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RADIANT PROBLEM

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PEACH
PEACH Member Posts: 1
in Radiant Heating
<strong>I AM TROUBLESHOOTING AN IN FLOOR RADIANT JOB. 1/2" COPPER TUBING IN SLAB ON GRADE DIRECTLY OFF OF THE BOILER WITH NO MIXING VALVE COUPLED WITH ONE  ZONE OF BASEBOARD HEAT ON 2ND. FL. REGULAR THERMOSTAT WITH NO FLOOR SENSOR. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE ENGINEERED WOOD FLOOR THAT THE SALES REP SAYS WAS MADE FOR RADIANT HEAT IS BUCKLING AS WELL AS BLACK MOLD APPEARING ON THE TOP OF THE FL. WHEN THE CUSTOMER REMOVED THE WOOD FLOOR THERE WAS BLACK MOLD ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FLOOR AS WELL AS WATER VAPOR ON THE CONCRETE.



I SUGGESTED INSTALLING A SEPARATE PUMP AND MIXING VALVE FOR THE RADIANT AS WELL AS A RADIANT THERMOSTAT WITH FLOOR SENSOR TO CONTROL THE TEMP OF THE FLOOR.



PRIOR TO INSTALLING THE WOOD FLOOR THE CUSTOMER HAD PERGO ON THE FLOOR WITH  PLASTIC AS A VAPOR BARRIER. WHEN HE REMOVED THE FLOOR TO INSTALL THE BETTER QUALITY FLOOR, THERE WAS WATER VAPOR ON THE CONCRETE BUT NO BUCKLING OF THE PERGO.



ANY SUGGESTIONS OR INSIGHT IS APPRECIATED!







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Comments

  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
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    Radiant Floor Problem:

    There's no vapor barrier under the slab allowing moisture to migrate through the concrete. This install job is a mess from the start and the person who did it hadn't a clue what they were doing.

    I think you have two choices, dig it all up and do it all over correctly.

    Abandon it if you won't dig it up and replace it.

    If you leave it as is or try to repair it like done before, you run a very good risk of having that black mold getting into the structure and the possibility of the mold destroying the house. If you get a mold remediation professional to look at it, you may find you have a problem that you don't want to know about.

    You have a bigger problem than buckling floors.
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    edited February 2011
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    LEAK!!!!

    WHY AM I YELLING? Oh, had my caps lock key on:-) Probably why you're yelling too ;-)



    It sounds to me like you have a leak in your radiant floor system. Easily determined by shutting the make up water off (temporarily) and watching the pressure (isolate the expansion tank if possible to avoid false negative). If you do, chances are pretty good that even if you can locate and repair the leak in the copper tube (tough under the best conditions) you will probably spring another leak soon.



    Might be time to start looking for alternative methods of heating the home...





    Look to the ceiling to provide a good degree of radiant comfort. Also consider splitting the two zones into two different temperature zones.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
    edited February 2011
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    Vapor barrior

     Obviously the vapor barrier did its job with the old wood floor which would be far more susceptible to moisture. That should have been a clue to whom ever installed it to put vapor barrier down again especially if there was moisture present.



     Do what Mark said to make sure system is not leaking. IF its not then you may have a high water table, poor drainage, or both around, and under the slab.



     IF the system turns out to be okay then yes mixing valves, and floor sensors are warranted.



     Sounds like a mess to me. Pull up the floor, and do it over. This is also why its a good idea to put vapor barriers under slabs also. Concrete is pourous, and is like a wick sucking up moisture present in the ground beneath. I would rather have the moisture outside the slab than sandwiched between the vapor barrier, and the concrete.





     I'm sure this is an old system be worth knowing how old. Copper in concrete is prone to failure in high content flyash mix designs. Vapor barriers were probably none existent then also.



    Gordy
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