48x39x14 shop build

[ovrszd]

Have you checked with your power company? They may offer you a nice rebate for using the economical florescent lights. Mine did, after I showed them proof of purchase for 20 fixtures. I got back several hundred dollars.

No I haven't. I'll check that out. Thanks!!!

 

[tjkubota93]

My supplier said it's cheaper to run 3 individual wires than Romax. Said less labor is involved which lowers installation costs. I cannot verify that. I was already leaning toward conduit. That's what I used in my current shop. So I didn't do any price comparison.

Thanks, didn't think of using individual wires being cheaper. I don't like messing with romex anyway. So that's a perk. I also like the serviceability. I will definitely consider conduit.

There's a fella at work that makes super pretty bends, I might see if he wants to come over when this is futher along.

 

[ovrszd]

Got my Radiant Floor Heat going yesterday. Hired a guy to hook it up. Used a Rinnai RUC80iP tankless propane fired heater. .96 energy factor heater. Sorry, can't remember off top of my head how many BTU heater it is. Only uses one pump to circulate the water. Is continuously hooked to the water system with a 25psi regulator and a backflow preventer.

Had some trouble getting the air out of the system. Heater would light and run until it cycled off. Then when trying to restart it would "code" no flame. Air was in the plenum. After an hour of messing with it we finally got the air out.

The shop was at 60 degrees by means of a Eden Pure heater. Not sure what the concrete temp was, didn't check it. Set the thermostat on 70F and left it alone for the night. This morning it was 70F degrees in the shop and the system was caught up and off. The concrete temp in the middle of the shop was 73F. Our high temp today was 27F degrees and sunny. I spent 5 hours in the shop and the temp continued to rise. When I left the concrete temp was 75.8F and shop temp was 75. Heater never kicked on.

I have had several conversations with people about this type of heat. The advice I received was spot on. Everyone said you have to be patient in the beginning. Everyone said don't crank the thermostat up too high or you'll have your shop temp too hot. Everyone said give it a couple days to find it's sweet spot and settle into a routine. All of this dependent on building temp and concrete temp of course.

I should have set my thermostat on 65F and left it for the night. I believe what happened was the system had to heat up the slab. By the time that radiant heat reached the thermostat to shut off the system it already had the concrete temp rising at a steady pace with the bottom part already too hot. That heat radiated upward out of the concrete all day today.

I think by tomorrow morning it will have became steady and be maintaining whatever temp the thermostat is set on.

This afternoon I shot temps on the concrete, middle of shop, 75.8F. Shot the temp of an exterior wall 2ft above floor, 72.4F. Shot the temp of the same wall at 12ft above floor, 72.8F. Shot the temp of the ceiling in the middle of the shop, 72.8F. Shot the temp of the Kubota RTV parked almost in the middle of the shop, 73.9F. I had been curious whether I needed a ceiling fan or not? I don't believe I do. Willard (dog) says the warmest place in the shop is on the floor. He spent most of the day napping on the bare concrete. Before we cranked this heat he always napped in his recliner and never laid on the floor. Very unusual heat. Very comfortable heat. The system is in the bathroom and if the door is shut you have to stand next to the closed door to even here it running in there. Very quiet. No air movement. I think I'm really going to like it.

I have 2" of pinkboard insulation under the floor and somewhere around 2,500 ft of 1/2" pex in 9 loops. Total cost is going to be around $5,500. I'll get an exact price when I get the final bill from the installer. The pinkboard is around $2,000. I would have used it regardless of heat source. So the heat system actually cost around $3,500.

Here's some pics of the system installed.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've got a bunch of lines sticking up in the utility room... place was built with it 25 years ago and it was never hooked up...

Can't wait to take possession so I can feel my way around.... going to be lots to learn and I appreciate your posting pictures!

 

[ovrszd]

I've got a bunch of lines sticking up in the utility room... place was built with it 25 years ago and it was never hooked up...

Can't wait to take possession so I can feel my way around.... going to be lots to learn and I appreciate your posting pictures!

20 years ago I would have hooked it up myself. My learning curve has flattened since then. I tried to get good enough pics that you and anyone else that is thinking of attempting it could use them for guidance.

This setup is the simplest I've saw. Friend of mine tried this method with only one pump on a 2500 sq ft building (mine is 1870) and it wouldn't circulate enough to work. Had to add a pump at the return manifold.

When Dusty does our house I'm thinking he may add a second pump, it's 2,500 sq ft. I want to talk to him about valves on each circuit then too. Thinking in a walled off house I might want to slow down the flow to certain areas. No need for that in an open shop. When the house gets done I'll post pics and narrative.

 

[Wakey]

The dog has to be thinking "I don't know what he did but I like it!"

 

[ovrszd]

The dog has to be thinking "I don't know what he did but I like it!"

Yeah, when I tell him it's time to go home he looks at me like I'm crazy.

 

[ovrszd]

I set the thermostat on 68 yesterday evening when I left. This morning it reported the temp at 68. Our high today was 41F. No wind, mostly cloudy. The shop temp rose all day peaking at 72. Heat never kicked on.

Being totally ignorant, I think when it runs there is too much delay for the increased temp to reach the thermostat and shut the system off. Then for the next several hours that stored heat radiates up out of the floor. No big deal here in the shop. Wouldn't be good in the house.

I'll try to leave it alone for a couple days and see if it gets more consistent. I'd like to see what's happening at night when I'm not here but it ain't worth the 10 minute drive to come and check.

 

[fordmantpw]

I'm not sure if that is a good heat system for here in MO where it is 0 degrees one day, 80 the next, and then 20 the day after that!

I kid though, I wish we would have added that to our basement when we built.

 

[kevinwak]

20 years ago I would have hooked it up myself. My learning curve has flattened since then. I tried to get good enough pics that you and anyone else that is thinking of attempting it could use them for guidance.

This setup is the simplest I've saw. Friend of mine tried this method with only one pump on a 2500 sq ft building (mine is 1870) and it wouldn't circulate enough to work. Had to add a pump at the return manifold.

When Dusty does our house I'm thinking he may add a second pump, it's 2,500 sq ft. I want to talk to him about valves on each circuit then too. Thinking in a walled off house I might want to slow down the flow to certain areas. No need for that in an open shop. When the house gets done I'll post pics and narrative.

If doing your home in different zones try and make them match your floor plan. Just finished our basement and have the in-slab heating. It is done in three zones and the heating contractor installed a thermostats I. Three separate locations. Well my room layout matched so that I have a thermostat in the gym, guest room and common area. What I am finding now is the floor temp doesn’t match the rooms even remotely. I think they must have just did the basement in 3rds. I am seriously thinking of wiring all three zones together off the common area thermostat.
As for the shop gaining temp during the day could that just be solar heat gain? The other day it was -20 Celsius outside and windy, but very sunny. The temp I the house gained a degree throughout the day and the heat never ran once.