I built my house 22 years ago and installed about 2000sf of radiant ...upstairs and in the garage. If anyone thinks that it isnt a good idea...or the most comfortable...they havent lived with it before. Its one of the few joys of winter for us. I am so glad that i installed it with a contractor friend...and it hasnt broken down ONCE! Buderus ng boiler good plan too.
Roger, where do you live? I'm curious. We hit -43 this winter here in Montana and my furnaces had trouble keeping up. I'm contemplating a move and build and this is one of the things I'm looking at.
@@rogerwhiting9310 Yeah, my dad was stationed there at Ft. Devens. I wound up there for training in the 70s with the Army. One of the fist two years of women to be trained in the field.
Good idea, thanks! I remodeled a 1500 sq.ft. house, slab on grade. Since I was putting new floor tile down throughout I opted to put about 300 sq.ft. of electric wire under the living/dining area. It's not the main source of heat for the house but it's a very pleasant supplement in the coldest winter periods. It was very cheap to purchase and I did the install (as well as the tiling) myself, with the help of an electrician to do the connection to the electrical panel. I'm very happy with the results. If I were building new I would strongly consider a water system throughout the entire house.
Great video! Another con as I understand it is that it's slow to heat the space, if the system is off and the house gets cold it takes a while to get comfortable, while a forced air system will blast toasty air in your face right away
We have a 3-story second home in Montana with water tube radiant heat in basement and second floor with electric on third floor. We have a wood boiler system. We kept the wood boiler but in November 2021 we added a propane hi-efficiency boiler system at a cost of $13,500. House is 2-years old. When we move there and live year round, I'll by pass the propane and use the wood boiler as I'll be there to cut wood (outdoor furnace used big logs, no splitting). I added a wye strainer, magnet, and system protective additive on boiler for $1,535. Over time iron deposits will scour boiler causing premature failure and leaks.
I like the warm floors but if you still have to install mini splits all over the place or install an air handler to install AC you might as well install either a mini split heat pump or a conventional forced air system. Running and maintaining a forced air is way cheaper than anything especially if you have natural gas in your area.
I'd say one thing he doesn't understand is radiant heat. You can super tune. Basically you can adjust flow rate. You can adjust temperature going out to individual zones depending on your setup. Also, you can do outdoor reset which means you can adjust the temperature up and down based on outdoor temperature. So as it gets hotter outside, you can run cooler water to your slab. Basically, if you do it correctly, you'll always have the perfect temperature
My house is one storey slab on grade as well. I have a furnace, and the heat is blown down from the ceiling. The floor remains pretty cold. The house is all one level, and I've occasionally entertained the idea of jacking it up about 20 cm, or one step, and putting in a new, raised floor. Then I could install floor heating on top of the concrete, underneath the new floor. I have a ceiling fan in every room except the bathroom, so air circulation isn't really a problem. I would think that would minimise the number of cold spots in a room. I've also toyed with the idea of installing mini splits to replace my furnace and air conditioner. My house is very small, only 75sq m, roughly the size of two 2-car garages.
Hi from NS! I noticed you mentioned air-to-water HP as a seldom-used option… seems like it solves a lot of the “cons” of radiant floor heating. You can use Solar for power, much more efficient than electric boiler, most HP can also be used for cooling, and there are a few ways to configure a system that preheats DHW too! Doesn’t help with the upfront cost though and you might run into the problem I’m having now of finding an experienced installer. Would love to see a video on that! Hint hint…
Thanks for the comment, Tim! Not something we get into too much here but we will definitely do a video once we try it out. We have looked into it for some projects but the cost took it off the table. Service is definitely something important to consider a well. There's nothing worse than having a system with poor or limited service when issues arise. Especially when you pay top dollar for it.
@@Theconsciousbuilder Thanks, I'm a bit concerned about about the service aspect also, but ThermAtlantic has an NS location so they might be a good local option. Wish me luck! 🤞🏼
NS vs MB. In Manitoba even with the latest Cold Climate Air Sourced Heat Pumps rated to -25 C to -30 C (relatively new and designers and builders are still learning more about their capabilities) it would be a bit of gamble to set up this air-to-water HP system in Manitoba.
@@joelbaldwin8289 Yeah no kidding, I might hesitate in MB also. I lived there for 5 yrs so I'm very familiar with the usual few weeks of -40C you get in Jan/Feb. Would definitely need to lean on boiler backup for the coldest part of the winter. If I take one of those Cold Climate HP and install in NS I should be OK though. I'm looking at a made-in-MB Arctic model right now for radiant heating/DHW preheat. Will probably hold off the on the hydronic cooling option though, it requires a 3rd tank and my mechanical room is running out of space! Going to go with a CERV for cooling instead (and ventilation and dehumidification and a bit of heating). If I'm going to gamble with one emerging product why not two, right? 😬
@@timmullen03 Huh, I was just on the Arctic Heat Pumps web site today, very good web site, loads of information. I would try and seek out some individuals that have installed both of the systems you would want to install and get some feedback from them. My dream is to be living in a Net Zero house that has a heated floor and I am walking on that floor in bare feet when it is -30 C outside.
Great video! We typically do wall mounted mini-splits in our Philadelphia remodels. That leaves certain rooms outside of our different zones. We'll install electric radiants in all of our bathrooms and it's phenomenal. Would love to try a whole house install like this soon!
Thanks for watching Bev! Yes, rugs are totally fine. There won't be any leaks in the slab. All joints are above the slab and the pipe is extremely durable. If an earthquake takes out your floor, I'm guessing there won't be much left of the rest of the building so this would be the least of my concerns!
I have a deck I want to tear out and put in a patio. It’s up against my garage. I’m thinking of putting a gazebo on it, temporary bar in the summer, Velcro on the corner posts and some really thick clear walls to enclose it in winter. (Michigan) fireplace etc. when I was a teen my dad put a wood burning stove in our house and connected it to the baseboard heat. Water plate, thermostat, and on the outside a water pump. Build fire, water temp rises, kicks on pump and bobs your uncle. I want to do this under my patio outside. In Michigan…. So ,,, either the fluid pumping throughout need to be partially anti freeze or I will need a quick disconnect to pump the water out when not in use. Looking at different rocket stove/water heater designs. Do you have any thoughts on this?
because of your design you risk the constant surety that your pipes will freeze which equals no heat. Using antifreeze in your pipes will only stink up the place and because it's a patio, the efficiency will be very low. You'll be spending more money heating your patio that way than the rest of your house. You just want to install two outdoor rated gas heating units one on each side of the patio. They come in many different forms and sizes. Some are forced air, others are "burner" type units. Remember, "it's all been done before." Don't try to get fancy and special and just do what has already proven to work.
