Open Direct radiant heating system Safe?
ihatebuildingahouse
17 years ago
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RCMJr
17 years agojeff_nj
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Radiant closed vs open system?
Comments (2)You definitely want a closed loop system for the radiant. Open loop systems mean you are constantly adding new fresh water. When you heat water you drive the chemicals/hardness out of the water onto your boiler which screws every thing up. Closed loop!...See Morehelp choose: hardwood floors/no radiant heat OR linoleum/yes heat
Comments (9)Hola, Sorry, forgot to post layout: And no, we're not thinking of using our huge fireplace as a heat source. My kids have asthma, so all the tiny particles from wood burning or pellet stoves are not good for the kids. And I don't think they're that environmentally friendly. If we have the money, we would do geothermal heating. Here's our house in about 20inches of snow last year (does this help your decision, since it's nice and warm today?): plllog: "You have young children. You have a budget...Then the children can spread out their painting projects on the floor, roller skate, or whatever. Real linoleum, such as Marmoleum, is an ecologically friendly choice...you can easily replace it when you decide you want hardwood. In fact, you can do the subfloor as if you're getting hardwood... Then it's easy to mop. And you can make the change when the kids are older and you feel like spending the money--or not." These are my thoughts exactly!!! roobear: "Hardwood is better for resale, it would add value to your home, it can be refinished etc. Plus, it would fit the period and style of the house better." EXACTLY! The flip-side of my thinking as well. If I'm going to do hardwoods later, why not do them now and enjoy the benefit of the flooring, rather than pay twice? I've also thought about the heated rugs; the Japanese use them all over their house. circuspeanut: "have cold feet 6 months out of the year" Argh: sometimes it feels longer. cleo: "using engineered hardwood floors" Great idea, but because we installed some in our previous house, I really did not like them. My main concern w/ them is wear and tear, especially in between the planks. What happens if water (or raw meat juice) gets in between and swells the ?particle boards, etc? lovilynne: "have you considered DIY wood" Oh, while my house is not historical, it seems like it with the uneven floor, no insulation in the walls, etc :) We are DIY the hardwood floors for the 2nd floor right now. The learning curve was HUGE for us. And I'm not sure about my skills w/ hardwood floor over radiant heat. "they make a special heater to go under the cabinet" Oh!!! Can you please tell me more? Do you have pictures to share? Hmmm......See MoreRadiant heating vs. forced air heating for remodel/addition
Comments (26)Agreed Bry, that's a great point. In renovation or replacement comparison situations when a household is consistently using the baseline allowance, using the next tier rate up would be more accurate. It's also tough figuring out how much of the minimum monthly gas fee to include. I would guess the water heater may account for ~50% of usage so more accurate water heater gas costs would be somewhere near $302. Much tougher figuring the added comfort and space conditioning benefits of a HPWH and if the gas combustion appliance is naturally vented, there is probably added moisture and potentially health costs involved. For new construction, not knowing specific situations I think average kwh rates are where to start, and it's only the most energy intensive homes that would recover new infrastructure costs. Those outliers might be wise to improve the design. An energy rater would be helpful for plan specific comparisons. Mr. Fudd's Tier 2 kicks in at 202 kwh, lower than baseline allowances I saw digging around on the PG&E site. It must be an energy intensive area because most Tier 2 levels I saw were higher. This suggests the averages I linked to are close. Most tier talk for PG&E (serving a third of CA households according to this page) is about to be irrelevant as they are transitioning to Time Of Use rates for everyone. This makes sense for the increasingly renewable electric grid. For example, it will encourage electric vehicle owners to charge during off-peak hours and will keep electric water heating costs competitive with gas, even for replacement situations and even in places of high electric/ low gas rates. This requires the effort of putting a timing control device on a tank water heater, something those with basic electrical skills could DIY. Tying this back to topic, new construction skipping air-conditioning could use electric resistance (or heat pump) radiant floor heating during off-peak hours. The floor mass releases heat during on-peak hours of the day and an efficient envelope would keep it in. No combustion inside home necessary and cost effective if done right. A guy is doing it off-grid in Saskatchewan so it might be easy in CA. Here's a link to the controller he built for the PV to electric resistance radiant floor (or battery) interface....See MoreCan mice live in a radiant heat floor system?
Comments (5)jup Really sorry you are experiencing all the angst and other w an inferior plumber. I would get things inspected ASAP and all your lines pressure tested. Have you paid the guy fully? if not, you have some bartering chips - not sure where you are and how the law works there, but it might be best to get a qualified plumber in there to redo things correctly...you don't want problems popping up over time. I live in city but have had a country house/ranch and 11 utility sheds and barns..I know the drill. Mice and rats look for 2 things: shelter and food. take either one of them away and they leave. Plug anything dime size and bigger. build storage facilities [and homes] that does not allow access to insulation, clothes, or anything they can make a nest. Put out taps before you even think you have a problem. I like the spring traps bc you can see what you catch., Bait them w tootsie rolls - rats/mice have a huge sweet tooth and you can squeeze on the tootsie roll where they cannot get it off unless the trap is spring. I'm not a cat person, but they do the gig well. Also, I always put snakes [non poisonous] under my house or direct them that way. Anyway, hope you get your retirement house fixed soon and obtain peace of mind..good luck...See Moreearly1
17 years agoRCMJr
17 years agojeff_nj
17 years agoearly1
17 years agojeff_nj
17 years agoearly1
17 years agobob_brown
17 years agoearly1
17 years agocincyman
16 years ago
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