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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Newbie
 
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After some research I was not that comfortable with the high temperature systems like ultrafin. There were plenty of proponents, but the gist seems to be that low temperature systems that touch the subfloor do not damage the wood floor any more than a high temperature system, can be more efficient, and offer more margin for error with the heat calculations (works by both conductive and convective heat so more potential heating power). A big concern with the ultrafin type system seems to be whether the water returns cold enough to the boiler for the modulating and condensing abilities of the high efficiency tankless boiler to increase the efficiency of my system. Perhaps the biggest thing I learned is the installer needs to run a full heat load analysis to calculate how many btu per sq ft each of your rooms needs in order to determine if the radiant heat system is powerful enough and to tune the system.
I went through all this with the contractor and heating specialist and they agreed. The main concern with the low temperature systems I have is the installer and floor installer need to be careful not to put a floor nail through your tube (we are doing the floor install first), and you want the system with quality aluminum plate fasteners rather than the cheap staple up systems if you can afford it. I am concerned about laying the floor first because many recommend running the heating system under the subfloor for some period to dry it out and avoid moisture riding into the wood floors right away. In our case the plywood subfloor has been in place for several months and is likely acclimated now. In addition we are using a coat of glue under the floor which seals the floor from moisture below and is treated for use with radiant. I learned about a product called warmboard a little late in the process, but I could have used it instead of the plywood subfloor. It holds the heat tubing in contact with the floor which allows more efficiency and lower temps, but is expensive ($4 per sf). We are using a type of this in our back extension where were don't have easy access to the joists below. Fingers crossed this turns out well
Posted on: 2015/3/6 14:21
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Home away from home
 
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Yes, that's exactly the way I did it. It heats up the enclosed bay so you get nice even heat. If the space underneath is unheated the bottom of the bay should be well insulated. If you want to bid another contractor contact Joe at thatcherhvac.com, 732-494-HELP. I believe they do radiant.
Posted on: 2015/2/20 18:09
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Newbie
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My contractor tells me he will be installing the pex tubing well beneath the sub floor inside of the joist. It will be on hangers so that it is not touching the plywood and will not dry out / damage the wood. It will be insulated from beneath. This sounds less efficient to me, has anyone done it this way?
Posted on: 2015/2/20 18:03
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Newbie
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when we renovated in '06 we installed radiant floor heating under the ground floor slab and second floor bamboo, powered by a noritz tankless; the hot water was provided by a bosch tankless. the noritz worked great but broke in '11; the bosch was a piece of crap from the start. we replaced them both with a single navien condensing tankless and it's been great--easy exhaust venting, quiet operation, no regrets.
Posted on: 2015/2/20 15:29
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Newbie
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is navien any good?
Posted on: 2015/2/20 12:52
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Home away from home
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Just make sure you buy a good tankless heater... My next one will be an AO Smith.
Posted on: 2015/2/20 3:32
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The All Knowing and All Powerful Joe Has Spoken!
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Home away from home
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I have a generator just to keep the basement sump pumps going! An indoor pool filled with sewer water is not my idea of home improvement.
Posted on: 2015/2/20 2:59
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Newbie
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thanks for the responses so far, keep them coming! i did not know the hot water would not work without power, thanks for the heads up on that.
reading online, i'm seeing ballpark figures of $6-15 per sq foot which is closer to the price i'm being quoted its a real nice space and will be great not to have baseboards everywhere. now it just seems like i need to add a power generator to the place. man stuff adds up...
Posted on: 2015/2/19 23:41
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Home away from home
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I agreed with everything you said, except the last line. During Sandy, our building was without power for close to a week. While it sucked, it was sunny enough during the day and I could "heat up" my place by keeping the blinds fully drawn during the day to make it bearable. But, what really made it all bearable was knowing that I could take a VERY HOT shower every morning. The late fall cold weather, combined with lack of hot water, would have been near unbearable.
Posted on: 2015/2/19 23:26
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Home away from home
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Prices for anything here is more expensive than in Vermont where that Co is located. Plus plumbing & electrical prices often have little to do with reality and are based on how busy the contractor is. Very busy, very high. What you're doing is a great way to go, I did bay install under my vintage terrazzo kitchen floor and it's great. But a good chunk of your price there is the fancy heater. I did a lot of homework because some told me it wouldn't work in an uninsulated brick house. I ended up doing what horrified some of the purists, just set it as a zone of regular 180deg water from the house boiler. Can't do that with the flooring based or plates, but you can with bay hung. As for worrying about power outages, unpowered hot water is becoming rarer with all these fancy devices anyway. Are you really worried about HW if you have no heat?
Posted on: 2015/2/19 23:13
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Re: Radiant heat cost
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Home away from home
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Posted on: 2015/2/19 22:45
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Radiant heat cost
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Newbie
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i'm being quoted $20k plus for a two zone radiant heat system covering roughly 2500 square feet on two floors. Installation will be in-joist and the joists are currently exposed. this includes high efficiency navien tankless boiler/hot water heater and all the plumbing. We will be preserving existing wood flooring over plywood subfloor for the majority of the space.
then i went to this site which makes it seem like the price should well be under $10k http://www.radiantec.com/pricing/ballpark-estimates.php can anyone weigh in?
Posted on: 2015/2/19 22:25
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