Here I go again...

The Wire Nut

to learn as much about as I can by actually doing it, I am now about do a bit of radiant in that endless cash sucker that is My Old House (Constantin can relate!)...

Here's my situation. I have an old "balloon" construction stonehouse which I recently had insulated with Icynene foam (great stuff!) and it is heated with steam. I repiped the boiler this fall so that it has a proper drop (sorry Ken!) header, return and Hartford loop. Makes great heat and with the foam, the whole thing seems quite efficient.

We are converting one of our rooms into a walk-in closet and master bathroom. The room is aprox. 9' * 12' (~100 sq ft) and when done the bathroom area will be about 50 sq feet.

The whole room is now heated by a 5 section radiator at the end of the long main, and the room stays pretty toasty as it gets the rising warm air from downstairs, and is contained by the insulation.

We are going to remove the radiator and install radiant floor in the bathroom area (50 sq. ft). The room has one double pane thermal window 42" wide.

I know I have to do a heat loss calculation!

Here's the issue (finally!). We will be removing the current 1" plank floors from the full 3" * 10" joists (they sure did build them good 150 years ago!) and installing ceramic or glass tile on cement board over a sub-floor. The joist bays are currently uninsulated, and I plan to have them filled with foam. So how do we put the tubing in, given I can't staple up from the bottom? I see the following options...

1) Install Quik Trak or Thermal Track over sub-floor and under the cement board.
2) Install WarmBoard and cement board.
3) Install sub-floor, sleepers + alum. track, then plywood and the cement board.
4) Build a platform in the joist bays and staple the tubing to alum. track on that.

If time and money allow, we'd also like to heat around the tub and/or put a hydronic towel rack in...

I await my fate...with thanks,

<A>

Ken_8

I like number five the best...

That would entail minimally a 5/4" sub floor, 3/8" copper tubing, 8" o.c., 1/2" bed of mud and ceramic tiles set in that.

I'd reset the tub also in mud and put copper tubing in that bed as well. The tub (assuming c.i.) then becomes an emitter as well.



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The Wire Nut

Are you saying.

to mount the tubing on a ledger board then put the sub-floor above that? Why the copper instead of Pex?

Thanks again,