radiant heat response times; hard water
I’m sure this has come up a million times before, but I didn’t turn up any threads in a search. Basically, two simple questions
How long will it take with a a decent boiler and radiant tubing in an insulated slab on grade to get the temperature in the house up? I know that’s pretty vague, but I’m just looking for general information compared to say, forced air or firing up the woodstove.
Also, we have hard water with lots of copper. Should I use a closed system with a heat exchanger to avoid sending the mineralized water down my in-slab tubes? If so, what fluid should I have in the tubes?
Thanks,
Tom
Replies
The quicky answer is, more than a few hours, probably less than a full day.
Do another search and look for low mass and high mass. Use the Advanced Search button (near the top of the index frame on the left), not the Search button at the bottom of the frame.
Adding "mass" to my search helped. Still a lot to consider.
From one perspective, the mass is a negative. We often want to let the temperature fall and keep the heating off for a few days and then warm things up quickly when we get home.
On the other hand, we have a fairly moderate climate - rarely real hot or real cold - so the heater might not run that much.
We may eventually rent the house out as a vacation rental (weekenders) and I'm a little afraid that they'll want an extra couple of degrees and they'll keep pushing the thermostat out of impatience, and then find themselves broiling in the middle of the night.
The only house I've ever been in with in-floor radiant heat was my grandmother's and it didn't seem like anything so great to me, but 90% of the people who have it seem to think it's fantastic.
A lot of pondering to do.
Tom
Probably a couple hours b/4 the slab heats up, then you need the time to heat the "area". I have it in the slab and think it's the greatest, this from NW Ohio. As a rental...................? Reminds me of when my inlaws would watch my daughter. You know old folks, cold sometimes. They'd bump the thermostat.......and as you guessed.......I'd get home to a sweltering inferno. Response is slow, but constant temp is very nice. A wood stove in a rental?...............gutsy move.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I'm not near gutsy enough to put a woodstove in a rental. No way. I was just looking for comparatives.
It will almost certainly be gas heat. It's just the delivery method that I'm debated (radiant floor, forced air, etc).
Tom
You might be able to putz with the controls or brain of the system to simplify it for the novice. There were no setbacks nor outdoor input devices when I put the system in my house. I usually use a masonry heater in the fall and spring for my on call needs, utilize the RFH when winter sets in. Throw passive solar into the mix and I do some heat tweaking from october thru april. Personal control over automation. Ah well, gotta do something other than sit here and read.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time