just got radiant heat fired up in my new 40x60 x12h pole barn,,running 4days now have some ????,,doudle bubble and 2inch rigid under slab,,8 300ft lops of usa pex on 12inch centers,,new weil-mclain high efficiency boiler ,2 circulating pumps one on intake one on return,,now water temp is 105 going in but only 70 coming back out of return side,, barn side walls are insulated with 6inch but still have the ceiling to do,,heater is using like 1 cubic foot of nat gas a hour I think that's a lot but not sure ,,thermostat set at 50 and air temp is 50 inside outside today was 20 calling the heat company Monday but running it by here first thanks cdv
- Thread starter cdv
- Start date
If the cement was totally cold when it was started the boiler is going to run a long time. I'm not sure what you mean by a pump on the supply and return that would not be correct. The pumps might be in a primary secondary arrangement where on pump pushes the floor and the other pushes the boiler using a pair of closely spaced tees. Need some more information on the pipe setup.
It does sound like you are holding temperature. Never hurts to call the installers but give them a few minutes to explain and you to listen. The next step might be to clock the meter and see if the boiler is running up tobthe proper firing rate. Ask if they set it up with a combustion analyzer.
It does sound like you are holding temperature. Never hurts to call the installers but give them a few minutes to explain and you to listen. The next step might be to clock the meter and see if the boiler is running up tobthe proper firing rate. Ask if they set it up with a combustion analyzer.
You have a lot of mass to bring up to temp, your slab is drawing 30 degrees of heat. What is the temp of the concrete now? What was the temp when you started. Lot's of factors to consider. My house basement floor is 4" about takes about 24 hours to come up to temp. Your system will take a while. When thing to keep in mind with radiant heat is all of the heat will be on the floor, where you are not up on the ceiling like a hot air furnace.
MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
Well, obviously you're transferring a lot of heat to the slab. Have you placed a thermometer on the slab to see where it's at? I seem to recall 70F is just about ideal for floor temperature in a shop, and I sure would be happy to work in 50 degrees when the outside temp is 20.
Do you have a ceiling at all? A ceiling, even an uninsulated one, will make a huge difference. If you intend to keep your shop heated this winter, the ceiling should be a top priority.
I'm not sure what you're going to tell your gas company. "Hey, I'm heating my 2400 square foot shop and it's expensive!" Clearly the heat is going into the slab, what did you expect?
Do you have a ceiling at all? A ceiling, even an uninsulated one, will make a huge difference. If you intend to keep your shop heated this winter, the ceiling should be a top priority.
I'm not sure what you're going to tell your gas company. "Hey, I'm heating my 2400 square foot shop and it's expensive!" Clearly the heat is going into the slab, what did you expect?
Jaden
Member
- Location
- Eastern Nebraska
I started mine up in a similar situation. After I put in 6" ceiling insulation, it behaved like a totally different building. Temperature came up faster, went down much slower without heat. At 20 degrees outside, my air temp is 5-10 degrees less than floor temperature. An infrared heat sensor gun helps to get it balanced. It also takes some time to work all the air out of the system.
Russ from MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Bemidji MN
The ceiling is the most important place to insulate, you need at least a foot of fiberglass or cellulose.
Adirondack case guy
Well-known Member
I hope you insulated the perimeter of the slab vertically down at least 2ft. If not, you are just transferring heat into the ground outside.
What size tubing did you use ??? should be at least 7/8" for a slab that size and that spacing. It is near imposable to transfer a lot of BTUs through smaller 1/2" pipe, especially the footage you are using. If it is 1/2" tubing there is very little heat transfer at the end of the system loop, unless you have several loops with pumps on each. Recovery time is much longer, but will eventually get to the temp you want.
When we were building commercial buildings we had "Radiant Tech" in Vermont design, spec, and supply all our materials. never had a complaint with heating big shops. Once you have the ceiling and interior walls in with proper insulation, you will notice a big difference. Radiant heat doesn't rise to the ceiling like conventional heating systems. It stays in the lower zone close to the floor, up to about 8-9' high. No need to install ceiling fans with radiant floor heat.
Loren
What size tubing did you use ??? should be at least 7/8" for a slab that size and that spacing. It is near imposable to transfer a lot of BTUs through smaller 1/2" pipe, especially the footage you are using. If it is 1/2" tubing there is very little heat transfer at the end of the system loop, unless you have several loops with pumps on each. Recovery time is much longer, but will eventually get to the temp you want.
When we were building commercial buildings we had "Radiant Tech" in Vermont design, spec, and supply all our materials. never had a complaint with heating big shops. Once you have the ceiling and interior walls in with proper insulation, you will notice a big difference. Radiant heat doesn't rise to the ceiling like conventional heating systems. It stays in the lower zone close to the floor, up to about 8-9' high. No need to install ceiling fans with radiant floor heat.
Loren
MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
> Radiant heat warms objects, not so much air.
The "radiant" in this case is radiant floor heat, not the overhead radiant heaters of which you might be thinking.
The "radiant" in this case is radiant floor heat, not the overhead radiant heaters of which you might be thinking.
Kent Petersen
Well-known Member
I totally agree with DE Bees
Rob_Yesterday
Member
Have your heating contractor check the output temp. My in-floor runs at 120 degrees and it works well (should be 110-120 if I remember correctly). I think 105 is a little low ( I would turn up the blend valve). My setup only has one circulation pump pushing the hot water from the boiler.
Definitely insulate that ceiling asap or your wasting all your money.
Definitely insulate that ceiling asap or your wasting all your money.
Dave Sherburne, NY
Member
Doesn't matter now how you did the plumbing an concrete work in the slab, you're not gonna change it. I used 3/4" tubes in my floor sand and pink polystyrene 4X8 sheets under the concrete and vertically around the perimeter 4ft in the ground NOT THE WHITE FOAM SHEETS, White foam will crush. I put 8"insulation in the walls and 20" in the ceiling, worked great Lined it with plastic sheeting too and a folding aircraft hangar like door that sealed up tight You're not gonna be able to tell how it works till you get it sealed up tight and lots of insulation in it. I suspect it will work out just fine.
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