In a new build, 1300 sq. foot bungalow to run in-floor radiant using a propane boiler, what should I expect it to cost - ballpark? If you want to run central a/c and need ducts for that, are you better off to just go with a standard propane furnace?
You'll have to reach out to a local HVAC contractor to get some numbers. If you're looking at strictly pricing, a standard propane furnace with an A/C would be much more cost effective than going radiant.
Seems like a User Programmable Multi-Zone Heat controller would be effective. Replace all the floor thermostats with a Multiple temperature sensor (wireless) PID controller running all the zones (so they don't compete) plus a few circulation fans between zones; A fairly simple Arduino project. something must already be Out There ?
circulation fans? Dude we're talking about radiant floor/radiator heat which is created through pipes and hot water. Radiant meaning it is simply heat which "radiates" from the hot pipes in the floor. Since pipes take time to heat up and cool down it is controlled simply with a thermostat. When the temperature ithe reaches the desired temp the boiler stops heating the water, when the temp goes under, the boiler starts up and heats the water already in the pipes.
I can't say much about it since we have never used it. With the little I know about it though, your plans would have to be perfect to make it work. Any deviation or change while building could create a whole lot of extra work.
I am looking at a new workshop/garage build and am thinking radiant in floor heat. I was thinking of using a conventional small hot water tank powered by solar to provide base level heating for the building. My thinking is the solar would heat up the system during the day and obviously provide no heat at night. The pumps could even be tapped off the panels so the circulation stops when the sun goes down. I would not be trying to keep the building at 20C or anything, just trying to come up with a green/economical way to keep the frost out of the building throughout the winter without racking up high gas or electric bills.
First thing you will need to do is make sure it's sealed and insulated well. Assuming it is, the easiest and most cost effective option would be to do baseboard heating. If electricity in your area is expensive and this is something you want to use for a long time, you may want to do a cold climate ductless minisplit which would also give you A/C. If you plan on redoing the floor, you could also do electric radiant heat and put tile over it.
Thanks for this helpful video. I’m in the UK and looking at buying a house which has ground floor underfloor heating, wet system linked to gas boiler. Radiators upstairs. I’m worried about how much it might cost to run the underfloor heating compared to gas central heating. Due to energy costs here, I try to keep my current heating off unless I really need to have it on when it is very cold. Any advice welcome. Thank you.
Question: we have 2k sqft of radiant water heating, but run with propane. Very expensive. We are thinking to use a heat pump. Thoughts on switching propane for a heat pump?
Hi there! Are there non-toxic, PVC-free tubing/piping options for this? I’m having trouble finding what the tubing is made of, but I don’t like the idea of plastics warming up under the floor. Any advice? :) Thank you for sharing your expertise on radiant floors!
You can use copper, but bear in mind, the pipes only get to about 90F-100F. 120F is what your common hot water is set at from the factory. Most people use PEX which is a cross linked Polyethylene plastic. Sounds like a relative of the plastic used for milk bottles.
I would ask an energy advisor in your area if you can find one. There are a lot of unique factors that go into finding the answer! Best to consider the whole house as a system and model it with the climate there.
I'm in looking to develop a fully electric gas free home that's over insulated and airtight, with a solid PV Array. I'm guessing I'd end up using some form of Heat Pump water heater to power my interior radiant floors.
No you just install an electric boiler so that you use electricity to heat up the water which goes into the pipes of your radiant floor system. The only reason people use gas boilers is because in most areas natural gas is much cheaper to run than electricity but it does depend on where you live. Most people live in places where electricity is significantly more expensive than gas (electricity comes from expensive power plants, natural gas is basically siphoned from the ground) and so to save money in the winter (since there is no such thing as a gas powered air conditioner) they go with gas for heating.
Heat pumps are the best combination with radiation floors since they like to run continuously on low temperatures. Floor heating is excellent for that. Cheaper to run than gas because the higher COP.
My passive home architect is recommending against in floor heating because they say the additional insulation will result in the system not coming on very much. So the for won’t feel warm like we would expect? Thoughts?
If your home needs heat, it will come on. And if that heat happens to be radiant floor heat, then the floors will be warm. I am aware of a certified passive home here in Ottawa that was built in 2008 and the radiant floors work great!
I wonder if you can set the circulating temperature lower so that the thermostat calls for the heat to be on more. Might be a potential energy penalty, though...
Great and informative video! What would be sensible way of adding electric floor heating to a home that just has carpets/hardwood and baseboards / forced air?
We run electric heated floors under tiles all the time in bathrooms but have not done it under any other surfaces because electricity is expensive where we build and electric resistance heat is not efficient. I'm not sure this would be the best solution if you want heated floors. I would need to know more details.
Doesn't sharing the load between solar, LP, or natural gas offset the initial cost of heated flooring & nose bleeding cost of a full capacity solar system? Sure, I know that it's supposed to pay for itself, but does it really, with replacing batteries, solar pannels & the other electrical accessories? I'm really interested, because I am going to making that decision myself soon. Thanks
I like to keep the house cool all year 63-68f. Don’t much like those independent aircon units they never seem to cool things equally. My main concerns are 1- I usually turn off my heat early April but of course there can be cold snaps, don’t usually turn it on until mid November. Can these ambient systems be safely turned on and off like forced air whenever you like? Do you have to drain the system when not using it? Is that easy? Cheap? Or can the water be left in the system and it won’t freeze. 2- Are these systems cheap and easy to service when they break? I am looking at a house with electric water floor heating and no central aircon! It’s the one thing turning me off. I live in Quebec.
Radiant systems should be closed loops and should not need to be drained. The tubes themselves should not break. Only issues we have ever had with hydronic radiant heat is air locks or somebody puncturing the tubes by mistake. The heating unit itself could always fail too but that's no different than a forced air system. If it's water, there's always a possibility of them freezing but only if you allow it to get below freezing for long periods inside the house.
If I already poured my concrete slab how could I run radiant heat? Is there any way? I am having regrets of not installing it after learning more about it. Thanks for the video.
There's no way to put it in your floor at this point but you could do probably something on top! You would have to cover it though. For example, if you're doing it in a house, you could do electric cables and tile over it OR you could do water pipes and then do another pour on top. Either option may cause height issues for you though and with the overpour option you'll need to make sure it adheres properly.
