| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| placement of radiant floor circulators | 6/30/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I would like to know the best location for the circulator in a radiant sytem (located on second ...
A: InfloorŪ use to make an integrated pump and manifold. (In fact it was one of the first modern ...
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| Uninsulated slab radiant heat - retrofit | 6/29/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Well, Morgan, it looks like I just made a very costly mistake. I just bought a tiny 440 sq ft house ...
A: I insulate four feet down, out or in with 2" closed cell polystyrene: this to fight the frost. I ...
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| Cost of heating with Wirsbo/Uponor | 6/2/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Is there any way to determine how much it cost to heat a house with wirsbro heat? Last year we used ...
A: Wirsbo (now Uponor) is the manufacturer of radiant floor tubing. The installation of radiant floor ...
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| Bathroom Warm Floor Radiant | 5/28/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I'm a DIY-er remodelling a house and would like to add warm water radiant floors to my bathrooms. ...
A: Sorry, I jumped to a conclusion. I am glad you sought help though I can't fully understand the ...
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| Incorrect sized pex piping | 5/27/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: 8 years ago, radiant heating system installed in our home. We heat 95% with wood. Last couple of ...
A: Glycol bad, water good. A system with glycol produces less heat and costs more to operate. I only ...
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| radiant floor heating with gas and solar | 5/27/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: im putting in a radiant floor heating system in my house. its a "open direct system". i was ...
A: If an "open direct" system is a hydronic system which uses drinking water to heat the floors and ...
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| subfloor radiant heating | 5/20/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I am writing today because I seek advice about heating my home with subfloor radiant heating. My ...
A: Staple up or sub-floor radiant heating is one of the most challenging of all. First, it must be on ...
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| boiler with indirect water heater ? | 5/16/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: We live in Colorado and do not need our radiant heat during the summer but currently have a boiler ...
A: Indirect water heaters are the best water heater available when coupled with a boiler. If your ...
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| Old copper radiant floor leaking | 5/16/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Reading through them has been great, and our situation is a bit different from the ones I've read so ...
A: Panel radiators are the next best thing. I have retrofitted a few older homes and designed many for ...
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| radiant over existing slab | 5/15/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I would like to install hydronic heating in my finished basement. I have 9 foot ceilings. 1 - Does ...
A: The answer is; it depends. It would be great to take up all the cement, insulate, staple tube down ...
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| *Cast iron boilers vs. Mod/Con boilers* | 5/15/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I'm researching new heating options for my 1901, 2200 SF house (cast iron radiators) in northern MN. ...
A: Mod/Con boilers are the most efficient LTW boilers available today! Let me take a moment to ...
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| tube layout under cabinets? | 5/13/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: With hydronic heating should we avoid putting the tubing under kitchen counters, islands, food ...
A: Cooling down the hydronic fluid is called heating the space. Occasionally opening a cabinet on an ...
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| tube layout under cabinets? | 5/12/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: With hydronic heating should we avoid putting the tubing under kitchen counters, islands, food ...
A: The official answer is yes. We generally do not tube under areas over which we will not walk or ...
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| Advice - Tankless Water Heaters | 5/9/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I finally decided to replace the water heater I have with a tankless one. After some research, I ...
A: Tankless water heaters are THE thing in much of Asia and Europe. The Japanese and Koreans have phone ...
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| $5000.00 Propane bill !! help | 5/8/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Location: Skanee, MI. (near L'Anse) Elevation: approx 1350ft Stage: recent purchase home built ...
A: First find out the cost per therm for all available fuel sources e.g. wood, electric oil. I would ...
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| Pex Repair | 5/7/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: My carpenter accidentally put a nail through the Pex tubing while installing wood flooring over a ...
A: Repairing PEX tubing leaks is usually fast and easy. Ask the manufacturer for a repair coupling, cut ...
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| Radiant Heating (wall vs. floor) | 5/6/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I just put in a very lengthy question and when I clicked on "check spelling" the entire entry ...
A: Radiating any surface in a home will add to winter time comfort. However, most people feel more ...
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| All radiant or nothing? | 4/25/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Does the whole house need to have radiant flooring, or is it possible to do a complete lower level ...
A: You may radiate one room with one radiator or radiant floor and heat the rest or your home with a ...
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| Radiant heating-PEX in middle or bottom of slab | 4/25/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I'm in the process of constructing a new 1800 sq ft log home in central Wisconsin. It will have ...
A: "Would attaching to the insulation result in a noticeable difference?" Generally speaking; no. ...
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| Solar heat with radiant floor system | 4/23/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I have radiant in floor heat. I want to use solar panels to heat the water for my system. Can it ...
A: Solar can be a great heat source for radiant panels be they floor wall or ceiling. In Northern ...
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| Electric Radiant Floor Heat DIY re-design | 4/22/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I'm looking to install electric radiant heating wires in our rehabbed bathroom and would like to ...
