Help: Does anyone have experience with Steffes Electric Thermal Storage heating systems? These units heat ceramic bricks (during “off peak” hours) & return heat via radiators, in floor tubing or ducted air. Off peak rate here in Colorado is very cheap. What are the construction steps for doing in floor tubing “Pex” on a “slab”? Assume I would need to insulate below slab.
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Years ago, I worked for a (now defunct) competitor of Stennes. Our furnaces functioned with the same concept of off-peak heating, except they used river rocks for storing the heat instead of ceramic bricks.
These kinds of furnaces can work quite well, if you can get good off-peak rates from your electric company. Make sure you run the numbers carefully to find out how long the payback period will be. I do believe that in extremely cold weather the heating elements may have to come on during the day if the bricks cool off too much, which will cost you, but if the furnace is sized correctly that should be pretty uncommon.
One quirk I remember from our furnaces (and I believe the Stennes furnaces will do the same thing) is that you have to be careful using aerosol spray paints or similar products while the furnace is running...if the paint vapor gets on the hot bricks or the heating elements, it makes a real big stink that has to burn off over time.