Need Radiant Heat PLUS Forced Air?
We are building a new 2800 sq. ft. ranch home in southwest Pennsylvania and would really like hot water radiant heat throughout and in the basement. We also want A/C. We are being told by one contractor that there will be one month in the spring and one in the fall when the radiant won’t work well enough alone and that we should install a supplementary forced air heat system for those months.
They’re saying that to keep it warm enough at night, it will be too hot during the day and we’ll end up opening windows during the day and it will be uncomfortable.
I know we will probably need to pay for ducts to get a central air system, but can anybody with radiant experience comment on the need for a supplementary forced air furnace system? We really want radiant, but I don’t want to put in another gas furnace if not needed. We don’t have THAT much extra $$
I should also mention that in the future we expect to have “free” gas because of some gas mineral rights on the property that are reverting to us, so energy efficiency is not the biggest consideration here for the heat. We just have heard so many good things about radiant.
Any thoughts? THANKS!!
Replies
Well, here's one 16 yr user info.
We built a passive solar/radiant heat/ no ac house in 90. We struggled (lightly) through those couple days of the summer when the temp didn't get below 78 and high humidity. 4 or 5 years ago the wife insisted and I concurred, a window ac for our BR. I got the biggest (11000BTU) I could fit in the casement window. Surprise surprise, it cools the whole house 2700 sf with open ceiling great room. And, at a dollar a day here in HI KW NW Oh.
Originally we knew the radiant in the slab would do fine in winter. Thinking about spring and fall we added a Masonry Heater. That's what we use for those months. Quicker to heat, yet still radiant enough to moderate (by us with size of burn) and produce lasting warmth w/o constant fueling.
How about a heat pump with radiant and think about ground or pond source?
Proper shading and deciduous trees enable us to use the passive sun heat a little easier than a house in the middle of no where. Proper orientation is the key to that working right. An attic fan keeps us cool in the spring, bearable summer and early fall. Pulls the indoor temp about that of the outside at nite, and the gain in the day is only a couple degrees.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Having been around dozens of radiant systems, and probably a dozen contractors that install them, this is the first time I've ever heard about needing a secondary heating system for spring and fall. None of our past clients have ever brought up anything.
It's puzzling, but definitely won't change any of my recommendations to clients.
:-)
If you're going to have central AC, then the house will be fully ducted. You can have a hot water coil in the AC duct that is fed from the gas boiler for quick heatup when needed. With the proper electronic controls, this could override the call for radiant heat when the difference between the room temp and the thermostat set point is, for example, more than 2 or 3 degrees F. This would give you the "quick" heat you need when needed and you still have the radiant floors.