Thinking outside the radiator

Brad White_9

I am thinking of embedding PEX in the rear walls of my Susan's dishware cabinets on outside walls. (Not the food cabinets of course.)

Not so much as a radiator, but warm dishes are nice. But the driving reason? You know how sometimes the best dishwashers leave some dishes with a few drops, especially with the Energy Saver dry cycle?

I want those buggers gone....

Livin' the Dream,

Brad

thfurnitureguy_4

radiators

OK still trying to come up with another type of radiator design that is not so much like a radiator. If you did a concrete cast like a medium sized column (yard statue) Installed a coil of pex tube to some kind of armiture. (wire mesh or such) would the EDR be the length of pex inside or the surface area of the casting? Could I assume that the length of pex would dictate the speed at which the casting heated up? What do you think?

Brad White_9

You need a hobby

Seriously- I like your postings and ideas! Not unlike Hot Rod, why not think differently?

Speed of heat transfer is a function of the material and specifically "per degree F" or temperature unit of choice.

Degree of temperature is a function of tubing length (surface area) of the embedded tubing, primarily. Secondarily it is a function of the outside mass and surface area of (what the heck is it?!).

So, indirectly, the amount of tubing will "speed" things up by increasing the temperature. Just remember human contact over time. Warm benches sound great until you get a sweaty butt.

Eeeeeewwwww!

Ted_4

Radiation

John Siegenthaler has published at least one article in Plumbing and Mechanical on "creative" uses of pex for radiant heat. I seem to recall that he made a radiator out of a counter top among other things. Try him at john@hydronicpros.com.

thfurnitureguy_4

Hobby

It is a nightmare being married to a designer at times. I'm thinking of a Tuscany fluted colomn to border the windows of a house.
So Back to the EDR if it were a 10" colomn about 8 foot high you could coil about 50' of 1/2 " pex inside (Total guess). So is the edr the 50 feet of pex or the area of the concrete? The pex would be imbedded into the concrete.
These colomn are hollow in the center and have walls about 2" thick. I was thinking the concrete would hold heat like CI and the pex would last forever ish. Done in an epoxy base coat with a faux marble finish what's not to like???

Brad White_9

I like that idea, TFG,

Lucky Designer Spouse you have, too.

My only concern/caution would be to have the ability to finely control the temperature, both output for capacity and during the cure stage if it helps you. The notion of heating countertops as Siggy has explored- gets me to think of plasticisers or other means to make the material more ductile. Otherwise- wish I had thought if it! Subtle, gentle heat.

One other thought: Hollow might make it a chimney. If conduction is desired and there is room above it, open it top and bottom. If smudging or convection might be an issue, cap it off. Just a thought.

thfurnitureguy_4

Yes I was the kid growing up that thought it would be a good idea to plumb the toilet with hot water to keep the thing warm. But that is possibly why I'm the wood guy.
The center of the column would be a good spot for somthing of mass to hold heat. I can't quite see a solid colomn. How about a couple of short ones for statuary pedistals? The 2 things that I can't seem to sell to the wife, are speekers and radiators. Both need to be large to do a good job.

Brad White_9

Growing up (hot water toilet story alert)

I had a friend, family being refugees from Cuba. His father was a jack of all trades and did just that, plumbed hot water to the toilet. The idea was to forestall condensation on the tank in humid climates. The water sits in the pipes so tends to be warm, not hot and cools between flushes.

We heard a woman scream from the bathroom during a party (read: repetitive flushes) so had to re-think the strategy. Otherwise a fine idea!

I would make the sculpture what you think it needs to be, aesthetically first (remember you have to live with it whether it is heating or not). Then see what your water flow and delta-T is (heat output) and take note. Radiant takes surprisingly little to excite those particles...

My dad is a wood guy too, as am I to a lesser degree. Have to love it! Pleased to meet you-

Brad

Plumdog_2

Hi-Velocity AC

could go in the hollow core with tiny outlets between the flutes up near the top; directed in a fan pattern.

Todd_12

Radiant Dog

Maybe Hotrod could re-post the photo of the concrete dog with veins of pex. He probably even knows the EDR of this pup!

thfurnitureguy_4

I like that! solves the whole AC/heat package Puts the emitter next to the load source. Just have to come up with a design you can live with.