most cost effective staple up system

jersey devil

what is best way to go on staple ups. 6 x 10 bath and ad joining 14 x 20 kitchen.rest of house is bb.Do the plates really benefit in this app or just a straight up staple is where im leanin.thanx for any exp advice.

Constantin

Staple-up systems have some drawbacks...

For one, for staple-up systems to work well on their own, you need rooms with low heat loss (figure 15BTU/sq ft/hr or less on a design day). Next, consider that you''ll only effectively heat areas where the floor is exposed, further limiting heat output in places like bathrooms and (to a lesser extent) kitchens.

Considering the neglible contact surface that pipes have against the subfloor, using plates is pretty much mandatory. I really like Thermofin plates from Radiant Engineering.

So, at the very least, a heatloss calculation is probably in order.

Also, be sure to insulate staple-up systems very, very well. You literally have to force the heat to go up and through the subfloor above instead of going into the basement below. One easy solution is to put the foam-board in place, then seal around the leftover edges with polyurethane.

Alternatively, install the staple up radiant floor heat, then add some baseboard as a backup. A two-stage thermostat or a TRV on the BB would allow you to trigger the baseboard whenever the radiant can't keep up with the heatloss. In bathrooms, hydronic towel warmers can do wonders for occupant comfort (warm towels) as well as space heating needs.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Regardless of the transfer method, be careful in kitchens. With all of the cabinets and appliances (and frequently windows and a door) they often lack enough free floor space to heat the area without overheating the floor.

Since you seem to be in Jersey, check "Find a Contractor" here and look for Ken Secor. He's done lots of radiant floor retrofits using bare copper under the floor (with insulation below of course). Since you already have a baseboard system that presumably operates at high temperature, this could well be your most economical route.

Unknown

heat load calcs are critical. both bathrooms and kitchens often don't have enough floor space to heat the rooms effectively on their own. They often do as well; but dont just assume it will work. crunch some numbers and then you can see what will work and what won't.

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Ron Schroeder_2

I allways consider radiant floor heat in bathrooms as "floor warmers" not space heaters. I use an in-floor sensor to control the floor temperature and baseboards or heated towel racks on another t-stat to heat the room.

Unknown

well I've done my fair share of towel racks, wall supplemental and what have you, but it's not always necessary. If you're regulating water temperature you shouldn't have to also regulate floor temperature as well. depends on whether it's part of a full radiant system or a one area add on like this I suppose which method makes sense.

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