Boldly into the unknown

Mike T., Swampeast MO

This master bath is a calculation nightmare! N & E exposures, no operable windows but lots of E glass block. Three ceiling types; occupied space above; unheated reasonably insulated eave space; shed-type bumpout w/rigid insulation.

SIX heat sources:

1) Relatively undersized cast iron TRV'd rad on resetted, constant circulation system.

2) Electric radiant floor warming (Warm Tiles) in main portion. Floor temp sensing t-stat. Electric because boiler does not produce DHW and wanted ability of warm floors anytime in our topsy-turvy climate.

3) Large Myson hydronic towel warmer. I pray its output is well tempered by a load of towels!

4) Hydronic radiant in mud base of large shower floor. 3/8" copper tube tapped directly to mains with no further control. Will insert copper inside of garden hose before embedding to add the extra r-value that I need. This one is particularly strange! Have come up with an r-value for the tube in larger hose of about 1.8--pray this is something near correct. Am custom-making some rubber standoffs to ensure assembly is embedded in the mud.

5) Forced electric resistance heating high on wall. Added to A/C system of master suite for short cool spells w/o turning on the boiler.

6) 8.5kw steam generator for steam shower and run to an outlet outside for making a steam bending chamber for wood.

This thing is going to be a living laboratory... Getting ready to rough in all the shower stuff, then to the shower floor. Will post a couple photos later...

Gary Fereday

As a preminum!

Leave them a container of Instant coffee, a large coffee cup and a spoon. Also a ZOOM! A ZOOM is a south american water heater. It is just a zip cord with a cord cap on one end. the other end is the two wires unequel length and bared some. ! INSTRUCTIONS, Just place water into the cup, plug in the ZOOM, place the bare end in the cup and walla hot water almost instantly! Un plug the ZOOM and make your coffee. Effective, Fast, dangerous as *%##, but Just wanted to share with you another way to heat anything! (Daughter used the ZOOM for two years south of the border, And has since (here) when the W/H DIED!) Anyway bigugh!

Gary Fereday

PS to perminum

Place an egg in the cup while showering with the ZOOM on and breakfast Egg done while doing the GI S's
Place the ZOOM in a two quart pitcher, heat with ZOOM and place in a hot water bottle for bed! radiant heat in the sack and not expensive! Remember the ZOOM is very dangerous and not recommended for any use whatsoever! anyway bigugh

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

I'm with you

until you get to the part:

"Will insert copper inside of garden hose before embedding to add the extra r-value that I need."

Have you been talking to bigugh? :>)

It sounds like a very interesting job that could turn into a nightmare if not done right. Towel warmer and radiator sound fine; I'd stick a air and slab sensing thermostat (Danfoss MTD-3991-UFH I think) for the main floor of the bathroom; forget about the copper/garden hose in the shower and install PEX that is controlled by a slab sensor thermostat (Danfoss MTC-49914UF I think) that will hold a minimum floor temperature.

Best wishes,

Alan

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hr

It wouldn't be inexpensive

but there are folks around here that could design an integrated control, microprocessor based, to manage all that for you. Maybe even dial it up from your cell phone, on the way home, to start the towel preheat function! Let the steaming begin You need a real job, my friend.

hot rod

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eleft_4

hr....that's cool

NM


al

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Can't remember who...

...said what a couple weeks ago that gave me the idea to try this [copper in a hose]. It's my own mess in my own bath--I'd never consider doing something so weird for a customer. My outside hydronic work amounts to control consulting, rad repair/moving, troubleshooting, etc--not much at that as there's not much in the way of hydronics around here and I just do it for a love of things old and fine.

I'm determined to tap the shower floor (like other radiant bath floor--but using heavy plates--that work perfectly) directly into the main with no control save the outdoor reset and set-and-forget balance valves.

PEX alone would still overheat the floor unless I use ridiculously wide spacing. If my calculations are correct I should wind up with about 87 degree floor at normal winter temp, with quite acceptable surface temp fluctuation with outside temp.

If it doesn't work, I'll just cap it off--I don't have to worry about low space temp--just cold tootsies when you step in the shower.

If it does work, I'll order my replacement "Century of Pride" t-shirt. Rewarded myself with the first when the other radiant worked as theorized, but it's showing the wear...

Mike T., Swampeast MO

'dem South Americans

Propane substituted for R-12; DHW from a black hose on the roof; now ZOOM heaters!

Not much room to talk though--just did self-surgery for two Plantar's (sole of foot) Warts. Spent months of pain and 100s of $$ at the podiatrist for my first one years ago. Found an x-acto knife, lighter, alcohol and iodine infinitely faster, less painful and priced right!

Call me crazy.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Believe me, I have a real job

You're one to talk. Playing with t-drills all day, polishing diamond metal and making sculptures out of old heating parts!

I grew up with a telephone answering service in the house--phones and I have a quick relationship. Have though been pondering on the "towel preheat function" but don't have good service access and the day a microprocessor can anticipate what humans will do is they day they take over. Terminator anyone?

hr

I knew it was your own

I have been making mental notes of these experiments of yours.

You are danngerously close to the point where I may have to pay a visit to see these first hand. Rogersville, MO to.... where was it in the boot heal again?

Sounds like a nice fall motorcycle trip. Can I take pictures if I get invited?

hot rod

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Cape Girardeau, MO

On the Mississippi river about 100 mi S of St. Louis. Just above the "armpit"--what I like to call the bootheel.

Two claims to fame:

Supposedly the only "inland cape" in the world, so named for a crazy crook in the river where it runs into a cliff after one of it's longest straight stretches. Of couse, SE Missourians' have long had delusions of grandeur.

Hometown of Rush Limbaugh. Look back two sentences!

Photos fine 'cept for wide-angle shots in the basement--I'm ashamed of the mess. (Also the sensor wires leading to the boiler--I STILL haven't put them in BX.)

Don't live here yet (just work on it and my office is here) so plenty of spare BRs. GREAT heat, but only have A/C in the master suite so far.

keith

My Wife

thinks I'm nuts, she ain't seen nothing yet. You either are not married or do a good job of keeping your experiments to yourself. My wife would only open the back door when I came home if I was backing into the driveway. She knew I had either just hit the mother load of some one elses junk or had just read a new article on how to spend $ on hydronic heat.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Not many complaints

After everthing worked as well or better than I planned. Utterly tunes me out when I start taking "heat." B$(^@s then leaves when I take a digital thermometer, stopwatch, notebook and 6-pack to the basement...