how do i get heat there?

harold campbell

thanks, all i needed was someone to say it worked, so when i screw it up, i have someone else to blame. thank you for multi hole idea.

harold campbell

how do i get heat there?

i bought house w/ enclosed 10' x 15' 3 season "sunroom". house is fieldstone and sunroom is attached so that outside stone wall of house became back wall of sunroom. when installed no provisions were made for heating the space for year round use ( or electrical expansion for that matter).

i want to heat it to use this winter but cant think of easy way to get heat out there. going through the 6" stone wall is going to be tough and then i will have to mess with interior room walls to get pipes into basement to furnance.

heat loss calculation says need 7500-10000 btu for room.
i was wondering if i could do room as its own zone with 13'to 15' finned baseboard radiator using 3/8 inch pex pipe through stone wall into recess in bathroom wall that accodates radiator in bathroom (which is behind stone wall). then run pipe to basement by drilling under existing radiator well in bathroom. it will be a lot easier drilling 1/2 holes through mortar between stone than having to drill holes to accept 1/2' cooper through stone and pex to basement will be hidden underneath bathroom radiator.(no need to open interior wall to get pipe to basement)

i guess my real question is whether i can supply 13' to 15' 3/4in baseboard with 3/8 pex piping. it will be only radiator in the zone and have it's own thermostat and circulator. i tried to do flow rate calcs and head loss etc, but it is beyond me. ( as is plumbing, but thats another issue.)

ps. i heard can use newer panel baseborad that accept 180 to 140 degree drop and need very low flow rates etc, but they are too expensive and i want to use drastically cheaper 3/4 inches finned baseboard.

any comments, suggestions, recommendations and ridicule gladly accepted.

thank you
HAC

Jeremy_3

do you heat with gas or oil. If gas, why not have a seperate decorative gas stove on a seperate thermostat installed

Joe Brix

oil also

Toyotomi makes a small direct vent wall heater that uses #2 oil also.

Slant-fin and other also make 1/2" copper fin baseboard.

lchmb

Rinnai

Depending on your fuel, you could also use a rinnai heater. Or as someone mentioned a decorative gas log..
Do you intend to heat this all the time or just when you want to use the room?

harold campbell

thanks for reply. i have oil heat and gas servive into house (cooking/dryer, when boiler goes maybe replace w/ gas one). spousal block on decorative gas stove. saw great 10,000 btu one, easy to vent stove, looked like real wood burning stove with logs, had thermostat and remote but "looks fake" ( which it didn't), saw wall mount gas heater, perfect under window outside wall but "looks like it belongs in classroom".

also cost to get gas to location is a factor.

she is set on radient (space has slab under it) and i nixed b/c that's gonna be even harder to get water to and the install cost, that's why i came up with the 3/8 pex feed fin baseboard scheme. i dont even like the way the baseboard is going to look and the problems with installing it on the irregular shaped stone wall, but i can hide/ conceal piping etc much easier. high end panel baseboards look great but i am on a tight budget.

harold campbell

thanks for reply. intend to use nigths and weekends. ifigure keeping room at 55-60 degress during day and 68-70 when i get home.

i wish i could draw diagram. the main problems i have is
1) i shouldn't be designing heating zones and reading internet sites
2) getting through stone wall and then causing major renovation on other side to sweat fittings to get piping to furnance.
3) space available on other side of wall to work.
4) i can probably get carbide bit to get through stone but remeber experience i had drilling the stone to run electrical conduit outside, the stuff is hard as a rock....
5) one i get through the stone and floor, the ceiling below is finished, except for area i can access under bathroom (it's a closet with ceiling exposed to allow access to bathroom plumbing valves, traps cleanup.

i read that if you have enough access to run 14-2 wire you can probably run the pex pipe, which i can snake to utility room.

i know this idea is "off the wall" ,but ......

harold campbell

p.s.

i also fully intend to have my "well thoughout" plan cost at least twice as much as just having the rennai heater and gas pipe installed, just like all my other self-inspired home improvement schemes end up costing.

i just cant determine if 3/8 pex will get enough btu's to fin baseboard to work. i saw chart that has rate for 1/2" pipe (approx 13,620 BTU) but noting on 3/8 pex. again its only got to supply the 15' foot of baseboard.

Joe Brix

sounds like your better half

is the problem. (Only kidding.) It's just getting a gas line is only 1 pipe, not a feed and return.
Also think about (but your wife won't like) fan coils:
www.mysonic.com

Also a nice option for 3/8" tubing, radiant baseboard:
www.hydronicalternatives.com

lchmb

One more thought

Just remember if your exposing the piping to cold temperatures (only guessing from what your describing) then it will be necessary to antifreeze the system.

harold campbell

whose fooling who

no need to be "only kidding". whose fooling who, a year from now, i'll be in additional therapy, the room will be radient heated, and my weekly "Bud" bill will have grown to encompass any possible savings installing the zone would have reaped.

thanks for your help, i appreciate it.

hr

Yes 3/8 will carry

12,000 BTU/ hr at a 20° delta t, 160F average temperature. 1.2 gpm flow 19.8' of head per 100 feet of tube. I'd use a quick responding emitter like panel rads or 1/2" baseboard for a room used like that.

hot rod

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Weezbo

done that.

it works. slightly different reasons ...shoved some 3/8ths through some 3/4 quest...lashed it up done deal.

*~/:)

One suggestion use a small concrete drill numerous holes ...its easier...then use a larger drill bit..Like Butter

harold campbell

thank you, thank you

after cruisin the site and related posts, i think i know what some of that means. thanks for your time and advice. esp, the emitter advice. well here goes.......