In-floor heat cost reality check

[26 Flatrod]

I am discussing installing in-floor heat in my new garage with my contractor, but the cost seems very high as compared to infrared heat tubes or a regular shop heater. I know in-floor heat is going to be more expensive, but I need a reality check on if this is realistic or not.

My garage will be 36 wide x 52 deep (1872 SF) with a wall in the middle so I only have to heat the back portion (936 SF) of the shop in the winter. The estimate for infrared tube heating was $1800 for 1 60,000 BTU heater. The estimate for in-floor heat with slab insulation, tubing, a boiler and the entire installation would run $12,000.

The infrared option is about $2 per SF and the in-floor option is about $13 per SF. Does in-floor heat usually cost this much more to install or is my contractor just using super high cost items. Also when you guys decide on in-floor heat, do you usually do it yourself to keep the cost down or do you just bite the bullet on cost because it is so much nicer than anything else?

 

[DEnd]

Are you wanting to heat the space 24/7? If so there the sub slab insulation will be needed regardless of the heating system you use. If you really don't need/want to heat 24/7 then I would not go with in-floor heat, simply because it takes so long to change temps.

 

[Steve in Mi]

I insulated my 28' X 48' 2 story shop as if I would be installing in-floor heat but then decided to heat with Natural Gas Force Air. At the time I was planning my shop (1981 build) I wasn't sure how often I would use the shop but I wanted it affordable to heat. I'm very happy with the outcome and have heated 24/7 in our Michigan Winters - 1999 to the present. I heat to 63/64 degrees which I find comfy. The key is proper insulation and then it doesn't much mater which type heat you use.

It would help if you gave us some idea of your location/climate.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The infrared option is about $2 per SF and the in-floor option is about $13 per SF.

I am with you. Those numbers seem way out of whack !

Which ever you choose, pay the extra for under the floor insulation and vapor barrier. Don't forget to apply insulation on the inside of the foundation below grade to prevent cold from getting in there.

 

[yeldogt]

Insulation in the key to comfort -- whatever route you take .. and operating cost especially if you don't have natural gas.

It is obviously going to cost a lot more for the complete radiant system vs installing a simple tube heater ... or a fan forced heater like a lot of people use.

More insulation = less BTU's needed = smaller equipment & lower cost.

A high mass radiant slab in a very cold climate where the slab is the only heat -- has to have controls that keep it "on" all the time.

My house in the mountains has radiant heat ... but it was not designed to provide all the heat ... just to keep the floors warm .. same for the small shop ... much of the time the radiant is enough ... but we have hydronic fan coils in the HVAC and a small unit in the shop to bring the building quickly up to temp when we arrive on the weekends and to proved the extra BTU's in very cold weather.

Depending on the climate -- High mass radiant can be a bit tricky to control

 

[26 Flatrod]

I am in Minnesota so I need to heat the garage for several months in the winter. Before we moved, I had a 2 car garage with a normal space heater and I would just flip the heat a hour before I started working. But the floor never got warm and even with good boots on I would have to go inside to warm up. that slab was not insulated at all

I plan to retiring in a few years so I am building this garage with that in mind. I will be in the shop a lot more and I do not want to lay or stand on a cold floor. I love the idea of in-floor heat for that reason and I would assume I would keep the heat on 24/7 in the winter months. A mechanic friend of mine has it in his garage and he said it is comfortable at about 55° if you are actually working.

Steve in MI: Good point about heating 24/7 with normal forced air heat and a good insulated floor. That way I would think the slab would stay warm and once the room was up to temp it should not cost any more to heat than the in-floor heat. Can you tell me your floor temp in the winter? Mine usually never got above 37° or so.

 

[yeldogt]

Running a radiant slab to maintaing 55 degrees at 5 feet .. The slab temp will depend on the outside temp and the insulation in the building. And maintaining the slab (BTU's) temp will depend on the insulation under the slab.

