Radiant heat from block wall.

ripcord

What is the best way to turn a bare 8' x 24' 12" block wall into a thermal battery to draw radiant heat off of? I have a 12" block wall (formerly outside wall before addition) that runs between a large bedroom and a living room downstairs. I have an outside boiler so I'm looking to use 1/2" PEX with 180F water. I thought about nailing furring strips to the wall with holes in them to route the PEX through. Hanging sheetrock to the furring strips and then filling the space behind the sheetrock with poured gypsum. I would do this on both sides of the wall. Is the poured gypsum neccesary then? Or could I accomplish the same thing without it. Any other ideas? I live in MN.

hot_rod

How well are the edges of the wall insulated from the cold outside temperatures? That surface will wick away some heat energy.

I'd glue and fasten some aluminum heat transfer plates to the block, tube it and finish as desired.
Or spray paint and leave your work exposed for all to see.

If you cover it, you need a transfer mechanism to the covering also, a double sided heat transfer plate.

At a friends house the center wall running the length of a hall is a 10" wide steel tank from basement to ceiling. Quite a thermal battery, it gets solar gain and can be heated from the boiler or heat pump.

I put a Mickey Mouse outline is a customers snowmelt once, she worked for Disney. Get clever with the tube if you leave it exposed.

I've used copper tube in ThermoFins before, exposed on a ceiling radiant retrofit.

Bob Bona_4

I've done them in stairwells from garage to house. 1" or 2" styroboard on unconditioned side, then stucco for fire code. Hall side 3/4 plywood power nailed to block, extruded aluminum plates fastened to plywood. Mud job, then steel mesh then finish stucco. Careful layout of banister brackets!