A: The layperson should ALWAYS read, understand and follow the manufacturer's installation instructions ...
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| Ticking radiant floors | 4/20/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Were you able to solve your problem? I just moved into a newly built house and have the same ...
A: In the early days of Modern Radiant Floors we were told to staple tube up tight to the floor to ...
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| radiant floor heat, AND heat strips in A/C air handler... needed? | 4/18/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: ground will be broken in a month or so on our new home... I'm reviewing bids on the HVAC bids. All ...
A: Many contractors still don't trust radiant floor to heat a home and prefer to include up to 100% ...
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| Oil conversion | 4/13/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: We have a 1908 3(3rd is attic) story home that is curently heated with forced air oil fired furnace ...
A: Gas burns cleaner and requires less qualified service, less often. But heating the house from the ...
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| Tankless water heaters and Radiant Floors | 4/5/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I'm building a new 1800sq ft home in Waldport, Oregon and I'm wondering if a Rinnai tankless water ...
A: This is a common though questionable application. I design many systems using various conventional ...
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| electrical floor boxes in Gypcrete | 4/3/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I am wiring a home that will have 2" of gypcrete poured for the hydronic floor heat. The homeowner ...
A: I use a plastic box to resist the initial moisture introduced with a Gypcrete pour. Weather-proof ...
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| Heat pumps and radiant floor heating | 3/28/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Have you ever heard of using a heat pump to run a radiant floor heating system? I was told it was ...
A: Perfect! I specify and design many systems with "hydronic heat pumps". Where cooling is a longer ...
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| Potable and water heating together...NO | 3/24/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I am an absolute neophyte to hydronic systems. I recently purchased a home in the mountains of Utah ...
A: Potable water heater for space heating and domestic water heating is not an accepted ...
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| warmboard vs gypcrete | 3/20/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I am about to break ground on a 3300 sq ft, one story house and am stuck deciding between Warmboard ...
A: I just finished a design in Steamboat. It is surprisingly close to the design criteria we use here ...
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| Tube Spacing Between Floor Joist | 3/19/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I am planning to have under floor joist heating; my contractor is planning to have the spacing ...
A: Tube spacing is determined first by an accurate heat loss analysis. 24" spacing is uncommon in all ...
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| Off Peak Electric Hydronic Heating | 3/13/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I want to store heat in one 80 gallon water heater and one 163 gallon storage tank connected in ...
A: As you have gathered, "off-peak" is a tricky business. My experience has been mixed on the concept ...
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| domestic hot water PLUS radiant floor htg | 3/11/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I hope you can put me out of my radiant misery... i am building a 934sf 3 story beach house in ...
A: The answer is... CombiCor! I love a simple, reliable and safe INTEGRATED heating system. It saves ...
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| insulation board gap on Badgerboilerservice.com | 3/7/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Mr Audetat, I am a custom builder in North Carolina who has just read nearly every posting you have ...
A: The insulation gap was political. I did not sign off on it, but as the floor is 8 feet below grade ...
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| Carpet and Padding for Radiant Floor Heating | 3/5/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I understand to look for the lowest R-Value but besides that, what is the best type of carpet and ...
A: That is a long list, but the short answer is to stay away from wool carpeting and be especially ...
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| Scorched air vs. Radiant Comfort | 3/5/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: We are in the process of building a new home. I am interested in high efficiency heating/cooling ...
A: Of course its worth it! Don't you deserve to be comfortable? For less than you will spend on a new ...
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| Electric vs. Gas..........AGAIN | 3/2/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I have a air to water exterior reversable heat pump that I need to replace with something else.My ...
A: Please contact for fuel providers. They are experts and will do the math for you. If you have ...
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| electric radiant high heat bill | 2/25/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I have a brand new radiant system in a 18 ft by 22 ft workshop in Frigid Minnesota. I am using a ...
A: I live in work in Minnesota. Our local electricity is about 8 cents per kW. or 3 times the cost of ...
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| Radiant floor set-back. | 2/25/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: I've just built a new house. Winter house, in the snow, ~ 7000 ft, 3 stories, ~3500 sq. ...
A: If you want to set back a vacation home for instance, you must plan ahead. That is, call ahead and ...
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| radian heat source | 2/24/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: we're remodeling a 3thousand sq ft. home in the ny, ny area. I am planning on installing radiant ...
A: There are Mod/Cons made to heat any space. Both boilers are fine. You will need an indirect water ...
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| use anti-freeze in pipes vs draining system and disconnect one or two pipes | 2/19/2008 | Morgan M. Audetat |
Q: Our home was built in 1950 and has radiant heat in the floor/ceilings of the basement, first and ...
A: Anti-freeze makes any hydronic system use more fuel and electricity for the same work done. Great ...
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