Replies

1. 
   fdampier5 | Apr 25, 2003 09:11pm | #1

   danger!!!!!

     In a cabin (I assume not a full time residence)  there is the risk of power going out.. when that happens if you have water in the radiant lines there will be freezing.. Don't run that risk.. If you are going to use electric resistant in floor radiant heat then the shift to the plumbing..

2. 
   johnnyd | Apr 25, 2003 09:40pm | #2

   sawdust:

   a more specific forum:

   http://www.radiantpanelassociation.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

   also, you can run glycol in the pipes for freeze protection.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/25/2003 2:41:40 PM ET by johnnyd

3. 
   Paularado | Apr 25, 2003 10:22pm | #3

   Is this a full-time residence or weekend place? Will you be heating it all the time or just when you are there? The reason I ask is that heating up a slab takes a while, like probably a minimum of 8 hours. That won't work too well if this is a weekend place and if you plan to turn the heat off and on.

   We have radiant heat in our basement slab and it was easy to prep and easy to lay the pipe. We insulated with rigid foam insulation and put a vapor barrier in there somewhere (its been a while). Then we put down 6"x6" wire mesh and layed out the pipe (Kitex PEX) according to the diagram done by the PEX supplier. The pipe was clipped onto the the mesh. Oh, we also insulated along the outside wall where the slab goes to reduce heat loss through the wall. Our plumber set up the boiler and all of that part of it. Zones are not a problem, they just add some extra cost. Make sure you put in sensors for outdoor resets, or whatever they're called. Sorry, I forget all this stuff.

1. 
   eckbergb | Apr 25, 2003 10:39pm | #4

   thanks for your reply, the place is planed for part-time use so it would have to have some sort of heat running so as not to freeze.

1. 
   Paularado | Apr 25, 2003 10:53pm | #5

   Our old cabin was really small, I mean really small. Space was at a premium. We used a direct-vent wall furnace to heat the whole thing (yep, all 486 sq ft of it! :-) ) That furnace had an optional blower, that ran on electricity, but the heat part worked without electricity. It was nice to know that if the power went out, the heat wouldn't.

   If I were building a part time residence, I would build it so that the the water could be drained when I left. In our previous house, we used to always drain the water if we left for the weekend in winter. Just peace of mind for paranoid folks I guess! Can't do that in the new place, but oh well.

4. 
   Wet_Head | Apr 26, 2003 03:33am | #6

   Ignore the posts about freezing.  Just antifreeze it.  Get it designed as such and check the antifreeze every year for PH and you will never freeze up.

1. 
   Mongo | Apr 26, 2003 04:57am | #7

   Like Wethead said...

   Also, depending on the climate, the quality of construction, the the amount of solar gain, even with no heat, the outside temp may very well have to get well below freezing and stay thee for several days for the slab to get to a below freezing temperature.

   There are remote monitoring and controlling devices (affordable, too) that allow you to turn heat on by using a phone. A good way to make up for the temp lag that Paula described.

1. 
   Wet_Head | Apr 26, 2003 05:33am | #8

   You bring up a good point.  It is my personal belief that the threat of freezing tube in a slab is way overrated... but I can't prove it.  Some day I will find a situation that will allow me to test it.

1. 
   TooManyTools | Apr 26, 2003 05:58am | #9

   Hey Wet Head, are you still in Delta.  I'm heading your way Monday.

1. 
   Wet_Head | Apr 26, 2003 07:19am | #11

   Delta/Olathe area.

   Wanna hook up for coffee or lunch?  Lemme know at [email protected] and I'll e-mail you my phone numbers.

2. 
   Mongo | Apr 26, 2003 06:16am | #10

   In a remote, partial-use cabin? Yeah, I'd do it, just for the warm and fuzzy.

   Several years ago there was a monster ice storm in nothern New England, up into Canada. I friend was without power for 12 days. Her house is slightly better than average construction with good solar orientation. I don't recall the outside temps during the power outage, but I do remember the inside temps...after three days, her house stabilized: 53 degrees in the basement, 51 on the first floor, and  45 on the second floor.

   She blew out of town, came back a week later...the temps were the same.

   Not scientific in the least, but that's what she related to me.