Radiant heat is not necessarily any cheaper to operate -- but it can be much more comfortable.

You can't compare a typical uninsulated slab (like your old garage) with one that has been properly insulated as mike indicates his is. Same with your mechanic friend -- what is his slab temp to maintain 55 ?

The key to making it work is to insulate the building so that the heat requirements are low enough for the slab to work properly.

I'm building a new house as I am also semi retiring -- and I'm going to do radiant in most of my new studio -- but I'm installing a wood floor in most of it --- so the insulation is much easier ...

 

[26 Flatrod]

I am with you. Those numbers seem way out of whack !

Which ever you choose, pay the extra for under the floor insulation and vapor barrier. Don't forget to apply insulation on the inside of the foundation below grade to prevent cold from getting in there.

Good point about installing floor insulation for any system. They want about 3K to insulate the slab. If I look at the numbers that way, it would cost more like $4800 for the infrared and 12k for the in-floor heat. Still expensive, but that is a smaller difference.

They are quoting $6K for the boiler and hookup alone (not including laying the tubing) is this a premium boiler or is this just what they cost?

 

[yeldogt]

Boiler costs are all over the place -- it all depends on what you get ... size .. complexity of controls... They are easily 6k.

What fuel?

You have to insulate the slab regardless of how you plan the heating .. or you will not be happy working in the space anymore than the old garage.

Have you ever worked around the infrared tube heaters? -- how high is the ceiling?

 

[26 Flatrod]

Boiler costs are all over the place -- it all depends on what you get ... size .. complexity of controls... They are easily 6k.

What fuel?

You have to insulate the slab regardless of how you plan the heating .. or you will not be happy working in the space anymore than the old garage.

Have you ever worked around the infrared tube heaters? -- how high is the ceiling?

I will be using natural gas to heat. I have never worked with infrared tube heaters, I have always had forced air. I like the idea of infrared because I have heard it heats objects and not the air so it might be more comfortable and quieter than forced air. However I have been in a few shops with the tube heaters and the top of my head always gets pretty hot. I am planning to have 13' ceilings for my lift so hopefully that would be better than a lower ceiling.

I am open to opinions though, I have not decided absolutely on anything yet.

 

[yeldogt]

The tube heaters are fine in an open shop -- like a car dealership with big open spaces and doors opening all the time ... letting cold outside air in. They work like a bonfire -- heating objects. I don't think you will be happy with them in a new tight building. I would not do it.

Radiant floors work great in the same kind of big open space -- with doors opening all the time. A concrete slab is a high mass floor -- they take time to heat and to cool .. so in the fall and spring they can overheat a space without proper controls.

I don't have NG service (propane or electric) so I'm installing a heat pump as I also want AC -- the wood part of my studio will be a product called Warmboard and then I am going to use pex in the slab. But I'm still going to use a hydronic fancoil in the HVAC and only warm the floors in the coolest part of the winter.

You need to decide the insulation first .. then do a heat load so you know how many BTU's the space is going to need.

My home office is in my walkout basement -- the slab was insulated .. but not to todays standards -- and I am very comfortable using panel radiators in the space. Heated floors would be nicer ... but you can make a slab comfortable if you insulate it properly

 

[theoldwizard1]

I am in Minnesota so I need to heat the garage for several months in the winter....

I plan to retiring in a few years so I am building this garage with that in mind. I will be in the shop a lot more and I do not want to lay or stand on a cold floor. I love the idea of in-floor heat for that reason and I would assume I would keep the heat on 24/7 in the winter months. A mechanic friend of mine has it in his garage and he said it is comfortable at about 55° if you are actually working.

This is EXACTLY why people have in-floor radiant heat.

Maintaining 55-60° actually does NOT require a lot of energy IF you have good insulation/vapor barrier, including on the inside of the foundation !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Radiant floors work great in the same kind of big open space -- with doors opening all the time.

