Hello:
I'm looking a DIY in floor heating and have found Radiantec in Lyndonville, VT. (http://www.radiantec.com)
Has anyone had any experience with this company and installing their product?
Thanks,
Rob.

I didn't care for the radiantec plan to use their large diameter PEX so widely spaced, as it did not seem to me that it would provide an even floor temp. I went with Zurn 1/2 inch PEX and used the Zurn manifold system and designed and built my own system. Do you have a good heat loss calculation so you know how many BTU's you need to produce with the system? That is always the starting point.

Some calculators you might find useful here -
http://www.borstengineeringconstruction.com/Calculators.html

Info here -
http://www.healthyheating.com/Radiant_Design_Guide/radiant_floor_heating_designs.htm#Heat%20Flux

You might want to hire someone to do the actual tube layout design for you, along with designing and/or building your manifold, depending on your skill set, and how much you are willing to teach yourself.

-Rosalinda

Thank you. :)

By the by - the reason I used Zurn is because that is what my local supply house carried. I do like how their modular manifold went together, and the various easy to add items such as temp gauges, pressure gauges, drain fittings etc. I am sure there are much less expensive manifolds available. The highest recommendations on this board usually go to the Uponor/Wisbro pex and systems.

I had never worked with pex before building my house, and it was a wonderful experience. The stuff is fantastic to work with.

-Rosalinda

Hi Rosalinda:
Could you tell me, ball-park, how many square feet you heated and how much your installation cost?
Thanks,
Rob.

Prices (in US dollars) include everything used to install each system. I brought in a pro to install the propane fired hot water heater and the propane lines but did the rest myself.

Radiant in slab 1,405.80
Manifold System 1804.50
Heat and Hot Water System 2583.79 (based on a Vertex 100 propane hot water heater, providing DHW and radiant heat)

You can see a pic of the system if you scroll through the pics here -
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.394434177917.171985.665372917&l=35a6857cce

The radiant is in the ground floor only and along with passive solar tempering and the occasional use of a little electric log set upstairs in the main living area, heats the entire house. House is 2798 ft2 - 1399 ft2 per story. Total heat loss for the house 21,702 BTU/hr


-Rosalinda

Thank you very much for the info and for the link to pictures of your house - you did a great job! :)