I have radiant heat- 2 zones and side boards in three added additional rooms. Central air also added later in attic. I’d like to replace flooring. I have carpet (which looks like plywood underneath, carpet is incredible condition for age just dated) and ceramic tiles in kitchen and bath. One room has smartcore? Which gets so warm every room mate I’ve had opens the windows in winter:( I use to be upset, then moved into room myself and now I get it. It’s hot. I’m considering covering ceramic tile rather than removing, how will this effect the radiant heat? What kind of flooring do I need. Not sure when it was installed, house was built in 1946 like a bomb shelter brick, concrete and steel joists. I’ve owned since 2014 with only one issue needed a new fuse for boiler. I’d like to up date I’m a diy and don’t want to make mistakes or more work. After years of forced air I love the radiant heat. But would really like a fresh look.
iI you put more material between the radiant heat and the top of the floor, it will take longer to heat up. If that room is hotter, this may be a good idea. Depending on what you cover with though, this may also just add more mass which will have it holding the heat longer as well once it is warmed up.
I have an idea based off using heat from a Peltier unit used to cool a room, or a fridge etc, and water cooling the hot side, and using that heated water to heat floors. Thoughts?
@@Theconsciousbuilder thanks! If I ever find some time, I will! Maybe skip the Peltier and go straight to water cooling a crypto mining rig, with the floor as the heat exchanger. Not sure how well that would go in summer..
Great video! I was the aerobarrier tech that you worked with in October. Just wondering with regards to separating potable water from floor heating water, say you had a reverse osmosis rainwater collection system that fed to a separate tap for potable water (as well as directly fed to an ice machine in a fridge or any other necessary 'potable' sources) would you then be able to combine your hot water tank for showering and washing dishes with the hot water tank for heating the floors? Thanks!
Hi Stewart! Thanks for watching:) You can use the same hot water tank BUT you'll need to separate the floor loop from the potable water. This is done with a heat exchanger and a couple pumps. The floor loop would still stay as a closed loop. When it calls for heat, the two pumps will kick on. One will start circulation water through a loop from the hot water tank to the heat exchanger and back. The other will run the floor loop which also runs through the heat exchanger. This allows the heat to be transfered from the water in the tank to the water for the floor loop without mixing the water.
i bought house and have radiant heat flooring but how do you turn the heat on? i have baseboard radiators and main thermostat. Do i turn on one of the radiators upstairs and gets the floor heating to run or?? any switch ?
I'm not sure how the system is hooked up, so I can't say, but typically the thermostat (or thermostats) are connected to pumps that turn on and off as needed and they will run different zones. If everything is on but some rads or areas aren't working, they may be airlocked.
Nice job on the video, informative and thorough. One question - how would these systems affect the resale value of the home overall? Is there an up tick? Thank you.
Thanks for watching! I believe these systems add value as people see radiant heat as a premium way to heat a home, however, I would talk to real estate agents in your area to see what the market is actually saying.
Whether you heat with radiant or not, you'll need to install an ERV (or HRV) and build a wall assembly that can dry in both directions. The building science still stays the same.
Very informative! I'm wondering about repairs. What is the likelihood that these systems will have leaks? Similar to the home you showed here, we are considering radiant heat under concrete floors. It looks wonderful, but then I imagine having to rip up that concrete if there is ever a leak.
"if there is ever a leak" It is no problem fixing leaks, usually only a small area has to be uncovered. Usually the location of the leak is obvious, because it is caused by a known intervention (e.g. drilling). If the location is not know, it can be found with thermal imaging.
I laid electric in my tiny house. Ambient heat is needed I'm finding. Also I am finding a heat mat is cold. I'd be interested in knowing if the mats rotate causing a cold mat? Warm feet by thermosoft under a floating wood laminate flooring
How many mats in your system? we install the electric radiant mats in bathrooms or laundry rooms where we're not getting any heat from our mini splits. They're almost never as warm as hydronic heating systems, we've found. Never heard of one rotating. We install them and then immediately imbed them in mortar to protect them, and test frequently with a multimeter. We've never installed them directly under a floating laminate floor - I'd be worried about a potential thermal break!
Thanks for watching! I'm not sure I'm following this question. If I'm understanding correctly, the heated floor in your home is not providing enough heat. We do heat loss calculations on our projects to figure out what we need for heat and the system is designed to meet those requirements.
Heated floors for stick house are only made for cosmetic foot pleasure. It will not be enough to warm house during winter. You will need another system. Radiant floor heating only works in typical European building system (heavy, concrete and steel).
Thanks for the question Martha! Heated floors throughout a home is really nice as they can easily be zoned, however it can affect construction. The best way to do it is with a lightweight gypsum overpour on the framed floor which has the tubes installed (assuming we're talking about a hydronic system). You could also install between the floor joists but it won't be as effective.
You forgot to mention that when using multiple HVAC mini split systems, you have redundancy. If one unit fails in the middle of hot Summer, you still have the lability to cool living space with the other units.
You can t cool your whole house with only half mini split systems working. It’s impractical for everyone to sit in one or two rooms of a house if others are not cool.
@@ToddBizCoach I use this method in a one bedroom apartment and per floor in a three bedroom home. The idea is that if one unit fails, there is still some cooling available while waiting for repair.
With a water tube based system is there still electricity throughout along with tubes or is it just tubes? Would prefer not to have electricity running everywhere
Thanks for sharing this information. Looking for your suggestions, a builder is building a new house in Alberta and are considering to install (at least the rough-in) for the hydronic system for a (600-ft2) basement. Do you have any rough idea about specs I should ask from the builder (for the insulation and the piping)? How much do you think I should budget for the rough-in? Regards, Hector
Not sure what costs are out there but running the pipes should be minimal. Most of the cost would come with all the pumps and labour to hook everything up.
Depends on how the radiant floor is installed. Over the subfloor or under? Or is this in a concrete floor? In either case it will add some additional work and would require from rerouting of the lines to accommodate the bathroom.
Me watching the pros list: yes. Yes. Yes. Oh man, the cons are gonna suck aren't they? He's about to drop some knowledge that's going to change my whole plan here. [lists cons] me: oh.... Ok. I can live with that! Thanks for this video. Just moved into a 1977 build home with brand new (2021) boiler but the old 70s floor radiators and my HVAC guy said since we are planning to redo all the floors in the house (bye bye parquet floors) that we could easily drop radiant floor heating in at that time. But we also need to level out the floors quiet a bit. Question: Does the lightweight gypsum act as a self leveler as well? Solving 2 problems at once for me.
Haha it's great to give good news! Yes, lightweight gypsum does act as a self leveller as well. It does require some work though, It’s not just like you pour it and leave it. You need to work it a little. Sounds like that's going to be a very nice upgrade to the current situation!
