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Re: [Shop-talk] hydronic heat retrofit?

To: shop-talk List <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] hydronic heat retrofit?
From: Jim Franklin <jamesf@groupwbench.org>
Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:26:49 -0500
On Nov 5, 2008, at 10:51 PM, Chris Kantarjiev wrote:
>
>
> I was wondering if it might be possible to plumb hydronic heat
> into the existing subfloor (2x8 joists on 16)? Not really the
> way it's normally done, I know, and perhaps prohibitively
> expensive.

If you go this far, do it right and make it a true radiant system.  
This involves insulation and aluminum heat transfer plates, and is  
expensive, but not much more so that just tacking up PEX. Is the  
underneath accessible? Is it smooth or are there nails protruding?
>
>
> I guess there are also hydronic baseboard units... has
> anyone here gone down this path?

H-D sells (around here) Slant-Fin hydronic baseboards. Easy to install  
if your soldering is decent. You can also run PEX to fittings that  
solder on to the baseboard. It depends on the route/access from the  
boiler to the bathroom. With copper prices in flux (ha!) it' shard to  
say which is cheaper. I highly recommend getting a brand name PEX  
(Uponor/Wirsbo) at a friendly plumbing supply store. H-D sells  
inferior product from what I've heard.

You can also buy a hydronic panel radiator which gives off some  
radiant heat due to its large surface area. Much more $ than the  
hydronic baseboard, and takes up some wall space, but doubles as a  
towel warmer.

As for your boiler, if you're only doing the bathroom and a bedroom,  
there may not be one small enough. You might need to use a domestic  
hot water heater and pay for the standby losses. If you think you'll  
be replacing the furnace, it might be worth getting a boiler sized for  
the heat loss of the entire house, and putting a coil in to power the  
existing forced air zones. Slant-fin offers a heat-loss calculator  
which will size the baseboard for each room and total up the house  
heat loss.

Depending on your climate, electric rate, and anticipated duration in  
the house, a permanent baseboard or wall-mount electric heater may be  
the most cost effective. Or re-ducting the house, again depending on  
access. I've done both a new forced air system and a new hydronic  
system, and the little extra spent towards doing it new vs. cobbling  
together a system that isn't comfortable or needs constant fiddling,  
is money well spent.

jim
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