In floor heating

[EJM02]

Hi All,

I have a 1000 sq ft home near the coast in Southern California. Granted, it doesn't get very cold here for many months out of the year, but our house just always seems to be cold in the winter. It was built in 1940... no insulation... plaster walls... natural gas in-wall-convection-heater. Our gas bill in the winter is murdering our checking account and I was wondering if it might be worth the investment of 'in floor heating'.

We have a raised foundation and a nice large crawl space which may help with the install, but I can't seem to get enough info to really weigh the pro's and cons of it. I was hoping some of you here may have experience with in floor heating.

I understand this type of heating is probably best suited for extremely cold climates where some of you live, which makes me hopeful that I may be able to save some dough on a less beefy system.. if there is such a thing??


Thanks in advance to all that reply.

 

[Dragster Racer]

IMO, the in floor heating isn't significantly more efficient than other forms of heating. The heat supply isn't your problem. It is the heat loss. Insulate and seal, and that will be by far your best bang for the buck.

 

[EJM02]

I had considered that, but the cost / effort of ripping out then replacing all that plaster or exterior shiplap? yikes. Although, in the long run I guess I'd have a big bill by constanly keeping the floor heater running.....

 

[Bigrhamr]

Agreed, it won't make much difference what your heat source is if it's just going out through the walls and ceiling. Do you have attic space you can access to install fiberglass batts or blow in insulation? A large percentage of heat loss is through the ceiling so it's a good place to start. There are machines made to fill wall cavities with cellulose through a small hole. Drill a hole in each stud cavity, fill, patch the hole and repeat as needed.

 

[Sureshot]

Come up here for a month to climatize then go home. Make it an annual hunting or ice fishing trip.

 

[BUDD]

insulation, what are your outside walls covered with? could you patch up where the hole for blowin insulation would be, most big building suply stores rent out the machine to do blowin insulation yourself.

 

[Dragster Racer]

I had considered that, but the cost / effort of ripping out then replacing all that plaster or exterior shiplap? yikes. Although, in the long run I guess I'd have a big bill by constanly keeping the floor heater running.....

And you would also have the big billy for the new in floor heat.
Long johns might be a good alternative.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

To be serious. Insulation will generally increase comfort and lower fuel bills (especially if you haven't any at all. But, radiant floor heating can certainly be more efficient in terms of operating cost, and its main advantage is the incomparable comfort is provides. This is particularly true in cases such as yours, where upgrades in windows and insulation or difficult.

I have designed may radiant floor heating systems in relatively moderate climates (and not so mild like here in Minneapolis) with great results. Since the coldest surfaces of any house that does not have radiant floors or ceiling is the windows and the floors, it just makes sense to heat them.

For a mild climate I most often specify and combination duty domestic water heater for space and potable water heating in one compact efficient unit. You will not find people who live in radiated homes cracking wise about supposed efficiency. It is all about the comfort...the same reason we do not live in tents.

 

[danski0224]

Hi All,

I have a 1000 sq ft home near the coast in Southern California. Granted, it doesn't get very cold here for many months out of the year, but our house just always seems to be cold in the winter. It was built in 1940... no insulation... plaster walls... natural gas in-wall-convection-heater. Our gas bill in the winter is murdering our checking account and I was wondering if it might be worth the investment of 'in floor heating'.

We have a raised foundation and a nice large crawl space which may help with the install, but I can't seem to get enough info to really weigh the pro's and cons of it. I was hoping some of you here may have experience with in floor heating.

I understand this type of heating is probably best suited for extremely cold climates where some of you live, which makes me hopeful that I may be able to save some dough on a less beefy system.. if there is such a thing??


Thanks in advance to all that reply.

No offense, but 1000 sf isn't a big home.

Unless you have some very unique details in the plaster work, tear it out.

Drywall is cheap. Lots cheaper than a high efficiency radiant system.

You could upgrade that 1940 electrical wiring and plumbing, too.

There could be some issues with door and window jambs (lath + plaster is thicker than 1/2" drywall), but the wall studs could be furred out if needed, or stack drywall as required.