@@Theconsciousbuilder perfect, yeah I'm very excited to get this old house up to modern standards! We'll probably have the heating company pour the gypsum and level the floors so we can put floors in ourselves. Somethings are worth paying the pros to do
What uses more electricity to heat a 900sq ft house at -35 C temperatures. A electric furnace or a electric boiler with in concrete floor heat? What's the price difference?
Good question! You would need to speak with an HVAC designer or Energy Advisor to model the home and figure out which option uses more electricity, however, I would suspect that the electric furnce would use more because the radiant heat is more comfortable and does not need to run as often. Radiant heat will cost more to install though. And if you need A/C then you'll also be paying for that. Thanks for watching!
I don't see why not. I'm assuming the solar system is feeding the grid though and you're pulling power from the grid. Otherwise you'll be using batteries and electric boilers use a lot of power.
The radiant panels that go on top of or replace subfloor can respond a lot quicker than a radiant slab. Can use them on top of a slab also. I'm going to go with a mix, in-slab on main floor and panels in loft and see what happens.
It would depend on the design and the renovation plan. If you're going to be gutting the entire home, you could go with something like WarmBoard. Keep in mind that radiant heat won't provide A/C though so you need to factor this into your HVAC plan!
we are building a new home and are using radiant heat in the basement. We were planning on using LVP for the floors but at a Home Show last weekend, one of the flooring reps said that it was recently announced that LVP is no longer recommended over radiant floors. Can you comment or give any suggestions. We know we could do ceramic but it's more expensive and would be very hard to walk on. House is on a lake so we want something to hold up to kids running in and out from the lake.
You can install anything as long as whatever you install can be installed over a heated floor without affecting the warranty. Our clients normally choose engineered hardwood or tile.
I'm not sure I understand the question but I will answer what I believe you are asking. Solar is converted to electricity. If you have solar panels that you are using electricity from, the source for heating would then be electricity, not solar. The solar provides the electricity.
Missed a bunch of cons. First, running water thru pex is just waiting for the leaks to happen as pex does degrade after heating and cooling. Plus you really can't do carpet (at least not well), which makes the rooms louder as the hard floors reflect sounds, as well as things dropped break vs bounce more for carpet. Also as with all water pipes there is the possibility of freezing and damage that comes from it. As people have found out with power being down for a week with freezing temps, interior pipes burst and can crack solid floors. That's just a few cons that were left out.
Terrific video. Lots of useful info. I have a question about which TYPE of concrete to use in the slab. I live in Southern California where radiant floor heating is still a curiosity. I'm pouring a 2" slab over my existing slab, and this will be my finished floor. I'm told I can go with Gyp-Crete, or Lightweight, or ful-fat. Any suggestions? Thanks.
For an overpour you can definitely use a lightweight option. You'll just want to make sure the current surface is prepped properly and that the product you're putting over top is done as per the manufactueres instructions. We use standard concrete rated to whatever the stamped plans say. If we do an overpour on a framed floor, we would use something like Gyp-crete.
That's not something that's allowed as the main source of heat where we live as it requires somebody to be present. We also can't rely on wood as the main source of heat. We can use both options but also need to have another source that will work if nobody is home.
@@Theconsciousbuilder lol, not allowed? You have no idea of my system what I have done or how it works. I guess that was your easy way out. That's ok. I heat a 60x40 shop, with infloor hot water heater with a pellet stove through 80 gallon indirect hot water tank with a propane 199000 btu tankless temperature @ 115 f for emergency only or if the pellet stove runs out. Switches automatically when no one is home. My own design, been working flawlessly for 6 years now.. 8 300 foot runs, 2 zones, 3 pumps one for low loss header. 1 pump circulation continuously from pellet stove trough indirect storrage tank. Constant 66.3 floor temp ambient -20 c
Would a propane 30 gal water heater in a closed loop do the trick for radiant heat of about 1200 sq ft.? Or do you think an instant propane water heater or propane boiler work better?
There are many factors so no professional worth their salt is going to give you a quote without understanding the scope of your specific project. If you're in the Ottawa area, please feel free to reach out with the details via our project inquiry page: www.theconsciousbuilder.com/project-inquiries or find a local pro in your area. Good luck with your project!
I built my house 22 years ago and installed about 2000sf of radiant ...upstairs and in the garage. If anyone thinks that it isnt a good idea...or the most comfortable...they havent lived with it before. Its one of the few joys of winter for us. I am so glad that i installed it with a contractor friend...and it hasnt broken down ONCE! Buderus ng boiler good plan too.
Roger, where do you live? I'm curious. We hit -43 this winter here in Montana and my furnaces had trouble keeping up. I'm contemplating a move and build and this is one of the things I'm looking at.
@@rhiahlMT Massachusetts
@@rogerwhiting9310 Thanks! I was born in Ayer, MA. 😁
@Rhiahl been there many times. I spent years at UMass Amherst also.
@@rogerwhiting9310 Yeah, my dad was stationed there at Ft. Devens. I wound up there for training in the 70s with the Army. One of the fist two years of women to be trained in the field.
Good idea, thanks!
I remodeled a 1500 sq.ft. house, slab on grade. Since I was putting new floor tile down throughout I opted to put about 300 sq.ft. of electric wire under the living/dining area. It's not the main source of heat for the house but it's a very pleasant supplement in the coldest winter periods. It was very cheap to purchase and I did the install (as well as the tiling) myself, with the help of an electrician to do the connection to the electrical panel. I'm very happy with the results. If I were building new I would strongly consider a water system throughout the entire house.
Great video! Another con as I understand it is that it's slow to heat the space, if the system is off and the house gets cold it takes a while to get comfortable, while a forced air system will blast toasty air in your face right away
Correct. Set it and forget it.
We have a 3-story second home in Montana with water tube radiant heat in basement and second floor with electric on third floor. We have a wood boiler system. We kept the wood boiler but in November 2021 we added a propane hi-efficiency boiler system at a cost of $13,500. House is 2-years old. When we move there and live year round, I'll by pass the propane and use the wood boiler as I'll be there to cut wood (outdoor furnace used big logs, no splitting). I added a wye strainer, magnet, and system protective additive on boiler for $1,535. Over time iron deposits will scour boiler causing premature failure and leaks.
No anodes installed??
I like the warm floors but if you still have to install mini splits all over the place or install an air handler to install AC you might as well install either a mini split heat pump or a conventional forced air system. Running and maintaining a forced air is way cheaper than anything especially if you have natural gas in your area.
Thank you for this vid. I got curious about how its done but didn't want a video with everything you need to know.
