Improperly Testing Your Radiant Heat System with Water Instead of Air!

If you're considering radiant heat, here's a true story about Bill and Joan Hawley that you should find interesting.

When I first met Bill and Joan they were absolutely exhausted because of the damage to their radiant heat system. What was supposed to be a calm and peaceful time of life was full of stress and worry.

Although their story is not unique it clearly illustrates how a simple radiant heat installation error can have such drastic results.

Bill and Joan were educated consumers that took a vested interest in the design and construction of their new home. They loved the look of tile and hardwoods and were thrilled to discover how a radiant heating system would keep their floors toasty warm.

Yet, they failed to realize how one small radiant heat installation mistake could have such a disastrous outcome.

The crew that installed the in-floor radiant heating system made a grave mistake and tested the radiant heating system with water, rather than air.

For Bill and Joan, what made matters worse is that construction of the Hawley home ran a few weeks longer than projected and the radiant heating tubes that were tested with water had frozen and burst during a cold spell.

So rather than coming to see the progress of their fabulous new dream home with toasty warm radiant heat, they were now dealing with broken radiant heating tubes throughout their house.

Being somewhat of an expert in radiant heating, I was called upon to help. Unfortunately, the concrete was already poured and the cost to start over was astronomical.

At this stage of the project, the only practical thing was to continue construction without the in-floor radiant heat. The regrettable part was that this nice couple had already paid for their in-floor radiant heat system, but would never appreciate its benefits.

What happened to Bill and Joan is not that rare. Many radiant heat installers don't know the damage that can be caused by testing a radiant heat system with water, rather than air.

I certainly don't want you to make the same mistake as poor Bill and Joan, so when testing your in-floor radiant heating system, your installer should pressure test the whole system, before any concrete is poured over it.

This pressure test should be conducted for at least 48 hours. If it reveals a drop in air pressure, your radiant heat installer should check all joints and connections - this is where the majority of leaks will be found. However if the pressure continues to drop, all radiant heating tubes should be checked as well. Continue to retest the radiant heating system for at least another 48 hours after all leaks are identified and fixed.

About The Author
Larry Lang is the founder of Radiant Heating Disasters which specializes in the design and consulting of hydronic in-floor radiant heating systems. Larry is also author of Radiant Heat – What You NEED to Know BEFORE You Sign That Contract. This article may be distributed freely on your website, as long as this entire article, including links and this resource box are unchanged.
Copyright 2006 Larry Lang All Rights Reserved.
Lang Enterprises Inc. http://www.radiantheatingdisasters.com

Radiant Floor Heat: It Warms Your Soles But it Doesn't Empty Your Pockets

There is no doubt that radiant floor heating is a superior method of heating your home. Its popularity is steadily increasing as people discover that not only is it the most comfortable form of heating, but also the most cost efficient.

Though comfort and cost are the two biggest benefits of this heating system there are many others:

-Silent operation – no hum or whistle of a forced air system.

-Inconspicuousness of the system – you don’t see vents or air blowing.

-A healthier home – forced air systems can spread dust, pollen, and germs.

-Even, quiet warmth: even with wood, tile, or uncovered concrete floors.

-Also, radiant heat is less likely to dry out your breathing passages and skin.

The warmth of the floor on a cold winter morning would probably be enough to convince a lot of people that radiant floor heating is the best thing since sliced bread. However, after discovering the cost savings, there is usually no going back.

Radiant floor heating concentrates the heat in the lower half of a room where the human body needs it most. Since heat is evenly distributed in the floor, the thermostat can be set 2 – 4° less than a forced air heating system. This can reduce energy cost by 10-30%. Homes and building with high ceiling will save even more in heating costs as heat generated by forced air systems quickly rises to the top of these structures, where it is of little use.

Whereas a forced air system delivers heat which quickly rises to the ceiling – a radiant floor heating system radiates heat from the floor and delivers the heat evenly throughout the rooms.

In a radiant floor heating system warm water circulates through tubing beneath the floor. This turns the flooring into an efficient, low temperature radiator.