NOT TRUE, if you are talking about large doors that will cool a large percentage of the air when they are open, such as a commercial operation. In floor radiant heat does not handle large swings in ambient temperature.

 

[Steve in Mi]

I am in Minnesota so I need to heat the garage for several months in the winter. Before we moved, I had a 2 car garage with a normal space heater and I would just flip the heat a hour before I started working. But the floor never got warm and even with good boots on I would have to go inside to warm up. that slab was not insulated at all

I plan to retiring in a few years so I am building this garage with that in mind. I will be in the shop a lot more and I do not want to lay or stand on a cold floor. I love the idea of in-floor heat for that reason and I would assume I would keep the heat on 24/7 in the winter months. A mechanic friend of mine has it in his garage and he said it is comfortable at about 55° if you are actually working.

Steve in MI: Good point about heating 24/7 with normal forced air heat and a good insulated floor. That way I would think the slab would stay warm and once the room was up to temp it should not cost any more to heat than the in-floor heat. Can you tell me your floor temp in the winter? Mine usually never got above 37° or so.

My floor temp is between 2 and 3 degrees lower than the air temp in my shop. Exceptions to this is the extreme outside edge (about 6 to 8 ") of the of the floor (maybe another 4 to 5 degrees cooler) and under/near my doors where I didn't provide a thermal break.

My insulation is Dow T&G rigid foam. 1" under the entire floor plus an inch inside the block foundation down to the frost line and another inch on the outside of the block from frost line all the way to the building peak with 6" fiberglass in the stud spacings.

I designed and built my shop in 1981, today you can do better I think. I sure am happy I put in the insulation I did because it's an investment that has paid for itself several times over. I can't see where an in-floor heating system is worth the extra cost and I will argue no more comfy than what I have.

 

[yeldogt]

Theoldwizard1: I have radiant heat in my warehouse .... people are coming and going all day long ... with radiant we are heating the area where the people are ... down at the floor. This is much better then trying to used forced air... also all the equipment on the floor is warmed .. vs being cold with forced air.

The mass of the floor is the key -- and proper controls.

 

[Beaumont67]

Built my custom 24x30 ft. garage (1.5 story) in 1991...poured floating slab on 1" thick foam.
A few years later, put in NG forced air heating furnace (85% mid efficient unit) & sleeve AC unit (12,300 btu)...on the cheap.
- furnace was 3 years old, paid $300...pilot light needs to be off the floor, min. 4.5 ft. code here
- AC unit was a week old, paid $200
Added tin duck work, for under $1000...including 3 floor cold air returns / 3 hot air runs in ceiling, exiting over garage doors.
Added Roxul, 6" bats in all walls / 12" bats in ceiling (ceiling designed with Wood-eye).
- two commercial 8x10 ft. garage doors (20 gauge construction, fully insulated, no windows)
http://www.garaga.com/ca/garage-doors/commercial/g-3000/
- one insulated man door...no windows in garage
Followed up with 6 mil vapor barrier, dry wall & paint.

Back in the year 2000, my 1978 K2500 4x4 truck restoration, went on hold...son got a Westbury snooker table in the garage, and competed in national billiards championships.
- over the next 2 years, our practice garage was set at a constant 72^F temp. 24/7
Here in S/W Ontario, Canada...our natural gas bill went up only $250 (with garage heat added) over the entire winter season / comparing the previous year, without garage heat.

 

[Randy in Maine]

Either way some of the costs are the same...

$1 per square foot for 2" on rigid insulation under the slab. That needs to happen either way. My house has R-40 foam ceilings, the garage has R-40 every thing (SIPs).

1 linear foot of 1/2" PEX oxy barrier tubing per square foot in the slab. I attached mine to 6" x 6" wire. In my opinion, the way you save money with the radiant floor heat is that you are only putting 120º F water out there and it is coming back to the heater at 80º so you are only adding 40º to it. the real plus is that it keeps "fire" out of the garage. Keep in mind that 1 cubic yard of concrete = 2 tons of thermal mass. My 40' x 28' shop is 21 cubic yards or 42 tons of thermal mass. 6" thick 4000 psi concrete with fiber.

