Heated Shop Floor

[Anonymous Poster]

My new shop is going to have heated concrete floor. I'll be using a wood boiler to heat it and the house. Any experence out there. Suggestions or advice, ideas or donations all appreciated.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

My cousin just built a shop and used in floor hot water heat. He used a gas hot water heater in stead of a boiler to supply the hot water. He said it works great. Send me an Email if you want me to get any details from him.

John

 

[CamshaftLF]

Hi mikell how big is your shop going to be. Are you having 1 zone or multie zones. Heated floors is getting very popular here in central pa in last 3 or 4 yrs. The contraters I deliver crete to use wire matting or blue board insul at less 1" thick. To tie the tubing down to but dif supplyers have acc to hold it on the wire or insul. Make sure you pressurized the tubing to check for leaks and keep it presurized the entire time your pouring the concrete if you pour the floor in one complete pour with mutiple zones each zone must be charged. If using wheel borrowes lay down plywood to wheel the crete into place, it distributes the weight more evenly so not to brake the tubing. Are you doing this your self or is a conctracter doing it. If you are handy you can do it, very time consuming holding the tubing in place. hope this is a little helpful and doesn't scare ya. Make sure the sub base is good and put plastic down for a vapor bearer.

Cam in Pa.

 

[gerard]

Good luck with your project - I think the radiant floor heating is the best available. Sounds like your going to use one of those outdoor wood furnace/boliers?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks for the support. It's a next summer project but I don't think I can ask too many questions. The area where it's going is a 16x40 addition. And the wood boiler will be on the backside. How do you handle the expansion jounts? And any suggestions for insulating the lines to the house.How about a homebuilt boiler I have a mill ,lathe, welder ,plasma cutter torches ect. so anything is possible.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

I think there was at least one thread here at TBN regarding radiant floor heating for the shop...you might want to do a search. That was several months ago, and it had some interesting thoughts/opinions...

Bill

 

[Hoeman00]

I put radiant tube under my basement addition and
the attached garage w/ outside wood fired heater.
U will need 1' of tube for every sq.ft. of floor.
Use at least 2" blue dow foam under floor and
6" concrete mesh on top to tie tubing to w/ wire ties.
Tubing usually is 300' rolls so u will need to make 3
zones.
Use 'zip strips' for floor joints and run tube thru
1/2" foam pipe insulation 1' long at these places.
My heater is a Hardy (all SS) but I have heard of using
2 propane tanks (200 & 500 gal.??) one large and one
smaller then cut off one end on each and use plate
steel for door and to tie 2 tanks together.
Add a flue from small tank thru large tank .
<font color="red"> HUGE NOTE OF CAUTON ABOUT CUTTING PROPANE TANKS. </font> /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Also can use radiators or heater cores w/ a fan to
blow heat around.
I put large radiator coil in gas forced air furnace to heat
rest of house and still have CA.
Any other ???? ask.

 

[ealasimi]

I have been heating with a wood boiler for over 20 years, it is in my basement. I now have a propane one installed. Still use the wood for the daytime. Underfloor systems need a lower temperature in the water that goes in the pipes than ones that has radiators. Something you need to consider. You will need a mixing value in the shop zone. My water is running about 160-190 degrees on my boiler. Floor temps should be 90-120 degrees. Your shop area should also contain an antifreeze in it also, unless you plan on keeping it heated all the time. Have someone with some knowledge on this check your plans before you start, it will be well worth it. Good luck.

 

[Rch]

hot water heater for radiant heat This is from Nov '98 Journal of Light Construction by Bill Clinton!

 

[cmsedore]

I built my own several years ago. I (in my youth) built it big. It holds about 800 gallons of water and has a 36"x36"x30" firebox. I made the water jacket by welding 4 full sheets and two half sheets of 1/8" steel (4x8 sheets) together to form a large, rectangular tank. The firebox (made of 1/4" steel) is inset in that.

Give careful thought to how you will insulate it, appropriate heat exchanger surface area, and keeping the heat exchanging surfaces free of creosote. I can say this because I didn't give as much thought to these three things as I might have.

I'd also recommend reading up on wood combustion. There are some subtle properties that matter for getting the most from your wood.

I did mine with torches and a ac/dc lincoln tombstone welder. I have a mig and plasma cutter now (largely because of that project /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) and still can't believe how many hours I spent burning stick.

I now run a 'commercially produced' one that I purchased from a friend who switched to propane. People think my old one is a small storage shed /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Chris