Radiant-Floor Heating/Cooling

[KZ76017]

If you're sleeping on the floor, why not just heat/cool the floor?

Hydronic Radiant-Floor Heating

Radiant floors can be installed almost anywhere. Radiant tubing is pneumatically stapled to a conventionally framed plywood subfloor before being covered with a thin concrete slab. Flooring choices include wood or carpet.

Living in a house with radiant-floor heating can almost make you forget that it's winter outside. I can't think of any other heating system that is as comfortable. Like a campfire on a cool night, heated floors deliver warmth to the skin and clothing without overheating and drying out the surrounding air.

Although usually associated with thick concrete slabs, hydronic radiant systems are now versatile enough to install underneath almost any type of finish flooring.

Warmboard's innovative approach.
Warmboard combines a structural subfloor and a thermodynamically sophisticated radiant floor heat panel into an elegantly simple system. Warmboard begins with a stiff, strong, 1-1/8" thick, 4' X 8' sheet of tongue and groove, weather-resistant plywood. A modular pattern of channels is cut into the top surface. A thick sheet of aluminum is stamped to match the channel pattern and is permanently bonded to each panel. As a structural building element, Warmboard is an APA-rated subfloor panel, ICC ER-5525, that can be sawed, screwed, nailed, glued or otherwise used in conventional platform framed construction.

New materials and installation techniques make hydronic heating adaptable to a great range of flooring choices. Although a complete hydronic under-floor heating system requires a boiler, manifolds and controls, this article focuses on tubing installation.

Radiant Floor Cooling
Radiant floor tubing can also be used to cool a house, but presently it is only appropriate for dry climates. The floor temperature is held at 68o F (20o C) by using either a small cooling machine (chiller) connected to the floor tubing or the steady 55o F (13 o C) temperature of the ground by means of an earth loop. In arid climates, the cool floor can be used to supplement or replace standard ducted air systems. However, in humid climates, problems with over-cooling the floor could lead to wet slippery surfaces and fungus growth. Radiant floor cooling technology is still in the experimental stages in most areas, but is rapidly gaining popularity in Europe where cooling needs are generally small.

Cost of Radiant Floor Heating
The cost of installing a hydronic radiant floor is approximately $4.00 to $6.00 per square foot ($40-$60 per square meter). This fluctuates depending on the size of the room, the type of installation, the floor covering, remoteness of the site, and the cost of labor.

I might use this type of system. Maybe if you could just fill it with hot or cold water before you go to bed it would hold for the rest of the night with good insulation. Or maybe just plant an electric blanket under the floor. What do you think guys?

[Ron Dickey]

I lived in a house with that kind of floor. Univ. housing heating pipe ran from house to house. You could see where the pipe ran in the snow.

I would think that the pump and the pipes and the liquid would add a lot of weight making one cut out other luxuaries to compensate.

Now if you were the angry type you could just heat it with your head.
just kidding

Ron D.

[KZ76017]

No pump required if you just heat the water and plug it up and it was well insulated maybe it would last long enough to keep you warm.
or maybe we could just hook it up to the coffee maker.

[BrianB]

The only reason I don't think this would work in a tear is because you have a big thick mattress covering the entire floor, blocking all heat emitted by your tubing. Maybe put it in the wall?

[Arne]

Most try to build light.. now, we are adding cement and fluids?

I wouldn't bother, but I do see some possibility of channels in the wall to blow warm air through. Problem is would need insulation on the outside of the channels.... thicker walls. But, warmer walls would be nice.