
Muleman,
You and I may be on different pages. I am on the understanding you want to run chilled water through the radiant floor tubes to cool your house. If this is what you are trying to accomplish it will not work. Any surface that is 15 degrees lower than the air space will start to condensate under certain conditions.
murph
You and I may be on different pages. I am on the understanding you want to run chilled water through the radiant floor tubes to cool your house. If this is what you are trying to accomplish it will not work. Any surface that is 15 degrees lower than the air space will start to condensate under certain conditions.
murph
thcri
Gone But Not Forgotten
Yes you can run chilled water through a water coil. Keep in mind the water temp has to be down around 40 degrees to remove any moisture from your house. If the water temp is higher than that you will lower the temp in your house but not remove any moisture. Some commercial buildings typically have glycol in them and they run the water temp even lower. That is why for a residential house just use your standard air conditioner.
murph
thcri
Gone But Not Forgotten
I guess that is where I misunderstood you. I was thinking you were trying to run it in the PEX. As for the water coil. Yes I know of a lot of people who run their cold water line through a coil. Days when they are watering their lawn or using a lot of water it does help cool the house.
Running cold water through a radiant heating system to cool the house is an old idea that has never panned out for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that the cold air will settle to the lowest place anyway so making the floor cold has no affect on the ceiling volume or the upper floors temperature. Also, you are still walking on the cold floor and it becomes less comfortable the colder it gets.
If the upper floor was cooled it would have a small affect on the lower floor or fans could be used to make some difference, but fans are one of the things we are trying to get away from with radiant. The complexity of the heating cooling setup with heated/chilled water is far less affective than just ducting cool air into an upper area of the home.
Over and over someone gets the idea that they want to get involved in radiant heating. Then they wonder why they can't do radiant cooling. Then the idea just goes nowhere as reality sets in. It's just innefective, uncomfortable and impractical compared to conventional cooling.
Radiant heating, on the other hand, is the most comfortable system ever devised for heating a home. But even the heating side has myths that just won't go away, generation after generation. Curiosity, some understanding of heat transfer principles and home designs, as well as a lot of experience, is what leads to the ability to make excellent and practical systems. Radiant, being a relatively new idea in the modern world, and an interesting one, leads many to just think they can jump in and make a killing doing something simple. It's a common mistake made between trades. Painting or electrical or plumbing look simple to, when you see a capable person efficiently doing them, but all trades have their special required knowledge and efficiency only gained through experience. I've had many people tell me they were going to just jump into the radiant heating business because it was so simple. Then they start asking basic questions, they start showing a lack of business skills ar a lack of mechanical understanding or a lack of knowledge about physics. Soon, without a real commitment or the ability to do a good and competitive job, they quietly fade away. All trades require a commitment and an understanding to be done correctly. Radiant is no different.
If someone wants to set up a simple system in their own home thay can do it easily. One of the biggest problems is working your way through all the sales and internet myths. But selling, designing and installing a real system in a modern multi-story high end home, standing behind it, and making it do what the homeowner wants is a little different. That's the area I am the most comfortable in because it is in a different place than debating about whether there will be condensation or whether some "new" idea will work. It's about interfacing a person getting a new home built, with machinery that will make that home a comfortable place. Remember, the very best system of all is one that is never noticed. It's one that gives maximum comfort, quietly and efficiently, for many years. Only radiant can heat in that way and approaching it through the idea that you might make a killing in sales misses the point completely.
If the upper floor was cooled it would have a small affect on the lower floor or fans could be used to make some difference, but fans are one of the things we are trying to get away from with radiant. The complexity of the heating cooling setup with heated/chilled water is far less affective than just ducting cool air into an upper area of the home.
Over and over someone gets the idea that they want to get involved in radiant heating. Then they wonder why they can't do radiant cooling. Then the idea just goes nowhere as reality sets in. It's just innefective, uncomfortable and impractical compared to conventional cooling.
Radiant heating, on the other hand, is the most comfortable system ever devised for heating a home. But even the heating side has myths that just won't go away, generation after generation. Curiosity, some understanding of heat transfer principles and home designs, as well as a lot of experience, is what leads to the ability to make excellent and practical systems. Radiant, being a relatively new idea in the modern world, and an interesting one, leads many to just think they can jump in and make a killing doing something simple. It's a common mistake made between trades. Painting or electrical or plumbing look simple to, when you see a capable person efficiently doing them, but all trades have their special required knowledge and efficiency only gained through experience. I've had many people tell me they were going to just jump into the radiant heating business because it was so simple. Then they start asking basic questions, they start showing a lack of business skills ar a lack of mechanical understanding or a lack of knowledge about physics. Soon, without a real commitment or the ability to do a good and competitive job, they quietly fade away. All trades require a commitment and an understanding to be done correctly. Radiant is no different.
If someone wants to set up a simple system in their own home thay can do it easily. One of the biggest problems is working your way through all the sales and internet myths. But selling, designing and installing a real system in a modern multi-story high end home, standing behind it, and making it do what the homeowner wants is a little different. That's the area I am the most comfortable in because it is in a different place than debating about whether there will be condensation or whether some "new" idea will work. It's about interfacing a person getting a new home built, with machinery that will make that home a comfortable place. Remember, the very best system of all is one that is never noticed. It's one that gives maximum comfort, quietly and efficiently, for many years. Only radiant can heat in that way and approaching it through the idea that you might make a killing in sales misses the point completely.
Bobcat
Je Suis Charlie Hebdo