I have a little propane fired Baxi boiler ($3K) mounted to the wall that heats the whole house (1200 Ft) and the garage (1200 feet) + domestic hot water (in 3 zones) for around $2.2K per year on $3.19 per gallon of propane. You can do a little better with natural gas.

 

[26 Flatrod]

Radiant floors work great in the same kind of big open space -- with doors opening all the time. A concrete slab is a high mass floor -- they take time to heat and to cool .. so in the fall and spring they can overheat a space without proper controls.

What kind of controls do you need to control a radiant floor in a garage properly? I assume you would just have a thermostat on the wall like a normal system, but if you open a big garage door and let in a bunch of cold air, does the boiler kick in right away or is there some delay based on the size of the concrete slab? I would think the slab temp would not change much and the room temp would recover pretty quickly after the door was closed again.

 

[UpstateNY]

What kind of controls do you need to control a radiant floor in a garage properly? I assume you would just have a thermostat on the wall like a normal system, but if you open a big garage door and let in a bunch of cold air, does the boiler kick in right away or is there some delay based on the size of the concrete slab? I would think the slab temp would not change much and the room temp would recover pretty quickly after the door was closed again.

Wall thermostat with in-floor sensor and/or air sensor. mine has both. Boiler would not kick in for opening a door, heated mass of floor would re-heat air quickly. Remember, you have 20 tons of heated concrete and literally ounces of air to heat. But of course you also have to heat the mass of the objects within the garage.

 

[yeldogt]

The warehouse uses and outdoor reset on the boiler -- along with both a slab and inside air temp sensor - as max temp limits. And you are correct -- opening the door has little effect on the comfort once it is closed ... now you can't have the big door open all day! The key to making radiant work comfortably is to make sure the heat load is small enough that you keep the floor temp as low as possible.

I'm just a homeowner -- a bit of a serial remodeler .... I did my first radiant system about 25 years ago .. and have put radiant into every house I have built or rebuilt since. I lived in a midcentury modern for a few years that someone else built back in the 60's -- all concrete radiant floors.

I have also built myself 4 different studios over that period -- two large and two small .. all with radiant.

In a tight space a simple thermostat to control the garage may work ... it looks like many on the board use such a system. I have found that with a high mass system (concrete is high mass) a slab thermostat is also important.

I don't want to sound like a radiant nerd .. or takeover your thread ... I just don't want you do go out and spend 12k and not be happy. Your space, properly insulated -- depending on the windows/ doors is not going to need a lot of BTU's .. are you doing AC?

 

[sands35]

12k is pretty high. Mind posting the line by line quote?

You also don't need a "boiler". Sorta like "what oil is best" but there are munch lower cost alternatives to heat water.

Air thermostats designed for radiant have a different response curve than ones used for forced air.

 

[26 Flatrod]

I don't want to sound like a radiant nerd .. or takeover your thread ... I just don't want you do go out and spend 12k and not be happy. Your space, properly insulated -- depending on the windows/ doors is not going to need a lot of BTU's .. are you doing AC?

I plan to install an AC unit sometime in the future if I need it, but I am thinking it would be just a 230 V wall unit

As far as my space description, The heated workshop area is 36 x 28 with a 13 ft ceiling. I am planning to have 2 windows on each side for ventilation and light. It will have a 3 ft service door and a 8 x 18 overhead door, both leading into the front half of the garage which I am not planning to heat.

The million dollar question I have is that if I insulate the floor, the walls and the ceiling and I have the heat on 24/7 during the winter, what difference will I notice between conventional heat and in-floor heat? All the objects in the room will be warm either way, the floor should be warm if it is insulated. the air temp should recover quickly with either system. Am I missing something fundamental here?

