Major screw up! (PAH)

hot_rod

Just spent two hours on the phone going over a radiant nightmare with a friend who works for a very large GC. 1-million dollar addition & nothing works. Hardwood wide plank flooring shrinking & cupping. Custom built furniture & cabinets with 1/4" gaps where flush joints existed previously. Wild swings in room temps - from 50's to 80's.

Hardwood was acclimated and % moisture was down to 3 prior to install.

No insulation between floors.

Jute backing in the carpeted area & no insulation in the joist bay.

No air gap in the suspended tube areas that were insulated.

Major money, major headaches, major potential lawsuit!

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Jackchips

Hi Dave,

would you mind explaining each of your points for us uninitiated?

Thanks

bovide_2

ouch...

ditto what jackchip sez - I read yer column in PM.

Steve Ebels

Curious

To see what the control "strategy" was on that job Dave. Got any details??

Bob Bona_4

Yikes

Same story here. Another stop today was a 3 mil beach house. Rooms can't get above 57. Plug in electric heaters on tables in every room trying to keep up.

Joist plate radiant. Missing insulation, PEX falling out of plates, missing tube in bays, every bay 2 feet short from end. Plates installed haphazardly, and falling down.

This is the best. ONE mixing valve for 4 radiant zones, all different floor coverings and floor levels. No manifolds. No boiler protection. 4 0010's pile driving water down 3/8 PEX. And on and on...First plumber was fired, second tore down all the tube from the first and did it his way. Dave, pass the Tylenol over here when you finish!

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hot_rod

Expanding on points

Hardwood wide plank flooring shrinking & cupping. Hardwood flooring cupping and shrinking due to extreme temps as per the description of my friend. The extreme conditions are also driving the custom built furniture/cabinets to destruction. As for the wild swings in temps? They have been told that any sudden temp change in the outdoors can take upwards of two weeks for the house to adjust to. Some rooms too hot, some too cold & no means to affect a change.

Hardwood was installed according to the Hardwood Council's guidelines for radiant heat & this employee specificallt cited the RPA guidelines had been involved. Spent weeks acclimating the wood & checked moisture content before laying the first plank. It was at 3%.

No insulation between floors. If you were heat, which way would you go? Up through the higher R-value of plywood + hardwood or carpet with pad - or down through through R.5 drywall ceilings?

No air gap in the suspended tube areas that were insulated. Suspended tube applications must have a minimum of 2" air gap. Truthfully? I'll bet extruded heat transfer plates should have been used in this application.


Controls? Didn't sound like there were any. From his description, it sounds like it's bouncing off of the boiler's high limit.

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hot_rod

The wood movement could be a humidity issue. We have had a very dry winter. I have regular 2-1/2" oak hardwood in my living room, baseboard heat, no radiant . This year the floor has opened for the first time in the 8 years we have lived here!

Be sure to check the moisture levels in the home.
Sounds like you have plenty of other issues to resolve. Good luck.

hot rod

Steve Ebels

Dave

What are they using to regulate the water temp to the floors? Mix valves, injection? What kind of boiler? Set up for low temp operation?? Lot's of questions, eh?

hot_rod

Consultation in the PM tomorrow.

The GC has agreed to hire me as a consultant. I have an appointment to visit two jobs tomorrow. Same problems (same mechanical sub too) on both jobs.

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