|
|
Post by stateslug on Aug 31, 2011 6:22:50 GMT -6
Had radiant floor installed on my first floor about two years ago and what I’m finding is it has a hard time keeping up on the coldest New England days. Current config is 3/8 Onix stapled up. Aprox 2” air gap with foil foam and fiberglass bat.
Tried maxing the mixing valve but still don’t get much over 65 on those days.
Any thoughts would be great
Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by Watts Radiant on Aug 31, 2011 8:00:07 GMT -6
Oh New England... you cold heartless soul.
It sounds like your installation of the Onix is good. Just to get the easy stuff out of the way, how far are the staples spaced apart? If the pipe is sagging at all, even enough to slip a piece of paper in, go through and put a bunch more staples (like every 8-12"). This may smash the Onix enough into the subfloor to give it that little extra oomph on those super cold days.
If the Onix looks good, then you may have an undersized heat source, or not enough flow. Without knowing the design of the system, it's hard to take a guess.
Another thing you may need to do is just go around and insulate. Old houses (like mine!) have some terrible infiltrations around windows and doors, and replacing weatherstripping and caulking can do wonders. Attic insulation is a biggie, too.
Feel free to give us a call at 800-276-2419 if these simple solutions don't work, and we can work through the heat loads to see where it is you're lacking.
-MDR
|
|
|
|
Post by stateslug on Aug 31, 2011 9:06:58 GMT -6
Staples are on average 15” apart. Boiler was sizes for an eventual addition.
Not sure on the flow, loop uses a Taco 00R-MSF1 with 3 speeds running a pair of 8 port
Watts manifolds. Sounds like I need to start with staples.?
|
|
|
|
Post by Watts Radiant on Aug 31, 2011 9:24:30 GMT -6
Yup, easiest and cheapest are staples. It may get you an extra degree or two.
How often does it only get to 65 degrees? Is it only a couple days per year? Most systems, HVAC and radiant, aren't designed for worst-case apocalyptic conditions. That is, many many systems on the absolute coldest days of the year will not get to 75 degrees (or whatever temp you want). We typically design radiant systems for 68 degrees, so being 65 degrees a few days a year isn't really that bad.
Depending on your floor construction and floor coverings, you may just have to rely on better insulation, above AND below the tubing. Especially, as you say, since you have an over-sized boiler to begin with.
-MDR
|
|
|
|
Post by stateslug on Aug 31, 2011 21:02:38 GMT -6
Had about 2 weeks this year that it was cold enough to notice.
Can you use transfer plates with Onix? Would it help?
Thanks for the help.
|
|
|
|
Post by Watts Radiant on Sept 1, 2011 8:25:20 GMT -6
Well, we've done transfer plates a couple times with Onix. We have a plate called FlexPlate that 3/8" Onix will work in. You'll get a little more efficiency, but depending on the construction, it may or may not translate into floor temp gains. Plates are also expensive and labor intensive (compared to adding insulation).
One thing you can also do is check your return temperatures. Your mix-valve may be not working quite like it should and may need to be replaced.
Just throwing out other ideas here, you may also think about pulling off a water line and running some above-floor radiators in the rooms that you need it the most. We don't sell them, but it's a good way to get a little extra heat into the room, especially since you already have the hot water source.
-MDR
|
|
