tar paper blues

mike terry

have any of you folks had a situation,where you have one room that has tar paper under the wood flooring.I have a customer that wants radiant floor very badly,despite my reluctance to do that section of flooring.they want to try isolating that section of floor and run it a lot cooler to keep it from stinking.Seems like that would be too easy a fix,Im all for it if it will work.You think maybe an I told you so clause is in order? they came up with some literature on a product called ultra-fin.you run the tubing perpendicular to the joist and its not in contact with the subfloor.I dont see how it could work as well as a staple up plate job....any thoughts on that stuff?
any info always greatly appreciated
THANKS Mike Terry

hot_rod

I've done them

do a load calc on the room. This will tell you both the load and the water temperature required. I thought of removing a small piece of the paper and heating it in a electric fry pan to find the squirm point

Sounds like a good application for transfer plates to use the lowest possible supply temperatures.

Hard to know which ones will smell. I have first hand experience with a high temperature rubber staple up that really outgassed!

The owner, my brother in law, cranked it way up one weekend, left the windows open and finally cooked the smell away. Not something I would highly recommend.

It's hard to know which papers will outgas and at what temperature. Definatly address this with the owners, in writing, if you proceed.

Asphalt inpregnated felt paper is probably what you are dealing with. I haven't been able to get "temperature ratings" from any of the manufactures on this.

Probably depends on what the oil prices were when the product was produced to gauge if it will "take the heat"

hot rod

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

Have a customer

in SF; looked at his job last week and he was smart enough to know that the tar paper under his floor may be a problem on the staple-up job he wants us to do, but he wants to take a chance and try it anyway because he wants his floors warm.

I agree with hr; use plates to get your lowest water temperature and do those heat calc's. to determine that water temperature. The tighter the house, the lower the water temperature, the less it will smell like a road improvement project.

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Greg_4

would radiant walls be an option?

Might be a place to install this option to avoid the odor.
Greg