Has anyone here installed radiant, under floor heat?

[wildeyed]

I am re-doing my master bathroom and am wondering if this would be an appropriate auxiliary heating system. I have been keeping the thermostat down, and the only place this is really a problem is in the bathroom after a shower. So I was thinking about auxiliary systems, and since I am replacing the tiles anyway, this seemed like a good idea. Plus it would be great to have warm feet on cold winter mornings!

[NMDemDist2]

1. oddly enough yes, I did have that in the big house I built with the 2nd

ex

we had a solar/wood stove system for our hot water and we plumbed under the 500sf living room. in the summer we ran the cold water on the way up to the roof in the winter we ran the hot water back to the tank through it

it worked absolutely awesome! the room had no heat in the winter except what came from the family room wood stove and it was always warm in there. and in the summer, with the cold water, 14 foot ceilings and three ceiling fans, it never needed cooling either. HOWEVER>>> we did live in central California so we didn't get freezing weather but about 20 times a year, but the summers were quite hot.

my only question would be where are you getting the hot water from? if it's coming from your regular gas or eclectic fired tank how are you planning to recycle it? and I fear it would be cost prohibitive that way, you'd be better off getting an oil filled radiator baseboard thing I'd think

ask any questions, i'll see how much i can remember......

[wildeyed]

2. This is the system I was considering.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11067373&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=

It seems to be self-contained and easy to install. There is a programmable thermostat, so I guess you set it to be warm in the AM when people are using the shower, and in the "economy" mode the rest of the day. I guess you can kick it up manually if you want to take a bath or something later in the day.

I guess my questions are how does it work as an auxiliary system? Does it really keep the room warmer? And also, did it increase electrical bills much?

It is a luxury, but I picked and inexpensive tile (will wonders ever cease?), so I thought maybe I could splurge a bit. Plus it really is cold when I get out of the shower in the AM. That is the only time the frugality measures on the heating really bother me. The rest of the time we just wear more clothes.

According to something I read, this system will also require its own circuit, so there are going to be some additional electrical costs beyond just the price of the system.

on edit: duh, there is an FAQ with operational costs posted on the site.

[NMDemDist2]

3. hmmmm that's an interesting little unit there.

we had 1/4" copper running back and forth every 10" under 500 SF of tile so ours was a pretty large install in a large area

the tiles felt warm and cozy, in fact when my feet were freezing, i'd go in there in my stocking feet to warm up my tootsies :rofl:

for a small room bathroom type application it should work fine i'd think, just make sure your tile can handle the expansion/contraction although this system seems to use very low power so it may not be an issue. but at $300 bucks, it better do a great job.

did you google to see if you could find any reviews? this is all I found, but it looks cheaper than Costco....

http://www.thermosoftinternational.com/flooring.htm

[wildeyed]

4. I will google.

Maybe try epinions, too.

Another problem, my bathroom is only 3'8" wide at the widest, and the smallest mat I can find is 4' at home depot. The ThermoSoft site has mats that are only 1.5', but I would rather buy it somewhere I trust.

I could get an electric wall heater for less, but then you have the dry, hot air blowing around, which can be unpleasant, and your feet are still cold.

Oh well, I will do some more research and figure it out. :hi:

[NMDemDist2]

5. ok well for what it's worth, it was a great way to heat a space

:shrug:

[LiberalEsto]

6. My church installed a radiant floor

in our new worship hall, which is still under construction.
All I know so far is that it takes a long time to heat up, meaning someone will either have to turn it on long before the Sunday service starts, or it will have to be left on all the time.

Have you looked at the post about the Econo Heater (e heat) in the Frugal and Energy Efficient Living thread?
That might be a solution for you.

[wildeyed]

11. The eheat is an excellent idea.

Maybe not for the bathroom, but I think it would be great in our family room. My husband hates being cold, and I like to keep the thermostat low. This might be an excellent compromise!

[DancingBear]

7. We're doing this to an entire house right now

The house originally had radiant put into it in 1986, at the very "beginnings" of the technology. At that time, each room need its own return, and sometimes if the room was bigger than "X" s.f. (don't remember that number) then you needed multiple loops. The house was state of the art when built, and it had (and still has) 26 separate zones!

We've been able to take out most of the 1" (!) diameter main lines in the basement and replace them with 1/4" or 3/8" lines, and have installed all new tempering/flow valves. As for recirculating the water, don't worry - you can hang a recirculator or SuperStor tank and adjust it so that the water will recirculate (mostly) in the same space and not drop a great deal in temperature, thus saving $$ (I'm not versed enough in plumbing to tell you how this is done, but I'd be happy to ask the plumbers and the radiant heat guys how they did it).

We're also putting a new addition on to the house, and that will be radiant as well.

Cost wise, I can't be much help, because this is a very big house and we had to put a brand new oil-fired system in, complete with new furnace and (2) 325-gallon tanks. I do know it was not much more than if we used conventional BBHW or forced hot air.

Oh, and next to wood heat there ain't nothing better...

[I_Make_Mistakes]

8. My friend installed heat lights for the bathroom. I don't know

the efficiency in operating them, but there was no real work involved. It's a small room it should take very little time to heat, sometimes there is a trade off. I guess it is what the total objective is.

[wildeyed]

9. I have been considering a heat light, too.

In some ways, it is better. Heats up faster and less expensive to install. But the radiant heat makes the floor warm, which sound lovely. Course putting proper insulation in the crawl space under the house would probably help, too.......

Were the heat lamps you installed recessed?

[I_Make_Mistakes]

12. It was a friend, I can't give #'s. But it is sounded really smart to me

It was not a major outlay, if you really want to go there, just buy a heat light, My bathroom, the light comes on when I flip the switch, that would not be efficient.

He said yes, recessed lighting. Put some bath mats down. I can not believe that radiant could be more efficient, but you can call me out with out any question.

He did this like 10yrs. ago and it sounds really smart to me. He only turns them on when he needs them and that is very infrequently, so, you have to look at your situation and determine install costs.

I can't tell you what to do, we all do what we want. You have your BTU's, etc., but honestly, I still think it would be cheaper, because, it's bulbs vs. installations.

[wildeyed]

13. I was thinking one light over each of the sinks would cover it.

If they are recessed, I will probably need to have an electrician do the work which ups the cost. The eHeat sounds good, too, and easy to install. Probably cheaper to run than the underfloor system, too.

[wildeyed]

10. I think the type of heat I am looking at is electric coils,

not water filled.

I have heard that radiant floor heat is a wonderful way to heat a house. I would certainly consider it if I was building new.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

14. I think you figured it out for yourself. It has to be what you are

comfortable with. E-heat is an option, so are the bulbs. I have a situation where I am on the second floor (heat rises, so floor heat is not an issue), but winds blow etc. are.

[wildeyed]

15. Just a matter of deciding now.

I have a few weeks before I need to commit. Should give me plenty of time to do research. What I would really like is to hear directly from someone who has used the electric floor heat in a bathroom already. Decide if it is worth the extra $$$'s.

[DancingBear]

16. Oops, my bad

Saw the word '"adiant" and assumed conventional piped water system.

The only thing I know about electric heat (either under the floor or via baseboards) is that whenever we did a renovation it was the first thing we took out. :)

I'm guessing that for a small room like a bathroom it would be fine, but it was a $$ eater in larger rooms.

[wildeyed]

17. It is more expensive.

But the thought of having warm bare feet on the tile all winter is seductive, and, as you point out, it is a small room plus the heat is auxiliary, not primary source.

I need to get a quote on how much to install plain old heat lamps, and then I will decide.