I would attach a my floor plan, but for some reason the system is not letting me do it right now.

 

[26 Flatrod]

12k is pretty high. Mind posting the line by line quote?

You also don't need a "boiler". Sorta like "what oil is best" but there are munch lower cost alternatives to heat water.

Air thermostats designed for radiant have a different response curve than ones used for forced air.

Actually, the contractor told me $13,700 for the entire garage (36 x 52) and I subtracted about 2 k for the laying the tube in 1/2 the garage. he did not give me a super detailed estimate sheet but here is how it actually breaks down for the entire garage.
Insulation board and installation: $2500
in-floor heating pipe and installation: $3600
Standard efficiency boiler and hookup: $7600
Total: $13700

I agree that I need to insulate the slab no matter how I heat the garage so then the cost to install in-floor heat is more like $11200. Then I have to ask if I only want to heat 1/2 the garage, would it only cost about $5600? Or would it still cost more because of the boiler.

 

[yeldogt]

Just to let you know my current studio is 1800sf with much higher ceilings than yours and I heat the whole place......... all 1800sf with 28k BTU ... and it does this with little stress .. even this winter........... the rebuild is going to be better so I will not even need that. I only have four windows and a 36" door --- the big door is twin insulated 4x8 doors -- so I have an 8x8 opening -- They are 6" thick w/foam.

Nothing compares to heated floors -- that is not to say that you can't make a comfortable shop with forced air heat ... but the slab is still going to be cool ... especially if you keep the shop at 55 degrees. Heated floors warm everything placed on the floor ... bad place for a case of wine.

I tend to be somewhat stationary when I am out in my studio .. so I like it warmer.... at least 65 .....somewhat more active when I am out in the garage part .. so I can have that a bit cooler... but not much.

What is important to understand is that as it gets colder outside the water tempature going to the pex must increase -- the floor is your radiator. If you do not insulate your slab properly -- the water temp must always be higher to overcome the loss to the ground. If your building is not well insulated the water tempature must be higher to maintain the temperature in the space. If you don't insulate the slab and building properly -- the water and therefor the slab will be hotter then you may like if you working down low. Also, if you space the tubing too far apart the floor will not be evenly heated and the water will need to be hotter as you don't have as much transfer. All of this sounds harder to figure out then it is .. but it starts with the insulation and a proper heat load ... you are not going to need 60k tube heaters in 900sf

In one of my smaller studios I used an electric boiler as my electric rates were under 9 cents KW ... now they are 19 ... so too expensive.

I normally keep the floors warm so they are comfortable .. but I bring the space up to a higher temp with supplemental forced air should it be required when I arrive ..... I am not at one house all week .. so a bit different situation.

 

[purplezr2]

I would get a materials break out

I think when I was figuring a 44x36 it was 1600 for foam insulation panels under the slap and similar like 1500 in tubing or so.

 

[26 Flatrod]

I would get a materials break out

I think when I was figuring a 44x36 it was 1600 for foam insulation panels under the slap and similar like 1500 in tubing or so.

Since I am having a contractor buy the materials and do the work, my total is a little more than yours if you factor in labor and overhead.
your total material cost was $3100 but my garage is 20% bigger so that would be $3720 on my garage.
My builder is charging $1000 to install both the insulation and tubing so that would bring the total to $4720, then I think he is charging about 10% for general contracting the entire project so that would be an additional $472 or $5120. I do not know if the materials are the same or how long ago you did your garage, but the material cost could be $1000 more than what you used at the time.

I know I am paying more to have a contractor do it, but I need to get the slab in so they can start building the garage. I also feel I need to rely on someone who has done this before. Looks like the major cost for the in-floor heat is the boiler and hookup. I might decide to do that later after I have time to look into it further. Maybe I will buy the boiler and hook it up myself.