Though Radiant Floor heating is not a complicated system, there are components which are required, and that the homeowner should be aware of – The Heating Source, The Boiler, The Pump and the Tubing.

The heating source can be electricity, solar, natural gas, propane, oil, wood, or any other heating source.

The boiler, with a certified efficiency rating houses the water to be heated. This same boiler can also be used to heat the pool, snow melting, heating a hot tub, or and domestic hot water needs.

A Pump is required to circulate the water though the tubing located under the floor.

The tubing for a radiant floor heating system is located either in the concrete, under wood subfloors, or on a subfloor of wood, precast concrete or concrete slab-on-grade, then covered with gypsum.

Once a homeowner makes the decision to install radiant floor heating system, contacting the right installer is imperative.

Some companies who design radiant floor heating systems may also install the system.

A qualified System Designer and a qualified System Installer will work together and know which components work well together, capacities of various systems, special considerations for installations in your area, and manufacturers’ warranties and reliability.

The designer should do a room-by-room heat loss analysis of your home or building done as well as a step-by-step system sizing process.

About The Author
Harvey Juric, ICF Consultant and CEO of ICFhome.ca is a custom home builder in southern Ontario. He has been in the home construction industry for the past 30 years performing a wide variety of tasks related to the building trades. As one of the pioneers of the Insulated Concrete Form industry, he formed ICFhome.ca to take advantage of, at that time, emerging new construction techniques that promised stronger and better and more energy efficient homes. For more information about the model home, Insulated Concrete Forms or Radiant Floor Heating contact ICFhome.ca by telephone 519 843-7612, e-mail info@icfhome.ca, or visit their web site at Ontario Home Builder , Luxury Home or Repairing/Building Contractor.com
harvey@rchomes.ca

The Do's and Don'ts of Installing In-floor Radiant Heating System with Hardwood Flooring

When considering radiant heat, the reluctance to install hardwood floors over radiant heat systems was from the original technology, launched more than 40 years ago.

With radiant heat, to compensate for poor insulation, radiant heat temperatures were higher than normal causing excessive expansion and contraction in hardwood floors, which resulted in damage to hardwoods and a builder's reputation.

Today, faultless radiant heat installations of fine hardwood flooring are completed over radiant floor heating.

To be honest, installing hardwoods over radiant heating systems is really no different from laying a typical hardwood floor.

Although the temperature of radiant floor heating will not harm the wood floor, a change in moisture will cause various hardwood flooring to warp, buckle or gap.

As the temperature rises, the moisture content generally decreases, and the moisture is removed causing the wood to shrink and gaps to occur between the boards. With lower temperatures the moisture returns and the gaps close.

When radiant heat is added to any floor it's important to pay close attention to the moisture levels.

Your hardwood floor installer, and radiant heating systems contractor, should be aware of the special considerations required when using radiant heat in conjunction with hardwood floors.

When combined with radiant heat, many contractors underestimate the time it takes for concrete to properly cure. Usually, when the concrete looks dry the flooring is installed, however concrete needs to dry slowly and can take up to 90 days. Knowing the exact moisture content is an essential part of quality control within the floor installation process.

Once the sub-floor, tubing and climate controls have been installed, run your radiant heating systems for at least 72 hours to balance the moisture content.

Your radiant heat and hardwood floors need some special moisture considerations. Make sure your installer has a hand-held electrical tool, called a moisture meter. It measures the moisture in concrete and in the wood floor materials, giving the percentage of relative humidity.

Make certain the hardwood flooring, the storage space and the concrete slab are normalized or acclimated to the finished room before the hardwood is installed.

With a hardwood installation, a moisture barrier helps maintain an even moisture balance in the floor. Seasonal gapping is quite normal but in the fall try to progressively turn on heat before the first really cool day arrives. Also, it's important for the hardwood floorboards in the floor to be laid perpendicular to the tubing, not parallel.

The key to a good hardwood installation when combined with radiant heat is to pay close attention to the moisture. Low, even temperature distribution is the key to avoiding problems when radiant heat is involved.

About The Author
Copyright 2006 Larry Lang All Rights Reserved.
Lang Enterprises Inc.
www.radiantheatingdisasters.com