Great, thanks for the info. I have a considerably smaller installation than
yours, (1000 sq ft) but the initial design was an Aquastar on demand system
thats been problematic and if I'm going to change it I think I'm going
electric simply for the ease of installation. As well as solar add-ons
apparently work better with stored water than on demand systems.
Knothead
On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 15:02:24 -0500, Knothead <[email protected]> wrote:
> Since LPG Prices have literally gone through the roof I was curious if
> anybody was heating a radiant slab with an electric water heater. Would you
> do it again etc....
Yes, me. I get 1 degree (f) of temperature rise per hour that the 4500W
heater is on. I'm on time-of-use electrical metering, so on weekends
and at night the energy costs for that heat is significantly less than
buying propane. I have, I believe, 30 tons of thermal mass to work
with; would have to find the numbers but I remember that as being the
number. 30x50 basement slab 4-5" thick, plus a 16x24 concrete/spancrete
slab 12" thick if you want to do the math yourself.
Hydronic heat is great; the radiant heat is very pleasant. If you're
building, put the tubing in when you pour the slab, and you've got tons
of options. But yes, do the math, and when electricity is cheaper than
propane, use it. No regrets whatsoever.
Feel free to ask any questions you'd like regarding my setup, either
here or by email; my address is legit.
Dave Hinz
I don't know your site conditions, but if you set the slab up for radiant
heat you might want to consider installing provisions for a solar upgrade.
Collectors come in all kinds ranging from professionally manufactured to
home-built.
RonB
"Knothead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1125345777.e971784c4ef0b5ec6a3158de131ccac0@teranews...
> Since LPG Prices have literally gone through the roof I was curious if
> anybody was heating a radiant slab with an electric water heater. Would
> you
> do it again etc....
>
> Knothead
>
>