Retrofit with Radiant

Susan_6

I'm very interested in radiant ceiling heat and will hire a pro becasue I think I need one. Hopefully, I will find one that will let me do some of the work to keep cost down. Anyway, I'm intrigued by the www.naturalcooling.com prouct. Does anyone have any experinece with this? My thought is that I could tap off the steam boiler and add a chiller. This is for one floor only approx. 800 sq. ft. that will not have daily use.

My contractor sent in a guy that he works with and he knew of this community and has attended some of Dan's presentations. He seemed interested in the radiant ceiling but a little unsure of the A/C.

Susan_6

Retrofit with Radiant

I was glancing through my husband's Fine Woodworking magazine and in the back is an ad that states:

"If you can see the underside of your floor, you can install comfortable, economical radiant heat."

It goes on to say "install it yourself" (I like this and the picture makes it look easy) "connect to a boiler or water heater" (this I would hire out).

Is this accurate? I was going to insulate the cellar ceiling but do to pipes and other stuff that doesn't seem practical.

Also, the fact that we have Fine Woodworking around is the reason we think we need a cold air return on our steam boiler. Yes or no on this question?

As always, thank for any assistance.

Al Letellier_2

radiant retrofit

Installing radiant is rarely a DIY project. It takes planning, an accurate heat loss calculation and proper tube sizing, circulator and control selection and proper installation. Seek out a pro for this project...it can be done, and you may even find one who will allow you to provide some "sweat equity" if doing it yourself is important, or at least having a bit part in the project is adequate.
As to return air for your steam system?????????......return air is a term used with forced warm air systems.

Ragu

Susan

Al's advice is right on the money; Al, hat's off to you. There is a proliferation of DIY radiant stuff on the Web, and I have personally been called in to render an opinion on 2 local Web-purchased and homeowner-installed radiant jobs. Both were botched. Both violated the basic rules of radiant design. As Al said, design, installation, circulation and controls all need to be specified for each project. Please seek out an experienced professional.

jerry scharf_3

no guarantees

Susan,

The "designs" that the people in these advertisements do have no guarantees that it will work in your house. They do things in ways that reduce cost to a minimum, and without the guarantees it truely is "let the buyer beware."

I have no doubt that these sometimes do work, but too many people come to this site with houses that don't heat. Part of the comfort of these systems is having a reputable person behind them who will be with you after the equipmemt payment clears.

jerry

jeff_51

susan

I think what you may be referring to is called makeup or combustion air to insure you have a proper mix for good combustion on your boiler, and yes I agree, radiant is definetly NOT a diy project, I as have many others on this sight have had to go in and fix diy horrors, which usually means tearing out almost everything that was done by the home owner or their buddy and starting over which jsut compunds the costs. Get a good pro, get several estimates and yes, you may have to pay for them. Sometimes alot of work goes into those bids.

Susan_6

Jeff:

This unit was supposed to introduce fresh air to the boiler so that when my husband is cut wood and creating sawdust the dust won't clog the furnace. We have been told to install the unit (boot?) or he should turn the furnace off when sawing.

Mark Eatherton1

do NOT expose your burner to fine dust particles...

If the boiler can not be isolated form the dusty atmosphere, move your wood shop someplace else. Seriously.

The boiler will carbon up and start producing carbon monoxide and will kill or maim the occupants of the home.

This is SERIOUS business. If it's a steam boiler, I seriously doubt that you can do a good job of moving it or isolating it, or isolating the atmosphere within which it resides...

Here's pictures on a boiler that recently made all the workers on a job in progress ill. The GC estimates it cost him about $4,000 in lost wages and work... He's lucky it didn't cost him an employees life!

As for DIY radiant, if the seller is from Vermont, buyer beware. You will NOT get what you expected, and installation is MUCH harder than they make it appear. Go with the idea of contacting a pro and working with him. that way, you at least have a warranty..

ME

Susan_6

Gads! This is a weekend wood shop and there is no way to isolate it (one-pipe steam)and no place to move the shop to. Would the boot help? he does have a gizmo attached to the saw that collect wood dust.

It is true the ad I saw was from a VT company, but the one I like best was the flexible mat-style. I've decided to try insulation first and see if that helps. This the floor under the first floor and we have a new door, new windows, new steam pipe insulation so maybe the joist insulation (I chose radiate barrier because is seems easy to work) will help.