I'd say one thing he doesn't understand is radiant heat. You can super tune. Basically you can adjust flow rate. You can adjust temperature going out to individual zones depending on your setup. Also, you can do outdoor reset which means you can adjust the temperature up and down based on outdoor temperature. So as it gets hotter outside, you can run cooler water to your slab. Basically, if you do it correctly, you'll always have the perfect temperature
My house is one storey slab on grade as well. I have a furnace, and the heat is blown down from the ceiling. The floor remains pretty cold. The house is all one level, and I've occasionally entertained the idea of jacking it up about 20 cm, or one step, and putting in a new, raised floor. Then I could install floor heating on top of the concrete, underneath the new floor. I have a ceiling fan in every room except the bathroom, so air circulation isn't really a problem. I would think that would minimise the number of cold spots in a room. I've also toyed with the idea of installing mini splits to replace my furnace and air conditioner. My house is very small, only 75sq m, roughly the size of two 2-car garages.
Just pour a light weight floor over the top of your floor with the heating tubes in it. It will only raise your floor 1 1/2 inches
There may be many options depending on what your goals are. This would require a longer conversation :)
Pro - no dust blowing around. So much easier to keep everything free of dust.
So true!
And no arid dry air or booming duct sounds.
Well put together. I don't normally comment but this video needs more exposure
Thank you Benjamin, appreciate it!
Hi from NS! I noticed you mentioned air-to-water HP as a seldom-used option… seems like it solves a lot of the “cons” of radiant floor heating. You can use Solar for power, much more efficient than electric boiler, most HP can also be used for cooling, and there are a few ways to configure a system that preheats DHW too! Doesn’t help with the upfront cost though and you might run into the problem I’m having now of finding an experienced installer. Would love to see a video on that! Hint hint…
Thanks for the comment, Tim! Not something we get into too much here but we will definitely do a video once we try it out. We have looked into it for some projects but the cost took it off the table. Service is definitely something important to consider a well. There's nothing worse than having a system with poor or limited service when issues arise. Especially when you pay top dollar for it.
@@Theconsciousbuilder Thanks, I'm a bit concerned about about the service aspect also, but ThermAtlantic has an NS location so they might be a good local option. Wish me luck! 🤞🏼
NS vs MB. In Manitoba even with the latest Cold Climate Air Sourced Heat Pumps rated to -25 C to -30 C (relatively new and designers and builders are still learning more about their capabilities) it would be a bit of gamble to set up this air-to-water HP system in Manitoba.
@@joelbaldwin8289 Yeah no kidding, I might hesitate in MB also. I lived there for 5 yrs so I'm very familiar with the usual few weeks of -40C you get in Jan/Feb. Would definitely need to lean on boiler backup for the coldest part of the winter. If I take one of those Cold Climate HP and install in NS I should be OK though. I'm looking at a made-in-MB Arctic model right now for radiant heating/DHW preheat. Will probably hold off the on the hydronic cooling option though, it requires a 3rd tank and my mechanical room is running out of space! Going to go with a CERV for cooling instead (and ventilation and dehumidification and a bit of heating). If I'm going to gamble with one emerging product why not two, right? 😬
@@timmullen03 Huh, I was just on the Arctic Heat Pumps web site today, very good web site, loads of information. I would try and seek out some individuals that have installed both of the systems you would want to install and get some feedback from them. My dream is to be living in a Net Zero house that has a heated floor and I am walking on that floor in bare feet when it is -30 C outside.
Great video! We typically do wall mounted mini-splits in our Philadelphia remodels. That leaves certain rooms outside of our different zones. We'll install electric radiants in all of our bathrooms and it's phenomenal. Would love to try a whole house install like this soon!
Not an expert but, I think a very big “PRO” is no dust. Some believe forced air can cause sinus infections
Good point! Thanks for watching!
Pros and cons, more Qs: having rugs on top ok? What if repairs/ leaks? What if in an earthquake zone?
Thanks for watching Bev! Yes, rugs are totally fine. There won't be any leaks in the slab. All joints are above the slab and the pipe is extremely durable. If an earthquake takes out your floor, I'm guessing there won't be much left of the rest of the building so this would be the least of my concerns!
what if the home is vacant in the winter? frozen lines in the foundation?
I have a deck I want to tear out and put in a patio. It’s up against my garage. I’m thinking of putting a gazebo on it, temporary bar in the summer, Velcro on the corner posts and some really thick clear walls to enclose it in winter. (Michigan) fireplace etc. when I was a teen my dad put a wood burning stove in our house and connected it to the baseboard heat. Water plate, thermostat, and on the outside a water pump. Build fire, water temp rises, kicks on pump and bobs your uncle. I want to do this under my patio outside. In Michigan…. So ,,, either the fluid pumping throughout need to be partially anti freeze or I will need a quick disconnect to pump the water out when not in use. Looking at different rocket stove/water heater designs. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Not something we have ever done but sounds super interesting. Send pics!
because of your design you risk the constant surety that your pipes will freeze which equals no heat. Using antifreeze in your pipes will only stink up the place and because it's a patio, the efficiency will be very low. You'll be spending more money heating your patio that way than the rest of your house. You just want to install two outdoor rated gas heating units one on each side of the patio. They come in many different forms and sizes. Some are forced air, others are "burner" type units. Remember, "it's all been done before." Don't try to get fancy and special and just do what has already proven to work.
In a new build, 1300 sq. foot bungalow to run in-floor radiant using a propane boiler, what should I expect it to cost - ballpark? If you want to run central a/c and need ducts for that, are you better off to just go with a standard propane furnace?
You'll have to reach out to a local HVAC contractor to get some numbers. If you're looking at strictly pricing, a standard propane furnace with an A/C would be much more cost effective than going radiant.
Unless you can build the system yourself. @@Theconsciousbuilder
I agree with everything except I'll be offsetting the cost via solar system
Seems like a User Programmable Multi-Zone Heat controller would be effective.
Replace all the floor thermostats with a Multiple temperature sensor (wireless) PID controller running all the zones (so they don't compete) plus a few circulation fans between zones; A fairly simple Arduino project. something must already be Out There ?
circulation fans? Dude we're talking about radiant floor/radiator heat which is created through pipes and hot water. Radiant meaning it is simply heat which "radiates" from the hot pipes in the floor. Since pipes take time to heat up and cool down it is controlled simply with a thermostat. When the temperature ithe reaches the desired temp the boiler stops heating the water, when the temp goes under, the boiler starts up and heats the water already in the pipes.
What do you think of warmboard out of CA
I can't say much about it since we have never used it. With the little I know about it though, your plans would have to be perfect to make it work. Any deviation or change while building could create a whole lot of extra work.
