Yankee
Gold Member
"Wow, your absolutely the first to say this. Most people love it, others go as far as saying they will never have a home without it again. "
I will say that I dislike radiant ceilings far more than radiant floors. Even so, were I looking to buy a house and found one with a radiant floor system, I'd reject it out of hand.
We all tend to focus on people who agree with us. My corresponding reply to your comment, for example, is that I've met quite a few people who dislike radiant floors.
Aside from comfort, though, my basic objection is that all tubing system in existence eventually have problems - from a boat engine cooling systems to beer dispensing equipment. Bury tubing in a slab and it means that at some point you're going to have to tear up and replace or patch that slab. That's a whole lot more difficult, expensive, messier, and disruptive than replacing, say, a baseboard register. It's also less flexible in terms of changing the configuration. With conventional systems, you can almost change the system at a whim. I had an HVAC guy move several registers and added a couple in my new house in an hour or so. With a radiant system, what you've got is what you've got. You can vary flow and fluid heat input within limits, but not the layout.
I will say that I dislike radiant ceilings far more than radiant floors. Even so, were I looking to buy a house and found one with a radiant floor system, I'd reject it out of hand.
We all tend to focus on people who agree with us. My corresponding reply to your comment, for example, is that I've met quite a few people who dislike radiant floors.
Aside from comfort, though, my basic objection is that all tubing system in existence eventually have problems - from a boat engine cooling systems to beer dispensing equipment. Bury tubing in a slab and it means that at some point you're going to have to tear up and replace or patch that slab. That's a whole lot more difficult, expensive, messier, and disruptive than replacing, say, a baseboard register. It's also less flexible in terms of changing the configuration. With conventional systems, you can almost change the system at a whim. I had an HVAC guy move several registers and added a couple in my new house in an hour or so. With a radiant system, what you've got is what you've got. You can vary flow and fluid heat input within limits, but not the layout.