 

[Steve in Mi]

The million dollar question I have is that if I insulate the floor, the walls and the ceiling and I have the heat on 24/7 during the winter, what difference will I notice between conventional heat and in-floor heat? All the objects in the room will be warm either way, the floor should be warm if it is insulated. the air temp should recover quickly with either system. Am I missing something fundamental here?
.

No you're not missing anything - you nailed it!

 

[26 Flatrod]

No you're not missing anything - you nailed it!

Then I think I have a plan. I have never had a problem with gas forced air heat except that when I leave the heat off most of the time, the floor never warms up. If I insulate everything as discussed and I use gas forced air to keep the room temp at a low level (like 50° F) it should not cost a lot to heat. Then I can turn the heat up to 60 or so when I am working and I should be more than comfortable.

However, since I am just getting ready to pour the concrete floor, I think it would be good insurance to pay the extra $3600 to put the tubes in and allow space for a boiler so it is ready to install in-floor heat at a later date.

 

[jlckmj]

If you leave your shop warm like 60 degrees all the time you would need a fan to spread the warm air from a forced air furnace to the slab for it to stay as warm as the rest of the room. YES, you can do that, YES, it will work. Just remember that warm air rises, you have to force it back to the floor for that to work well. Basically you are taking a very hot spot and forcing it around the room to warm things up.

Remember that when you are heating your slab, the entire room is going to be warm without fans. I check my shop with an IR thermometer, and the ceiling is within 2 degrees of the floor, and so is everything else in the shop.

Another thing I found out since I went to radiant slab heat is that it does not have to be anywhere near as warm to be comfortable. I keep my floors at 52 -54 degrees and I am sweating while working in a long sleeve flannel. When I had forced air,, the room could be at 70-75 but I still felt chilled because my feet were cold on the concrete. (NO INSULATION!)

I have been told that it has to do with cold receptors in your feet. If you have ever worked outside in the winter you will know that there is some truth to that. Keep the feet warm, and the rest of you is normally ok.

No matter what you do, insulate the under the floor, it will help considerably.

Good luck, Jim

 

[brewchief]

What type of work will you be doing? If you have a lift how much work would you have to do laying on the floor?

Insulating and running tube is a good plan, I would do the whole shop and set it up as two zones so if you want to heat the whole thing in the future you can.

 

[yeldogt]

The slab is always going to be colder with forced air ... you are the only one who can determine what it is that you want.

With forced air heat -- the air is heated and the air heats the soundings -- as it goes up to the ceiling. Years ago I had an additional duct installed that blew across the existing slab -- so the heat came out at the floor -- horizontally.

I am often sitting and working on the floor ... and I don't work in heavy clothes.

Keeping a slab at 50 and trying to heat it up with forced air room temp set at 60 is going to take a while. As I said .. I keep my floors warm in the winter and currently add additional heat if needed by way of a simple hydro coil rather then turn up the floor heat. That way I get warm floors and the ability to keep the heating costs down when I am not using the space.

 

[Backlight]

Since I am having a contractor buy the materials and do the work, my total is a little more than yours if you factor in labor and overhead.
your total material cost was $3100 but my garage is 20% bigger so that would be $3720 on my garage.
My builder is charging $1000 to install both the insulation and tubing so that would bring the total to $4720, then I think he is charging about 10% for general contracting the entire project so that would be an additional $472 or $5120. I do not know if the materials are the same or how long ago you did your garage, but the material cost could be $1000 more than what you used at the time.

I know I am paying more to have a contractor do it, but I need to get the slab in so they can start building the garage. I also feel I need to rely on someone who has done this before. Looks like the major cost for the in-floor heat is the boiler and hookup. I might decide to do that later after I have time to look into it further. Maybe I will buy the boiler and hook it up myself.

This is what I've decided to do for my build. Install the insulation and radiant tubing now and install the boiler when time and funding permits.