I am looking at a new workshop/garage build and am thinking radiant in floor heat. I was thinking of using a conventional small hot water tank powered by solar to provide base level heating for the building. My thinking is the solar would heat up the system during the day and obviously provide no heat at night. The pumps could even be tapped off the panels so the circulation stops when the sun goes down. I would not be trying to keep the building at 20C or anything, just trying to come up with a green/economical way to keep the frost out of the building throughout the winter without racking up high gas or electric bills.
Something like that could work. How much heat you need would depend on how well the building is built.
We want to turn our enclosed back porch into a room. What are our heating options? Thanks.
First thing you will need to do is make sure it's sealed and insulated well. Assuming it is, the easiest and most cost effective option would be to do baseboard heating. If electricity in your area is expensive and this is something you want to use for a long time, you may want to do a cold climate ductless minisplit which would also give you A/C. If you plan on redoing the floor, you could also do electric radiant heat and put tile over it.
Thanks for this helpful video. I’m in the UK and looking at buying a house which has ground floor underfloor heating, wet system linked to gas boiler. Radiators upstairs. I’m worried about how much it might cost to run the underfloor heating compared to gas central heating. Due to energy costs here, I try to keep my current heating off unless I really need to have it on when it is very cold. Any advice welcome. Thank you.
Question: we have 2k sqft of radiant water heating, but run with propane. Very expensive. We are thinking to use a heat pump. Thoughts on switching propane for a heat pump?
Hi there! Are there non-toxic, PVC-free tubing/piping options for this? I’m having trouble finding what the tubing is made of, but I don’t like the idea of plastics warming up under the floor. Any advice? :) Thank you for sharing your expertise on radiant floors!
Wondering the same here 🙂
They’re made of copper I think (mine are at least, they’re from the 80s though)
You can use copper, but bear in mind, the pipes only get to about 90F-100F. 120F is what your common hot water is set at from the factory. Most people use PEX which is a cross linked Polyethylene plastic. Sounds like a relative of the plastic used for milk bottles.
Andy Pace from the Green Design Centre may know: www.thegreendesigncenter.com/
I wonder how this system would be in the arctic, where i live is westcoast of alaska and we hit -60 in the winters
I would ask an energy advisor in your area if you can find one. There are a lot of unique factors that go into finding the answer! Best to consider the whole house as a system and model it with the climate there.
I'm in looking to develop a fully electric gas free home that's over insulated and airtight, with a solid PV Array. I'm guessing I'd end up using some form of Heat Pump water heater to power my interior radiant floors.
I have the same plan. Good luck!
What HRV do you have and how often do you have to change filters?
No you just install an electric boiler so that you use electricity to heat up the water which goes into the pipes of your radiant floor system. The only reason people use gas boilers is because in most areas natural gas is much cheaper to run than electricity but it does depend on where you live. Most people live in places where electricity is significantly more expensive than gas (electricity comes from expensive power plants, natural gas is basically siphoned from the ground) and so to save money in the winter (since there is no such thing as a gas powered air conditioner) they go with gas for heating.
Heat pumps are the best combination with radiation floors since they like to run continuously on low temperatures. Floor heating is excellent for that. Cheaper to run than gas because the higher COP.
Thanks
My passive home architect is recommending against in floor heating because they say the additional insulation will result in the system not coming on very much. So the for won’t feel warm like we would expect? Thoughts?
If your home needs heat, it will come on. And if that heat happens to be radiant floor heat, then the floors will be warm. I am aware of a certified passive home here in Ottawa that was built in 2008 and the radiant floors work great!
I wonder if you can set the circulating temperature lower so that the thermostat calls for the heat to be on more. Might be a potential energy penalty, though...
@GreenBuildingNetwork use an in floor thermostat instead of an air thermostat.
Great and informative video!
What would be sensible way of adding electric floor heating to a home that just has carpets/hardwood and baseboards / forced air?
We run electric heated floors under tiles all the time in bathrooms but have not done it under any other surfaces because electricity is expensive where we build and electric resistance heat is not efficient. I'm not sure this would be the best solution if you want heated floors. I would need to know more details.
Doesn't sharing the load between solar, LP, or natural gas offset the initial cost of heated flooring & nose bleeding cost of a full capacity solar system? Sure, I know that it's supposed to pay for itself, but does it really, with replacing batteries, solar pannels & the other electrical accessories? I'm really interested, because I am going to making that decision myself soon. Thanks
I like to keep the house cool all year 63-68f. Don’t much like those independent aircon units they never seem to cool things equally. My main concerns are 1- I usually turn off my heat early April but of course there can be cold snaps, don’t usually turn it on until mid November. Can these ambient systems be safely turned on and off like forced air whenever you like? Do you have to drain the system when not using it? Is that easy? Cheap? Or can the water be left in the system and it won’t freeze. 2- Are these systems cheap and easy to service when they break? I am looking at a house with electric water floor heating and no central aircon! It’s the one thing turning me off. I live in Quebec.
Radiant systems should be closed loops and should not need to be drained. The tubes themselves should not break. Only issues we have ever had with hydronic radiant heat is air locks or somebody puncturing the tubes by mistake. The heating unit itself could always fail too but that's no different than a forced air system. If it's water, there's always a possibility of them freezing but only if you allow it to get below freezing for long periods inside the house.
If I already poured my concrete slab how could I run radiant heat? Is there any way? I am having regrets of not installing it after learning more about it. Thanks for the video.
There's no way to put it in your floor at this point but you could do probably something on top! You would have to cover it though. For example, if you're doing it in a house, you could do electric cables and tile over it OR you could do water pipes and then do another pour on top. Either option may cause height issues for you though and with the overpour option you'll need to make sure it adheres properly.
I have radiant heat- 2 zones and side boards in three added additional rooms. Central air also added later in attic. I’d like to replace flooring. I have carpet (which looks like plywood underneath, carpet is incredible condition for age just dated) and ceramic tiles in kitchen and bath. One room has smartcore? Which gets so warm every room mate I’ve had opens the windows in winter:( I use to be upset, then moved into room myself and now I get it. It’s hot. I’m considering covering ceramic tile rather than removing, how will this effect the radiant heat? What kind of flooring do I need. Not sure when it was installed, house was built in 1946 like a bomb shelter brick, concrete and steel joists. I’ve owned since 2014 with only one issue needed a new fuse for boiler. I’d like to up date I’m a diy and don’t want to make mistakes or more work. After years of forced air I love the radiant heat. But would really like a fresh look.
iI you put more material between the radiant heat and the top of the floor, it will take longer to heat up. If that room is hotter, this may be a good idea. Depending on what you cover with though, this may also just add more mass which will have it holding the heat longer as well once it is warmed up.
