heating/cooling question

[Anakonda69]

looking at a house with radiant heat. how much more efficient is this for heating a house? also what kinda prices am i looking at for installing central air since it does not have forced air. so no ductwork.

[DirtyMax]

i have had 2 houses with radiant heat. While it's a relatively clean, even heat, most boilers are older and therefore usually pretty inefficient, in my two experiences anyways. I looked into central air and they proposed running ductwork on the outside of the house. Someone also mentioned a "chiller" for the radiators but that seemed inefficient as well. We ended up just doing a bunch of window a/c units and cooling the areas of the house we were using.

[Anakonda69]

thats the odd thing this house doesn't seem like it has standard boiler. it has a water tank in the ceiling of the basement and runs into what looks like a normal furnace. but there is no ductwork just pipes running all over the house with floorboard units in each room.

[DirtyMax]

Pretty sure thats called a gravity fed boiler or something like that. Our house in Oconomowoc had a setup like that.

[awsomeears]

thats the odd thing this house doesn't seem like it has standard boiler. it has a water tank in the ceiling of the basement and runs into what looks like a normal furnace. but there is no ductwork just pipes running all over the house with floorboard units in each room.


That is the Expansion tank, some can big Massive looking :rolf

Anakonda69 PM me and I will give you a call about boilers and Mini split systems.

There is no such thing as running duct work anymore, its expensive as hell and just makes no sense with the Technology we have right now.

I have one boiler I would recommend and one mini split :thumbsup

As you may or may not know I do this for a living

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

1 degree an hour is the heat rise so dont expect to run a prgrammable thermostat to save money.
You can run it up 2 or 3 degrees in an hour and you risk busting up your system, pissing out a bunch of water. I am living with 112 year old hot water system an am just waiting for one to spring a leak so I can rip a wall or 3 out.

I dont mind it I've lived with it all my life I like the not blowing dust and alergens around but hate no central air and slow temp rise. My wife hates it all the way around and is a forced air fanatic.

My boiler is about the size of a 32" TV and is about 20 years old.
Window shakers for me, piss on mini splits.

[awsomeears]

1 degree an hour is the heat rise so dont expect to run a prgrammable thermostat to save money.
You can run it up 2 or 3 degrees in an hour and you risk busting up your system, pissing out a bunch of water. I am living with 112 year old hot water system an am just waiting for one to spring a leak so I can rip a wall or 3 out.

I dont mind it I've lived with it all my life I like the not blowing dust and alergens around but hate no central air and slow temp rise. My wife hates it all the way around and is a forced air fanatic.

My boiler is about the size of a 32" TV and is about 20 years old.
Window shakers for me, piss on mini splits.

Your reply is Full of Fail :durr

Mini Splits are one of the coolest HVAC products out there, when installed RIGHT they will do the job and then some.

Programmable T-stat will and does save money, I don't recommend more then a 6 degree swing. Forced air is around 8 because of the Decent recovery.

Sounds like your system needs some TLC :alcoholic

[pOrk]

Lisa's parents have radiant heat, installed Central air to the tune of 15 grand all said and done. They have a tri level house

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

Mini splits are ugly and just as junky as window shakers IMO.

TLC ? been working fine for 112 years as mentioned. Ole Weil Mclain, works fine.
Swinging 6 degrees in as many housrs is pointless in my 2000 sq ft home.

[Lash]

I don't like mini splits in resi applications. Maybe in a sunroom or something. They just look weird. They do look better than widow shakers though.....and are waaaaay more efficient (well....maybe not waaaaay more.... but more.





There is no such thing as running duct work anymore, its expensive as hell and just makes no sense with the Technology we have right now.

Is that right? lol

Wow.

[pOrk]

I don't like mini splits in resi applications. Maybe in a sunroom or something. They just look weird. They do look better than widow shakers though.....and are waaaaay more efficient.






Is that right? lol

Wow.

The duct work thing sounds dumb, Lisa's parents just had it installed and they ran ducts throughout the entire house.

[Lash]

The duct work thing sounds dumb, Lisa's parents just had it installed and they ran ducts throughout the entire house.


And :confused


Mini's will cool fine.....just not as evenly in a resi application as a central system.... especially in a multi level house.

2 nice Mitsubishi splits with install/labor/material is probably nearing that $15k range anyway.

[pOrk]

And :confused


Mini's will cool fine.....just not as evenly in a resi application as a central system.... especially in a multi level house.

2 nice Mitsubishi splits with install/labor/material is probably nearing that $15k range anyway.

It sounds dumb cause they recently had it done, and that was the only option they were offered. Maybe the size of the house had something to do with it, its pushing 2800 sq ft.

[Rocket Power]

We have radiant in our house, we have a newer boiler (10 ish years old) but instead of being in the floor like I thought it would be (other than the bathroom floor ) it's in the middle walls. I'd probably like it more if I didn't have 1950's windows.:rolf

[awsomeears]

It sounds dumb cause they recently had it done, and that was the only option they were offered. Maybe the size of the house had something to do with it, its pushing 2800 sq ft.

It is Dumb and the guys on here are Wrong, I have installed a Dozen of these units and the Customers LOVE THEM !!!!

Sq ft is not a issue and that last job I did was 1900 Tri level, again the Customer LOVE THEM !!!

Mini splits are Cheaper then most Duct Work applications and are by far cheaper to run then window shakers.

You gotta be stupid to think window shakers are anywhere close to efficient as mini-splits. Window Shakers are 110v and minis are 220v, less volts more amps = More Kw per hour used.

Times that by 3 window shakers vs Mini-splits = Saving

I don't want to sound like a Ass but how many of you guys installed theses ? I'd expect you to say ' Never ' because these units are just that impressive.

Mini Splits are now reversible heat pumps, heat your home down to 40 degrees with your A/C saves $$$$$$$ on your Gas bill, especially with a boiler :thumbsup

[WhatsADSM]

I got (single pipe) steam radiant heat. If I weren't worried about long term reliability (i.e. ripping down walls for a broken pipe) I wouldn't mind it one bit. Nice smooth heat. I can get way more than 1 degree per hour. I do about a 6 degree swing and I want to say it takes about an hour.

[Lash]

I don't want to sound like a Ass but how many of you guys installed theses ? I'd expect you to say ' Never ' because these units are just that impressive.



We just installed 6 of them on the job I'm on. Range from 3-4.5 tons. All in electrical rooms. Last job (pharmaceutical plant) had two... one in each server room.
You can tone down the cockiness now grasshopper. :rolleyes:

They have their use. I'm not saying that they aren't nice. I just wouldn't want one of those hanging on my wall as my primary source of A/C. To each their own....


Out of curiosity.... how many splits did you install in the tri? Ton's?

[awsomeears]

We just installed 6 of them on the job I'm on. Range from 3-4.5 tons. All in electrical rooms. Last job (pharmaceutical plant) had two... one in each server room.
You can tone down the cockiness now grasshopper. :rolleyes:

They have their use. I'm not saying that they aren't nice. I just wouldn't want one of those hanging on my wall as my primary source of A/C. To each their own....


Out of curiosity.... how many splits did you install in the tri? Ton's?

I would say 6 jobs had three heads and ton's were 18k per head, I think one was a 12k for a smaller room/area that didn't need all that much cooling. Its not cockiness I just know what these things are about for residential homes.

We just installed a new Cool/Heat combo LG version and so far they Kick ass, we have some Mitsu's out there that are from the mid 90's I believe. Still kicking ass and working like a top, only thing you gotta watch for is making nice flares :thumbsup