As I don't have time to use the garage frequently in the winter at the moment I'll find a temporary heat source until the boiler goes in, likely a salamander to get things up to working temperature and an electric heater to maintain the heat as I work away...

 

[gayler]

If you leave your shop warm like 60 degrees all the time you would need a fan to spread the warm air from a forced air furnace to the slab for it to stay as warm as the rest of the room. YES, you can do that, YES, it will work. Just remember that warm air rises, you have to force it back to the floor for that to work well. Basically you are taking a very hot spot and forcing it around the room to warm things up.

Remember that when you are heating your slab, the entire room is going to be warm without fans. I check my shop with an IR thermometer, and the ceiling is within 2 degrees of the floor, and so is everything else in the shop.

Another thing I found out since I went to radiant slab heat is that it does not have to be anywhere near as warm to be comfortable. I keep my floors at 52 -54 degrees and I am sweating while working in a long sleeve flannel. When I had forced air,, the room could be at 70-75 but I still felt chilled because my feet were cold on the concrete. (NO INSULATION!)

I have been told that it has to do with cold receptors in your feet. If you have ever worked outside in the winter you will know that there is some truth to that. Keep the feet warm, and the rest of you is normally ok.

No matter what you do, insulate the under the floor, it will help considerably.

Good luck, Jim

+1! Also I don't like feeling hot air blowing at me.

 

[26 Flatrod]

What type of work will you be doing? If you have a lift how much work would you have to do laying on the floor?

Insulating and running tube is a good plan, I would do the whole shop and set it up as two zones so if you want to heat the whole thing in the future you can.

I will be installing a lift so I do not have to lay on my back anymore. Been there done that . At the most I would have to sit on a rolling stool. Might lay on my back for a short time if it is a small quick job, but I don't know what that would be right now.

I plan to do exactly as you say above, think this will work out great if I want to go with floor heat later.

 

[26 Flatrod]

The slab is always going to be colder with forced air ... you are the only one who can determine what it is that you want.

With forced air heat -- the air is heated and the air heats the soundings -- as it goes up to the ceiling. Years ago I had an additional duct installed that blew across the existing slab -- so the heat came out at the floor -- horizontally.

I am often sitting and working on the floor ... and I don't work in heavy clothes.

Keeping a slab at 50 and trying to heat it up with forced air room temp set at 60 is going to take a while. As I said .. I keep my floors warm in the winter and currently add additional heat if needed by way of a simple hydro coil rather then turn up the floor heat. That way I get warm floors and the ability to keep the heating costs down when I am not using the space.

Understood. I think I will eventually install the boiler and control system, but this will give me time to investigate it further and get a more reasonably priced system. Also, I think it might be a good combo to have forced in addition to in-floor heat just for the reason you mentioned (using your hydro coil to get the air temp up). What is a hydro coil anyway?

 

[26 Flatrod]

No matter what you do, insulate the under the floor, it will help considerably.

Good luck, Jim

Sounds like a good plan.

Is that a Valkyrie Touring in your avatar? I have a 99 Interstate and just love it

 

[justin1795]

everyone recommends it but very few know the real costs. they see some tubing in the menards ad for cheap and think that's all there is to it.

 

[jlckmj]

Is that a Valkyrie Touring in your avatar? I have a 99 Interstate and just love it

No, it is a standard that I changed around to look like an old lead sled.
I also LOVE the Valkyrie's, in my mind it is the best bike available FOR THE MONEY!

Jim

 

[Jimmies63]

I just priced out a heated floor for my shop. 2 Zones, high quality install, boiler (not hot water heater), glycol filled, all in installed 2880 sq ft was like 18K for the instulation and pipe. about $6K for boiler and manifolds, and about $5K to go 6" of concrete vs. 4". So I was a little over $10/sq ft for radiant floor.

 

[yeldogt]

Jimmies63 --- why 6" ... more mass is difficult to control except in the dead of winter at or near design load temps