I have an idea based off using heat from a Peltier unit used to cool a room, or a fridge etc, and water cooling the hot side, and using that heated water to heat floors. Thoughts?
If you can get enough heat from it, I don't see why it couldn't work.
@@Theconsciousbuilder thanks! If I ever find some time, I will! Maybe skip the Peltier and go straight to water cooling a crypto mining rig, with the floor as the heat exchanger. Not sure how well that would go in summer..
Great video! I was the aerobarrier tech that you worked with in October.
Just wondering with regards to separating potable water from floor heating water, say you had a reverse osmosis rainwater collection system that fed to a separate tap for potable water (as well as directly fed to an ice machine in a fridge or any other necessary 'potable' sources) would you then be able to combine your hot water tank for showering and washing dishes with the hot water tank for heating the floors?
Thanks!
Hi Stewart! Thanks for watching:) You can use the same hot water tank BUT you'll need to separate the floor loop from the potable water. This is done with a heat exchanger and a couple pumps. The floor loop would still stay as a closed loop. When it calls for heat, the two pumps will kick on. One will start circulation water through a loop from the hot water tank to the heat exchanger and back. The other will run the floor loop which also runs through the heat exchanger. This allows the heat to be transfered from the water in the tank to the water for the floor loop without mixing the water.
i bought house and have radiant heat flooring but how do you turn the heat on? i have baseboard radiators and main thermostat. Do i turn on one of the radiators upstairs and gets the floor heating to run or?? any switch ?
I'm not sure how the system is hooked up, so I can't say, but typically the thermostat (or thermostats) are connected to pumps that turn on and off as needed and they will run different zones. If everything is on but some rads or areas aren't working, they may be airlocked.
Nice job on the video, informative and thorough. One question - how would these systems affect the resale value of the home overall? Is there an up tick? Thank you.
Thanks for watching! I believe these systems add value as people see radiant heat as a premium way to heat a home, however, I would talk to real estate agents in your area to see what the market is actually saying.
Great info. What flooring system do you recommend
Thanks for watching! You can install anything as long as the warranty won’t be affected. Our clients normally choose engineered hardwood or tile.
@@Theconsciousbuilder : for tiles, what adhesive works better
Try to use air to water heat pump. It will give you heating-cooling-domestic....
Yes, we've looked into that but it's been cost prohibitive for our clients.
Living up here in Alaska. If I do a radiant heat in my off grid cabin. My biggest concern is mold please help
Whether you heat with radiant or not, you'll need to install an ERV (or HRV) and build a wall assembly that can dry in both directions. The building science still stays the same.
Very informative! I'm wondering about repairs. What is the likelihood that these systems will have leaks? Similar to the home you showed here, we are considering radiant heat under concrete floors. It looks wonderful, but then I imagine having to rip up that concrete if there is ever a leak.
"if there is ever a leak"
It is no problem fixing leaks, usually only a small area has to be uncovered. Usually the location of the leak is obvious, because it is caused by a known intervention (e.g. drilling). If the location is not know, it can be found with thermal imaging.
@@williamforsyth6667thank you!
In 20 years of construction, I have never had to rip up a floor to fix radiant heat. The tubes are very durable!
A different topic but wonder what are reasons for radiators not being popular in N America compared to Europe?
Good question. They are more expensive than forced air so my guess would be costs.
I laid electric in my tiny house. Ambient heat is needed I'm finding. Also I am finding a heat mat is cold. I'd be interested in knowing if the mats rotate causing a cold mat? Warm feet by thermosoft under a floating wood laminate flooring
How many mats in your system? we install the electric radiant mats in bathrooms or laundry rooms where we're not getting any heat from our mini splits. They're almost never as warm as hydronic heating systems, we've found. Never heard of one rotating. We install them and then immediately imbed them in mortar to protect them, and test frequently with a multimeter. We've never installed them directly under a floating laminate floor - I'd be worried about a potential thermal break!
Thanks for watching! I'm not sure I'm following this question. If I'm understanding correctly, the heated floor in your home is not providing enough heat. We do heat loss calculations on our projects to figure out what we need for heat and the system is designed to meet those requirements.
How many degrees can it heat?
Sorry, I'm not sure I understand the question. Ultimately the system would need to be designed to meet the heating demand of the home.
Should the second floor have heated floors aswell? Or is that something that you don't have worry about.
Heated floors for stick house are only made for cosmetic foot pleasure. It will not be enough to warm house during winter. You will need another system. Radiant floor heating only works in typical European building system (heavy, concrete and steel).
Thanks for the question Martha! Heated floors throughout a home is really nice as they can easily be zoned, however it can affect construction. The best way to do it is with a lightweight gypsum overpour on the framed floor which has the tubes installed (assuming we're talking about a hydronic system). You could also install between the floor joists but it won't be as effective.
@@Theconsciousbuilder I think I prefer the the hydronic system best. But we are still looking. Most likely in a log and timber home.
You can also combine floor heating with radiators on the second floor.
thanks v helpful
What about the need for an HRV and make-up air?
I don't have any personal experience with SABS and can't say I have looked into it much.
You forgot to mention that when using multiple HVAC mini split systems, you have redundancy. If one unit fails in the middle of hot Summer, you still have the lability to cool living space with the other units.
You can t cool your whole house with only half mini split systems working. It’s impractical for everyone to sit in one or two rooms of a house if others are not cool.
@@ToddBizCoach I use this method in a one bedroom apartment and per floor in a three bedroom home. The idea is that if one unit fails, there is still some cooling available while waiting for repair.
With a water tube based system is there still electricity throughout along with tubes or is it just tubes? Would prefer not to have electricity running everywhere
The tubes return to the boiler. Only electric is in the boiler itself. Water and glycol mix so it doesn't freeze and burst.
@@TheGuyOutdoors1 thank you
Thanks for sharing this information. Looking for your suggestions, a builder is building a new house in Alberta and are considering to install (at least the rough-in) for the hydronic system for a (600-ft2) basement.
Do you have any rough idea about specs I should ask from the builder (for the insulation and the piping)?
How much do you think I should budget for the rough-in?
Regards, Hector
Not sure what costs are out there but running the pipes should be minimal. Most of the cost would come with all the pumps and labour to hook everything up.
Radiant cooling I’ll let this sit here for you to think of it
That causes issues where we live. Cold surfaces and hot humid air cause condensation. We need to get rid of the hot humid air.
