need more heat

cnd. plumba

I 've been requested to "fix" another contractors mistake again. These mistakes are sadly very comon place. It seems that many mechanical contractors think they are "high-tec" in-floor wizards due to the fact that they can cut and crimp pipe.
In this example the contractor failed to calculate a heat loss of the room; instead they relied on there method they use for every install(12 inch centers, stappled up without any heat transfer plates, 1 inch of pine floor, doubble bubble, water temperature at 140).
Home owner wants easy fix (no access to stapple up and walls and ceiling are not an option).
I ran the numbers for the heatloss and came up with 6000btuh.
The problem is I have no idea what the exsisting stapple up is producing for heat.
In the past I have been fix designing as follows: baseboard for total heat loss (slightly undersized), independantly zoned, water tempature for origional stapple up lowered to 120. Origional used as floor warming.
Is anyone else experienceing many of these request? If so, what methods are you useing.

heatboy

You are on the right track........

since plateless jobs should be reserved for floor warming only, where it actually gets cold (I'm ducking now!). Instead of really complicating things, maybe size your baseboard for 140°, which is the radiant temp and then add another port or two to the manifold station. After that, if possible, try a two stage thermostat and use the floor as the first stage and the baseboard will only run when the floor can't keep up. Telestats across the manifold to accomplish your two stage wiring. May be the best alternative without breaking into the boiler piping to add a high temp loop for the baseboard.

hr

How far off

are you? Are you at design temperature? What indoor temperature will it maintain at design? What is the floor surface temperature? What type of tube?

Maybe bump to 150 or 155 supply, remembering that a small amount of tube actually connects to the floor, in a true staple up, (depending on staple spacing) so I doubt you will over heat a 1" pine board. I have seen staple up and suspended tube running 160 plus!

An outdoor reset on the distribution would maybe help, allowing high supply temperatures only at design conditions?

Of course you have run the calcs to see what the space really "needs" and what that installation method will provide I certainly would try some adjusting and control work before adding additional emitters. Keep us informed.

hot rod

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David Sutton_3

ok lets not label people!!!!!!!

lets get one thing streight its not just mchanical contractors, just because you have run into some not so good situations lets not be a labeler ok!!i,m sure there are just as many screw ups by all the labeled trades. i feel your comment is in very poor taste.Bad jobs are done by people not labels. i,m sure that the person who did it is in need of training. but contractor of all trades have the good the bad and i,m sure the ugly, thank you.....David

cnd. plumba

mechanical sorry

it was not my intention to offened. I consider myself a mechanical contractor- plumbing and heating. There is good and bad in the trades as well as all parts of life. My point was to describe the situation in hopes that others might have had the same experiances and to gain some insight in different solutions. I should have stuck to the facts. I'm sorry

Radiant Wizard

Floor Surface Temp

What is the floor surface temp?