Radiant floor heating systems

N_carolinian

I'd like to know how much do these systems usually cost and how do people or companys charge(by square foot maybe? Also can these be used outside? To be more specific can they be installed into concrete bridges? How long do these systems last? What are the maintanence requirements? Well they be damaged by rain or freezing if their outside?

stevel

radiant heat

Ive heard that they have used snow melt systems in bridges in some european countries but have not found any info to support these claims.

BES

DWH for radiant heat

Can I use a domestic 40gal. gas water heater for radiant
heat in concrete that has a BTU loss of 8,699.The water heater will be used only for heat-no potable water. I need to use antifreeze in the system because it is an outside building that is approx. 12x16. Any suggestions on piping it up or any controls I should use would be much appreciated. It will be one loop about 200' 1/2"pex. How much antifreeze is needed? Also the water heater will be installed approx. 6' above the floor.

hot_rod

I've heard

that some overpasses in Texas, maybe Oklahoma (oil country:)have melt systems installed. Maybe Watts Radiant was involved somehow. Check with them.

Maybe it was an Enron deal, and got shreaded!

When I visited the Buderus factory, in Germany, the bus driver claimed the highway we traveled on had snow melt in certain areas?? Although, when questioned, he didn't know where the boilers were located?

hot rod

Terry

if in Canada

Not sure of USA law. But here in Canada it is now (finally) ILLEGAL to use a potable heater for dedicated heating.

So this install would not pass here..

Regards,
Terry

Unknown

well it's most certainly not illegal down here, and not sure why it's illegal in canada, since there are thousands of systems working just fine with a potable water heater as their heat source....

John@WattsRadiant

bridge snowmelt

We did a bridge snowmelt a few years ago - I believe it was in Oklahoma with a ground source heat pump as the hot water source. It was on the cover of ASHRAE Journal as I recall.
If you'll email me I can track down more information.
John

[Deleted User]

Done it several times

Done it several times. I use a 30 gallon water heater, with the highest btu output I can get. You don't need the extra water, just the btus. Dial the thermostat down to the temp you want, set the circ pump up on a line voltage thermostat. You will need to oversize the expansion tank to handle the extra volume of the water heater. I have added an hour meter, just so customer knows how long it has been running. They are usually surprised that it doesn't run that much.