Slab overpour "Radiant Green" hydronic heating panels?

Cooper101

I'm looking to do a hydronic heating over-pour on an existing slab in a remodel situation. Has anyone used "radiantgreenflooring.com" hydronic heating panel products?  Would these panels prevent heat loss into the slab below? Pos/Cons?? Thanks!

Zeffern_Cochrane

Never used them but a few tips

I did a pour of a slab and attached the tubing to the 6" mesh that was used for re-inforcement. I tied them every 18" with zip ties as well I ran a 24" spacing of 1/2" rebar under the mesh and the works was sitting on 2" chunks of bricks so the tubes should of ended up in the middle of the 6" slab. Under all of that I had 2" Styrofoam. I was not around for the pour but was told by the guys that did it that they had a heck of a time keeping the mesh down as the tubes wanted to float. So making sure the tubes stay in place will be important.



I took a quick look at that web site and it said the panels are 1" thick I am guessing that the panels are made of foam and that there will only be 1/2" of foam between the bottom of the tubes and the slab you pour over. Styrofoam has an R value of 5 per inch so it will act as a thermal break and that is good. But it will probably only be about an R-3 level of insulation under the slab that you pour. I know that the plumbing place in my small town sells a similar product that is competitively priced vs plane styrofoam that performs a similar function but has 1-1/2" of foam under the tubes.



Hope this helps.

Dent

Contractor

I heaved used Radiantgreenflooring panels, they worked great. Fast, easy to install , and affordable pricing. I have used others in the past, these are by far the best.

Zman

R 4.3

Right off the bat the manufacture claims an R of  4.3 and an overall thickness of 1".

1/2" tubing measures about 5/8" on the outside. I would assume they left about an 1/8" of space around the tubing, that would leave about a 1/4" for insulation. In the video the bottom looks to be made of plastic, not foam. I think it is safe to say that this product offers no resistance to downward heat loss. I would ask them for an "ES Report" and watch them squirm. The lack of aluminum around the tubing is also going to reduce the heat transfer. I would guess it is called "radiant green" because of the money they will make selling a misrepresented piece of plastic.

Carl

SWEI

Just to be fair

Their new construction panel is listed as being 2" thick, while the remodel panel is listed at 1" thick.

RadiantGreen

Radiant Green

Our Radiant Green Remodel panel is indeed 1" thick, 1/2" of panel on the bottom and 1/2" on top where the pucks and tubing is placed. With years of testing and certification, the R-Value on the panel is 4.3. The entire panel is made out of EPS high-denisity foam and no plastic at all. The reflective coating over the top is made out of a metallic paint in which helps reflect the heat upwards even more! This panel is very easy to install, savind time and labor! Check us out at radiantgreenflooring.com.

RadiantGreen

No Heat Loss with Foam

In repsonse to your question to heat loss, no there will not be heat loss with our foam panels. In fact, the exact opposite happens. Think of a foam coffee cup, the heat in the cup goes upwards, not down. Our panels work the same way, the foam insualation make the heat have no place to go except up!

Zman

Facts

First off, radiant green and dent both represent the manufacture.

If the manufacture is going to make claims it should be backed up with actual test data. The average insulation value is of no use. The actual r-value under the tubing is all that counts. The myth of reflective coating under concrete has been totally debunked. It is absolute voodoo. Placing the tubing at the bottom of a thick slab is also a bad plan.

I am not saying that this is a bad product. It is very difficult to tell without the facts. I do know that my building department would not allow me to use it due to lack of actual test data. We are not trying to prevent scalding from coffee. We are trying to design an efficient and comfortable heat system. This product does provide some insulation, just like a coffee cup. The question is, how much?

Carl

RadiantGreen

Radiant Green Foam

Radiant Green Flooring has 2 Remodel panels, one with reflective coating for under plywood, and one that is all white for under overpour because the reflective coating is not necessary. Radiant Green Flooring panels are made out of high-density foam. I have attached some information about the R-value of our foam panels! If you would like a sample, please call 1-800-651-6025 or send an email to info@radiantgreenflooing.com!

Also, here is a video! http://youtu.be/kMQmuf5uem0

Zman

3.4

Just to be clear. The 2" product is 1" under the tubing for an R of 3.4?

Cooper 101 works for the manufacture as well. Correct?

Carl

NRT_Rob

you're not correct

that the only R that matters is the R under the tube. the tube are is only one part of a heated slab. the r value under the tube matters somewhat, but the overall R under the panel matters much more. if you have a 1/2" out of, say, 9" that is 10 degrees hotter and has a lower R-value, computing how much that matters is fairly simple math, and it's not a lot. you still get the target R-value under 17/18ths of the slab. but I don't believe radiantgreen under slab panels have a recessed pipe, instead they have a knob configuration panel.



That said the previous comments by the radiant green fellow in this thread don't exactly inspire a warm feeling of confidence in their understanding of heat transfer. "nowhere to go but up"? really? that's premium grade sales talk right there.

Rich_49

Heat rises

  Nice try with that you tube video . Now , what would happen if you put a Styrofoam lid on the cup Geniuses ? I can tell you , the heat would travel in a 360* radius out from the cup . Now imagine R value over top of the tubes in the form of overpour and finish floor . Hmm..  Why a reflective coating for below subfloor , what are you reflecting ? The shiny stuff myth rears its head again . I believe you can only reflect light , now I could be wrong but if you put aluminum foil in the oven or better yet on a Bar B Q can you touch one side and not the other or is one side cooler than the other . Works on homeowners but not real effective argument with me .