How difficult is it to add a bathroom to an existing house with radiant hydronic heat?
Depends on how the radiant floor is installed. Over the subfloor or under? Or is this in a concrete floor? In either case it will add some additional work and would require from rerouting of the lines to accommodate the bathroom.
Me watching the pros list: yes. Yes. Yes. Oh man, the cons are gonna suck aren't they? He's about to drop some knowledge that's going to change my whole plan here. [lists cons] me: oh.... Ok. I can live with that!
Thanks for this video. Just moved into a 1977 build home with brand new (2021) boiler but the old 70s floor radiators and my HVAC guy said since we are planning to redo all the floors in the house (bye bye parquet floors) that we could easily drop radiant floor heating in at that time. But we also need to level out the floors quiet a bit.
Question: Does the lightweight gypsum act as a self leveler as well? Solving 2 problems at once for me.
Haha it's great to give good news! Yes, lightweight gypsum does act as a self leveller as well. It does require some work though, It’s not just like you pour it and leave it. You need to work it a little. Sounds like that's going to be a very nice upgrade to the current situation!
@@Theconsciousbuilder perfect, yeah I'm very excited to get this old house up to modern standards! We'll probably have the heating company pour the gypsum and level the floors so we can put floors in ourselves. Somethings are worth paying the pros to do
Where are you located
We're based in Ottawa, ON Canada.
What uses more electricity to heat a 900sq ft house at -35 C temperatures. A electric furnace or a electric boiler with in concrete floor heat? What's the price difference?
Good question! You would need to speak with an HVAC designer or Energy Advisor to model the home and figure out which option uses more electricity, however, I would suspect that the electric furnce would use more because the radiant heat is more comfortable and does not need to run as often. Radiant heat will cost more to install though. And if you need A/C then you'll also be paying for that. Thanks for watching!
Is it possible to run a ambient system in a crawl space…. hooked up to a electric hot water boiler …. Ran by a solar system?
I don't see why not. I'm assuming the solar system is feeding the grid though and you're pulling power from the grid. Otherwise you'll be using batteries and electric boilers use a lot of power.
@@Theconsciousbuilder it would be off grid. I have a house in the sticks.
You wont get much benefit from set back thermostats with in floor as it is slow to respond to changes. But I still prefer in floor regardless.
The radiant panels that go on top of or replace subfloor can respond a lot quicker than a radiant slab. Can use them on top of a slab also. I'm going to go with a mix, in-slab on main floor and panels in loft and see what happens.
Any podcast or advice on converting an old home?
It would depend on the design and the renovation plan. If you're going to be gutting the entire home, you could go with something like WarmBoard. Keep in mind that radiant heat won't provide A/C though so you need to factor this into your HVAC plan!
we are building a new home and are using radiant heat in the basement. We were planning on using LVP for the floors but at a Home Show last weekend, one of the flooring reps said that it was recently announced that LVP is no longer recommended over radiant floors. Can you comment or give any suggestions. We know we could do ceramic but it's more expensive and would be very hard to walk on. House is on a lake so we want something to hold up to kids running in and out from the lake.
Kk
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You can install anything as long as whatever you install can be installed over a heated floor without affecting the warranty. Our clients normally choose engineered hardwood or tile.
tile
You don't mention solar as a power or heat source...?
I'm not sure I understand the question but I will answer what I believe you are asking. Solar is converted to electricity. If you have solar panels that you are using electricity from, the source for heating would then be electricity, not solar. The solar provides the electricity.
@@Theconsciousbuilder evacuated tubes could provide free hydronic slab heating...
Missed a bunch of cons. First, running water thru pex is just waiting for the leaks to happen as pex does degrade after heating and cooling. Plus you really can't do carpet (at least not well), which makes the rooms louder as the hard floors reflect sounds, as well as things dropped break vs bounce more for carpet. Also as with all water pipes there is the possibility of freezing and damage that comes from it. As people have found out with power being down for a week with freezing temps, interior pipes burst and can crack solid floors. That's just a few cons that were left out.
Often people use an antifreeze mixture . No need to worry about freezing .
Terrific video. Lots of useful info. I have a question about which TYPE of concrete to use in the slab. I live in Southern California where radiant floor heating is still a curiosity.
I'm pouring a 2" slab over my existing slab, and this will be my finished floor. I'm told I can go with Gyp-Crete, or Lightweight, or ful-fat. Any suggestions? Thanks.
For an overpour you can definitely use a lightweight option. You'll just want to make sure the current surface is prepped properly and that the product you're putting over top is done as per the manufactueres instructions. We use standard concrete rated to whatever the stamped plans say. If we do an overpour on a framed floor, we would use something like Gyp-crete.
@@Theconsciousbuilder Got it. Thanks!
@@Theconsciousbuilder Got it. Thanks!
You forgot hot water heat via pellet stove, yes pellet stove
That's not something that's allowed as the main source of heat where we live as it requires somebody to be present. We also can't rely on wood as the main source of heat. We can use both options but also need to have another source that will work if nobody is home.
@@Theconsciousbuilder lol, not allowed? You have no idea of my system what I have done or how it works.
I guess that was your easy way out.
That's ok. I heat a 60x40 shop, with infloor hot water heater with
a pellet stove through 80 gallon indirect hot water tank with a propane 199000 btu tankless temperature @ 115 f for emergency only or if the pellet stove runs out. Switches automatically when no one is home.
My own design, been working flawlessly for 6 years now.. 8 300 foot runs, 2 zones, 3 pumps one for low loss header.
1 pump circulation continuously from pellet stove trough indirect storrage tank.
Constant 66.3 floor temp ambient -20 c
Would a propane 30 gal water heater in a closed loop do the trick for radiant heat of about 1200 sq ft.? Or do you think an instant propane water heater or propane boiler work better?
@@NotTelling51 I would go with propane,
How many runs? Is the perimeter insulated?
@albertwayenberg9140 3 zones 1 pump. Yes it's insulated. Would you do propane hot water heater or on demand heater? The house is only 1200 sq ft.
Glad you’re not speaking out of your ass like some you tubers
Natural gas is not cheap anymore after Trudeau’s carbon tax! 😢
✅ P r o m o s m!!
Ceiling heat is better than floor
No one can give me a ballpark figure on just how much it costs, so that's still a mystery. But thanks for repeating what everyone else is saying.
There are many factors so no professional worth their salt is going to give you a quote without understanding the scope of your specific project. If you're in the Ottawa area, please feel free to reach out with the details via our project inquiry page: www.theconsciousbuilder.com/project-inquiries or find a local pro in your area. Good luck with your project!