Improving Heat Mass For Radiant Floors

Radiant heating is the predominant form of heating in europe and is gaining acceptance in the united states.

Improving heat mass for radiant floors.

The late 1990s saw the birth of a new kind of radiant heating system low mass. This adds thermal mass without the weight of concrete and can dramatically improve the performance of the radiant heating system. Rmh and solar should take care of all hot water needs radiant included. A survey conducted by the radiant panel association determined there was a 37 4 percent increase in radiant tubing sales in north america in 2004 1 radiant systems in the early 1900s used steel and wrought iron piping imbedded in concrete powered by coal fired boilers.

Radiant heating works by transferring heat to the material so that it raises and helps to maintain the temperature in the home. A simple and accurate method for properly sizing distributed thermal mass is diurnal heat capacity dhc which is helpful in determining the useful daily energy flux to and from a mass storage system ref. This is not a perfect solution because even the upper loop will radiate its heat both up and down. If you cover your thermal mass concrete slab floor with carpets or vinyl you will reduce much of the sun s radiation being absorbed into the floor and less of the heat will be released later when it is colder.

Then there is a cool mass under your floor. It is also the slowest to respond to adjustments of the thermostat due to the mass of concrete that needs to either heat up or cool down. The gypcrete or concrete in a slab on grade will hold the heat longer than lightweight building materials reducing the need to put the heat on more often. These low mass systems were lighter and generally could transfer heat more quickly.

Some people attempt to get around this with 2 loops of tubing. Mass was great for storing heat but not ideal for distributing heat. Preferably the solar would heat the bench too so that the rmh could be backup only and storage for the solar could happen in the thermal mass of the rmh cob too. Tubing can be tied to box mesh and poured directly into a concrete slab or basement floor to create a thermal mass.

This method referred to as radiant slab is the least expensive means of installation. To get the most out of your slab floor leave it exposed or tile it with ceramic or stone tiles. Experts typically refer to this as its thermal mass preferably you should use materials with thermal conducting properties. The big issue here is whether flooring can conduct and hold the heat or not.

One right under the floor to provide quicker heat and one further down. Using this method any structure can be properly massed to achieve optimal temperature swings in the 10 f to 12 f 5 6 7 c range. People realized the benefits of radiant heat were not tied to the standard high mass method.