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03/16/2006 6:44 PM
I am remodeling an old cabin in the far north of Wisconsin with a square footage of about 550 square feet - one level. Since it is a 3-season vacation home I am interested in what may be my best choice for heat. If radiant heat is the answer then electric or water? What can I expect as the cost of installing a system? Is it best to put it in concrete or just over subfloor with thinset and then wood flooring? The concrete actually sounds like a good esthetic choice since sand doesn't hurt it. But, I'm concerned about the cost. Can anyone help? Thanks....

Davee

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03/17/2006 12:13 PM
The best choices depend on what you have got as a floor already Is it stable in frost vs no frost condtions ? At that size you maybe best with an electric cable top of floor application but beware- the heat loss to the ground could be extreme - How can you insulate? Insulating at the edges alone may be OK if you are not subject to water ebb & flow under slab which can suck heat like crazy. RU planning to heat alll winter or only limited weekend type use. If so Radiant will need a programmable T/s to reach temperature B4 U get there. Looks like a poor candidate for radiant to me I would not do it unless planning to heat year round .

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03/27/2006 7:52 AM
Hi Davee - sorry it took me a while to repond but I was traveling. Good thought about the insulation...currently this is a simple wood floor with no insulation and I am going to put in new foundation under the old cabin and a foundation under a 11 x 24 addition. I thought it might be a good time to put in the cement floor topped with the radiant heat panels. This will be only used summer and spring and fall weekends..am currently not planning on using it in the winter. How would I best insulate the floor?

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03/29/2006 4:35 PM
I have no experience with leaving concrete floor with no heat all winter. Frost can snap a slab & foundations so easy! Are you well above water table? Design should be professionally done with proper reinforcing Why do you want radiant if not heating in winter? If you insist I would not want water or gylcol for fear of failure in winter conditions & no detection of problem unless you could use a phone detection system. I see this as a case for an electric or propane fireplace with programmable T/s -- by phone if possible . You are then warmed up b4 arrival. The floor can have Styrofoam put in same time as foundation work on new floor IF you think you will be doing lots of use in spring & fall .

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04/01/2006 3:24 PM
I was told that it is a waste of money insulating your concrete slab, That instead spen your money on better windows. Yes the insulation will help shorten the initial startup to bring the slab up to the required temperature but once it has reached this temperature it basically stays at it with insulation or not. Any thought from people in the know?

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04/01/2006 6:40 PM
Jump to topic "slab insulating or not" It is not as clear cut as you suggest JR Bean Amateurs doing systems on their own give radiant a bad name . There are lots of pitfalls that contractors who got away with something once will not spot

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