am i crazy? radiant floor heating

[blueyes]

We live in a 1949 brick bungalow in MI. Our basement is COLD. We are having it redone, and I want to price out placing some radiant floor heating in two main areas. One side will be the kids playroom, the other our tv area. The playroom area is probably 12 X16 and the tv room area probably a bit bigger (I'm at work and haven't really measured them to be exact).

I know insulation is important too, but since we are redoing the floors, I wanted to get it in these area so we (really, I) can actually enjoy this space. My husband is totally against it. I think the upfront costs would be worth it since we don't plan on moving. Any thoughts? Has anyone had this placed before?

[panicked]

We had radiant heat flooring when we lived in Korea. It was AMAZING. They heat very well and since heat rises, are quite efficient at maintaining a good temperature in areas where you are close to the floor (sitting on the couch, playing on the floor with kids, etc...)

[downtoearth]

My inlaws have radiant floor heating under the tile in their dining area...it's awesome in the morning. I'm not sure it keeps the whole room warm, but they have a wall of windows there and a gas fireplace on the other side of their open-style kitchen, so it's not cold (this is MT).

Not sure what flooring you are putting in, but I just went to a home show with a new(er) product where you can even put radiant floor heat under carpet now. I think it would work better under tile or floating engineered wood.

I'd get costs before [letting DH] discount. 

[Deleted]

We have it in our master bathroom and shower.

What kind of flooring? Get some quotes. I was shocked when I got the $4500 quote just for the radiant floor heating system. I was budgeting $5k for the heating and tiles (including labor). LOL.

[lys]

Also be sure to price out the electric bill changes that come with radiant heat.
By all means do insulate your walls, have your HVAC person come and give a quote for making changes in the system to heat the basement (more duct work, etc) and compare that with radiant.

[lys]

Also be sure to price out the electric bill changes that come with radiant heat.
By all means do insulate your walls, have your HVAC person come and give a quote for making changes in the system to heat the basement (more duct work, etc) and compare that with radiant.

[Susie]

We put it into our half bath, which is on a slab (unlike most of the rest of the house, which has a basement under it). But the costs for doing a 3x5' bathroom are pretty different than a whole basement.

[FoxInFiji]

Well in your situation I wouldn't do it.

- Electric radiant is not meant to replace a heat source. It's simply a luxury item to keep your floor warmer than it would otherwise be not heat the air.

- Adding electric floor mats over an uninsulated basement slab is just like dumping energy down the drain. The ground and concrete slab is one big heat sink and will draw more and more heat away from your actual floor. There is no way to isolate the slab with insulation since the slab is existing.

- It's very expensive (first cost). We saved a lot of money by DIY installing it but if you're hiring it out it's going to cost you far more than the actual flooring probably will.

- It's not the best way to heat cost wise. We have both of our bathroom electric mats on programmable thermostats and only have them one for a few hours a week when we're typically getting ready. Anything more than that can really add cost to your electric bill. If you have a natural gas furnace or something along those lines it is cheaper to use that to heat the space.

Note radiant (water) heat flooring does not equal electric heating mats.

What type of flooring were you planning to use over it? That makes a big difference too.

[demelza]

I think the geothermal heating would be better than electric radiant

Hydronic Radiant Floors
Hydronic (liquid) systems are the most popular and cost-effective radiant heating systems for heating-dominated climates. Hydronic radiant floor systems pump heated water from a boiler through tubing laid in a pattern underneath the floor. In some systems, the temperature in each room is controlled by regulating the flow of hot water through each tubing loop. This is done by a system of zoning valves or pumps and thermostats. The cost of installing a hydronic radiant floor is approximately $4–$6 per square foot ($40–$60 per square meter), depending on the size of the home, the type of installation, the floor covering, remoteness of the site, and the cost of labor.

In our experience doing a couple hundred projects a year 90% of our customers go with a Hydronic or water based system. Why? water is a cheaper and more efficient way to conduct heat. Unless you live in the Pacific NW, TN river valley, or other area with very cheap electricity typically an electric system is cost prohibitive per BTU of heat output.

[prazenjc]

i have heard that once someone does this, they NEVER regret it.

if you can afford to do it, i say do it.

[heygrey]

Ana White (the queen of building furniture) has been installing radiant floor heat in their "momplex". the last few blog posts give a great overview of the process since they are DIYing and a few posts back she discuses the other options they considered and why they ultimately chose this.

ana-white.com/momplex