pex tubing behind sheet rock

Unknown

Best bet for this job is to use cast iron baseboard...

Wayne_28

pex tubing behind sheet rock walls.

How well will pex tubing mounted behind a new sheet rock wall heat the basement? Are there any problems or concerns I sould be aware of?

spec, single story ranch house built in 1960 in SE Minnesota, so no insulation under the existing concrete floor or walls. 8" cement block walls, 8' high, 26' x 42' outside walls. Main level and attic have foam board fitted between the rafters, 5.5" and wall studs, 6" total. The side walls have an additional 1.5" of sprayfoam installed before the siding was installed.
Plan to install more foam insulation in the attic this summer,

There is not enough ceiling height to install tubing on the floor and pour gypcrete. We would like to finish the basement walls, my thought is to install foam board (1.2 or 2")on the walls using metal studs to attach the tubing and sheetrock. My thought is to keep the spacing close together near the floor and then increase the spacing at midpoint and above.

Have yet to determine costs to install aluminum heat plates. Is there any other materials that would do a good job of reflecting the heat to the living space and not heat the walls? I was thinking foil bubble? etc.

Probably use a small mod/con boiler with outdoor reset for the heat source. Second thought is to use an air to water heatpump. I am not concerned about maintaining a constant temperature, more take the chill off, allow the unit to flucuate based on demand and available heat.

Eventually I would like to tie this together with a solar panel system yet to be designed.

Thanks for your input,
Wayne in SE Minnesota

Wayne_28

pex tubing behind sheet rock walls.

How well will pex tubing mounted behind a new sheet rock wall heat the basement? This will be mounted to the existing block wall. Are there any problems or concerns I should be aware of?

spec, single story ranch house built in 1960 in SE Minnesota, so no insulation under the existing concrete floor or walls. 8" cement block walls, 8' high, 26' x 42' outside walls. Main level and attic have foam board fitted between the rafters5.5" and wall studs, 6" total. The side walls have an additional 1.5" of sprayfoam installed before the siding was installed.

There is not enough ceiling height to install tubing on the floor and pour gypcrete. We would like to finish the basement walls, my thought is to install foam board (1.2 or 2")on the walls using metal studs to attach the tubing and sheetrock. My though is to keep the spacing close together near the floor and then increase the spacing at midpoint and above.

Probably use a small mod/con boiler TT with outdoor reset for the heat source. Second thought is to use an air to water heatpump. I am not concerned about maintaining a constant temperature, more take the chill off, allow the unit to flucuate based on demand and available heat.

Eventually I would like to tie this together with a solar panel system yet to be designed.

Thanks for your input
Wayne in Minnesota

kpc_48

it probabaly would...

work but you need to do the numbers to know for sure. another option is to oversize panel rads or cast iron rads to place on the walls... used cast iron rads should be easy to find...

klaus

have heated walls before.....

Wouldn't try it without heat transfer plates, that the sheetrock or finished walls are not up tight against. Also if on outside walls, you may have to furr things out a little more than desired. Not only build another wall was insulate it well, add a vapor barrier (none is there currently right?), and sheet off the wall w/ sheet rock or other, THEN install the tubes and transfer plates on top of this, followed by or course the final wall.
I have done this in bathrooms only, not for a whole house. And they were tiling these walls, which added to the heat we could get from them. Worked great. They had to plan carefully where they could drill holes for towel holders, etc.. but love it. Its a seperate heat zone from the floor but we did run it from the same mix temp as the floor. Ideally it would be good to send a seperate mix temp to the walls, which usually would need a little higher temp.
If you are not going to insulate and vapor barrier real well between the concrete block, I would not venture to heat the walls. Just too much lost directly to the outside, while trying to heat the house.

Unknown

Radiant Walls

This is similar to what Steve is speaking of.

Dave

Mark Custis

I never joined RPA

They just did what the director wanted, he has retired.

Radiant works like the sun to earth.

Proporly designed walls and ceilings work well. I am sure a well thought out system would work. I would tend to tear out the floor and start over.

Wayne_28

This picture is what I had in mind, the wall will be insulated with foam board before installing the tubing. Would the aluminum foil foam board work simular to flat plates?

Thanks, Wayne, Minnesota

ps sorry for th edouble post before, had a hard time posting a new thread.

Unknown

Here is something

Might intrest you...http://www.aquathermpipe.com/overview-of-climasystem.html

World Plumber

Pex behind drywall

I used the pex behind drywall in 3 bathrooms where radiators would have cut into the space needed for wheelchair clearence. They all work great. Just be sure the tile guy doesn't use 4 inch screws to mount his leadger boards.
Mark

Unknown

Wayne

NO,,, you will still need the plates to transfer the heat directly from the tubing, to the finished wall, then into the room.
Reflective insulation in-behind will definitely help, but as Dan H. says "there`s no free lunch",, omit these and you`ll have problems!

Dave

rb_6

photo's

Hope these help.
rb

Rich L.

No foil bubble

I'd stay away from the buble foil combo's for insulating Wayne. Testing has found their R claims to be grossly exaggerated.