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Radiant floor heat, start up cost?

chip9399

New member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
2
Location
Georgetown illinois
So I’m building a 48x72 x 12 pole barn, will insulate both walls and ceiling, I just got a quote from blue ridge for total system of 10k, (sticker shoc) wow, had no idea, so question is.....how to save some$ and get a radiant floor system (complete) is there affordable companies out there or is this what it’s going to cost? Now I’m considering radiant tube heat ..... any suggestions, thank you, central Illinois,
 
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chip9399

New member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
2
Location
Georgetown illinois
Oh yea I’ll be on propane, the quote is for a 2 zone system, as 1 area say 30x30 will be like a family gathering area, other area be a shop, no living quarters, all open, no walls other than a bathroom,
 

yeldogt

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Jan 2, 2012
Messages
18,184
You have a large space -- what's the cost for the sub slab insulation and the tubing. You can't really skimp on that. Some cut down on PEX pipe .... but, IMO this is foolish as it's cheap and makes for a better system ... with propane you really don't have much choice if you want reasonable running costs ... propane is is more expensive vs natural.

radiant tube is nothing like floor slab radiant as far as comfort.
 

GeddyT

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Jun 17, 2015
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1,251
Location
Bellingham, WA
PEX is relatively cheap. Under-slab and slab perimeter insulation is not, and they're not optional if heating with your slab. Looks like 25 psi R10 XPS foam board is $29 per sheet in your neck of the woods. You'd need 138 sheets of the stuff for perimeter and under-slab (R10 required for both). That's pretty much $4,000 on the dot. 3500 feet of 1/2" O2 barrier PEX will run you under $700. You'd then need a 3-loop manifold for the living area (~$200), an 8-loop manifold for the shop space (~$400), a 2-zone heat distribution system (~$2200 preassembled or less if you build your own).

Then you need a boiler. Supply House's calculator suggests you need about 90K BTU. A high efficiency LP boiler in that range runs $2500 and up. If you have the capacity, it would be worth checking your electrical rates vs. LP in your area. A 27 kW electric boiler would do the job just as well and cost $2300, but it would draw 113 amps and require three 60A breakers and a lot of expensive wire.

My experience is that if the building is sufficiently tight and well insulated, the calculated BTU requirements are total overkill. I undersized my boiler, and it still cycles even when it's snowing. That's very anecdotal, though, so don't take my word for it. Also, Supply House's calculator is based off of heating to comfortable home temperature. If you'd be fine keeping the shop zone at a lower temperature than the living space, you could get away with a smaller/cheaper boiler.

Anyway, expect an in-floor radiant setup to run about $11K if you shop deals and install everything yourself and some amount above that if hiring it out.
 
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ford33

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Feb 26, 2011
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2,118
Location
Chicago, IL. USA
The radiant heat would be nice but as others have said the costs for initial insulation and heating source can be high. I am planning a radiant heated shop floor in a building half your size in Tennessee climate not Illinois.

I have ceiling mounted electric heat in my 10 height garage and need to run ceiling fans to keep the heated air from collecting at the ceiling. You will need to do the same on your 12 foot ceilings. So consider the cost of running fans to circulate hot air in your cost equation.

My xps insulation under slab and perimeter will be purchased used from online ebay or FB or Craigslist. That will save money.

For other radiant heat components check out sites from Radiantec, Sioux Chief, Menards, PexSuperStore.

One other area you need to consider is air tightness of the structure. Sealing slab to framing, windows to walls and door and attics play a big role in how expensive running a heating system will cost. Pay to improve air and water sealing during construction. Youtube videos from Matt Risinger are very informative but may be over the top for many people to consider doing. Pick which of his suggestions to use for your application.
 

meathooker

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Dec 10, 2013
Messages
254
Location
Iowa
10k sounds cheap for a complete system.

As Geddy outlined radiant isn’t super cheap either, plus you don’t get AC.
 

yeldogt

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Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
18,184
The radiant heat would be nice but as others have said the costs for initial insulation and heating source can be high. I am planning a radiant heated shop floor in a building half your size in Tennessee climate not Illinois.

I have ceiling mounted electric heat in my 10 height garage and need to run ceiling fans to keep the heated air from collecting at the ceiling. You will need to do the same on your 12 foot ceilings. So consider the cost of running fans to circulate hot air in your cost equation.

My xps insulation under slab and perimeter will be purchased used from online ebay or FB or Craigslist. That will save money.

For other radiant heat components check out sites from Radiantec, Sioux Chief, Menards, PexSuperStore.

One other area you need to consider is air tightness of the structure. Sealing slab to framing, windows to walls and door and attics play a big role in how expensive running a heating system will cost. Pay to improve air and water sealing during construction. Youtube videos from Matt Risinger are very informative but may be over the top for many people to consider doing. Pick which of his suggestions to use for your application.

A proper radiant system will not need ceiling fans -- radiant is not like forced air where all the heat goes to the ceiling. A radiant heated building should have graduated heat with a cooler ceiling. So you don't want to mix the cooler air at the ceiling.

Modern modulating forced air systems can also minimize the stack effect -- they run low with long run times matching the load. On/Off systems end up heating from the top down ... hot ceilings.

With radiant upfront cost is where both function and running cost is determined. A minimal system will operate -- more insulation and tubing will operate at a lower cost forever
 
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