Radiant Heat in an indoor riding ring

Jonny Boston

I am working with Wirsbo to help design a system for a horse stable and a riding ring in Massachusetts. Has anyone ever attempted or seen this done before?

Bob Knebel

Overhead Radiant May Be a Better Way to Go

Hello!

Sounds like a fun project. Our company has heated a half-dozen riding arenas here in Montana. While we are a solid proponent of radiant floor heating, overhead NG or LP radiant heat is probably a better application here.

The arenas we have worked in tend to be big metal or pole barn buildings with high levels of air infiltration (often on purpose, with screened roof cupolas to keep the moisture and odors ventilating) and without high levels of insulation. The riding schedules are often unpredictable so the arena is sometimes "idling" at 40° to 50° but comfort needs to be achieved rapidly when folks show up. Pick-up comfort is much, much faster with overhead radiant. We are heating objects (people and horses) directly so we don't care a whole lot about the air temperature.

We usually control the heating system with a timer and an air-sensing thermostat wired in series. If a riding session lasts for 2 hours, you dial in that time and the t-stat is set for 55° to 65° and overrides the timer if the air comes up to that temperature. We usually have anywhere from 4 to 6 individual units so we use on-off switches so that any number or the units can be operatured independently. Maybe a class is being held in one quadrant of the arena .... why heat the whole thing?

Sidewalls are usually 12 to 20 feet high so we mount the units high and get about twice the mounting height in terms of floor coverage. We duct outside air into the unit and vent the units usually out the gable ends to avoid multiple roof penetrations (we get a lot of snow sliding down the roof). We essentially end up with a sealed combustion system so no riding dust gets pulled into the burners and we have no danger of CO in the building.

Hydronic radiant floor heating is somewhat problematic not only in terms of pick-up comfort but also the medium the tubing is buried in. The base material for the horses hooves is pretty deep and the water temps may need to be pretty high to transfer the heat needed. In a couple of the arenas we worked in, they wanted the ability to come with a dozer/grader to change out the floor materials in future years. Not sure how to protect tubing in those cases.

First and foremost, you need to protect the health of those expensive equines and their expensive owners. You might want to check with vets or horse associations. I'm not sure hot sand/dirt floors are good for the hooves or legs.

Let me know if I can be of any help. You may also want to contact Roberts-Gordon in Buffalo, NY for further input.

Bob Knebel / Radiant Engineering / Bozeman, Montana

Jonny Boston

controlling it

I have the design for the piping, does anyone know of a slab sensor that can talk to a motorized mixing valve which will adjust the water temperature based on outdoor temperature? This design is to keep the ground from freezing, not to heat the building. Our desire is to be efficient, not just constantly circulate water.

Brad White_2

Indoor ring? Or Outdoor?

> I have the design for the piping, does anyone

> know of a slab sensor that can talk to a

> motorized mixing valve which will adjust the

> water temperature based on outdoor temperature?

> This design is to keep the ground from freezing,

> not to heat the building. Our desire is to be

> efficient, not just constantly circulate water.



Interesting proposition. I have never designed such a system but have some experience with skating rinks. Not related you say? Well the concern I have is that summer ice

Brad White_2

Warmth under hoof...

Interesting proposition. I have never designed such a system but have some experience with skating rinks. Not related you may say. The concern I have is that summer ice rinks have a warming mat of radiant heat underneath to keep permafrost at bay, which can penetrate and lift foundations. The radiant mat counters this, but if not controlled you have a ground moisture and support problem. My concern, transferred to your case is making the rink, if outdoors, into a mud field. You did say indoor now that I read the message header, but indoors might that be a minor issue?

In answer to your base question, the control of water temperature or slab/ground temperature with or without outdoor temperature is common. Mixing valve, 3 or 4-way, or injection will all work. Tekmar has a variety of products that others would be in a better position to advise you. You may want to consider constant circulation for best effect, just the same. Consistency and no rapid "catch-up". Just some random thoughts.

Tim Doran_2

Promix 101

You can use our promix 101 to reset the water temp based on outdoor and use the mix 10K sensor to monitor the soil temp. Give me a call if you want to talk about it.

Tim D.

Dale

Floor cover

The riding ring I did some work at had a deep cover of sawdust, I wonder what R factor that would be. Since it was sawdust the unit heaters that kept it in the 40's inside in the winter had to be cleaned often. I too think radiant tube heating might be the better way to go. Make sure you have a way to keep the air inlet cleaned on on regular basis.