Recent content by Gentle_Ben

Wow looks like photobucket restored all my build photos. That's a relief!

So my garage was always intended to be a workshop for sleds but I haven't undertaken any big projects since building it. Couple weeks ago my buddy called me and asked if I would go with him to pick up a cheap snowmobile he had found online, a 2008 Yamaha Phazer RTX. The machine was/is a...

Thanks for the tips. I will definitely look into the timer option. Nothing can be done about the foil and bubble wrap thermal break, however I will say that this is the only way my contractor does heated slabs, so there must be some merit to it. I am definitely going to relocate the...

Edges of the slab are insulated with closed cell foam on all four sides. According to my contractor this is where the majority of heat loss occurs with a heated slab.

As previously stated I have brand new heavy duty door seals on the top and sides and also a triple seal on the bottom of the door. If you have a way of stopping 100% of the air from leaking around a 10x10 overhead door that faces strong winds, I'm all ears.

Maybe not, but the problem is that the air that leaks around the door in high winds is hitting the thermostat directly so its causing the system to run when its not actually necessary. When the wind is blowing hard the air temperature in the garage actually exceeds what I want b/c the...

Thanks for your comments. Yeah from the feedback here it sounds like going to a boiler wouldn't gain me all that much. I might do a few things to improve the efficiency of my hot water tank like adding a tank wrap and adding foam to the copper tubing that comes out of it. As previously...

I questioned the bubble and foil thermal break vs. using closed cell foam, but my contractor had his reasons for not doing it and its hard to argue with a guy who has 40+ years of experience and is a close family friend. You are right about the building leaking in strong winds, its the two...

We have a heated tile floor in our basement done with electric heat, we looked into putting the heated wire in the shower as well, but my contractor talked me out of it. The tile in the shower is only cold when you first step in, as soon as the water hits it, it warms right up and you'd never...

I don't have the room for a second hot water tank unfortunately. From my rudimentary knowledge it seems as though I need to be able to heat the water cycling in my system faster. Would a micro boiler not accomplish this? I really want to avoid adding a secondary heating system if I can. My...

Air temperature drops a bit, depends on how long the wind or cold spell lasts for. Its never usually more than 1-3 degrees Celsius. Its more of a concern of how much my system is running vs. any air temperature concerns. My issue is the cost of heating, I have no temperature concerns...

Thanks very much for your response. Would the BTU requirement in your calculation change if you were basing it on an outside temperature of -22F which is not uncommon here? Would I need to buy a boiler that is numerically close to my BTU/hour needs or should I be buying the next size up?

That's the expansion chamber. It has a relief valve built into it. When the system is running that chamber is empty, but once the system stops running and the tank has a chance to get up to full temperature again that chamber is full.

There is a guy in Winnipeg, MB who custom makes heating elements for all sorts of applications. I don't have room for a larger hot water tank at this point, my system is hidden inside custom cabinetry. My system is affordable for now, using my best estimates I think its costing me $200 per...