Radiant Heating Newbie

18 years ago

I've read some on this topic, but the more I read, the more I realize that I know nothing and the more confused I get.

So here is my question. We are doing new construction in South Dakota -- ranch home with finished basement. We are strongly considering doing radiant heat in the concrete in the basement and possibly also under the main floor to help reduce energy costs (that we normally would have with a gas powered forced air heat).

But the more I read, the more scared I am of this installation. It seems there are a million ways to install it and if you don't do it right, it's not going to work right. I know nothing about this and so I'm just supposed to trust that my HVAC guy is going to know what he's doing and do it right? What kinds of questions should I be asking so that I know I am getting a good system and a good install

What I know:

* We want the hydronic kind because I want some humidification in the air. It is very dry here in the winter and I hate shocks.

* We will have approx. 800 sq ft of wood floor on our main level. I love wood floor and I'm not willing to part with it! I know certain kinds are better than others.

My questions:

* What kind of wood floor can I have? I love hickory and Asian walnut. Can I have that?

* Boiler or one of those high efficiency hot water heaters?

* What kind of system should I use? Open, closed, direct, indirect?

* What kind of energy savings can I expect? We are doing 2x6 walls with blown in insulation on the ceiling and walls and good windows (we think). We will still use a furnace with our central air unit in the summer, but only about 2 months out of the year will it get heavy use.

Help me! What do I need to know? What should I be asking the HVAC guy? Will he know about flooring and subflooring options under our wood, tile and carpet? Or will I need to find a flooring person that knows about this as well? It all seems so confusing!!

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Comments (3)

ryanhughes
18 years ago
Shelly,

This is a special type of heating as you know, and I suggest you copy this post and post it to the HVAC-Talk.com Residential HVAC forum (you'll have to register). Due to the large amount of HVAC professionals on that site, I feel you'll get a faster/greater response to your questions over there. Good luck. I hope you can get some answers! Sorry, I know virtually nothing about radiant heat (though I can help you with conventional heating and cooling). :-)
healthyheating
18 years ago
You have developed a bad case of "paralysis through analysis"Âsuggested treatment: filter out the noise by working with contractors certified by the Radiant Panel Association.

See this link for two such firms. http://www.radiantpanelassociation.org/custom/directory/membership.cfm

End of response.

_______________

If you wish to add to your paralysis I have prepared "optional and detailed commentary" with additional industry resources and government sources to address your concerns and questions...will post it here or email to others if requested...(appx. 1300 words).
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ky114
18 years ago
A couple things to consider:

-Radiant heating of any type is not inherently any less likely to dry out air in a house than any other type of heating. What will keep your house air from drying out is reducing infiltration of outside air, because when you take cold outside air (even if it's damp for the outside temperature it's at) and raise it to an indoor temperature, it's REALLY dry. This is just how air works -- any type of heating lowers the relative humidity of air. This is why fireplaces, wood stoves, etc., are terrible for making indoor air dry: They have an oxygen demand, so they suck in outside air.

-Radiant heating does not inherently save energy. The only argument you can make that it saves energy is that you MIGHT be comfortable at a lower temperature with radiant heat, and to the extent that you might be, you could save some energy by being able to dial down, say, from 68 to 65. But this only works when you are truly receiving the benefit of the radiation from the warm floor. If you're lying on a couch, 65 in a house with a radiant floor is going to feel just like 65 in a house with a forced air furnace, because the radiation is not striking your body. So, if you're going to set the thermostat at 68 (or whatever), your house will require "X" BTUs of heat to raise it to that temperature whether you do it with radiant hot water tubing, a forced air system, or whatever else. Your choice of fuel and the efficiency of the heat producing device (boiler, water heater, furnace, etc.) are what will determine your energy use and operating cost.