Hydronic Heating

Posts Tagged ‘insulation’

I need architechtural plans and realistic way to cost out a "green" home less than or about 2000 or so sf.

Here is what I want:
-passive solar
-Depending on costs:
–gray water recycling
–under floor radient heating
–consider alternative construction like straw bale/rammed earth or modular
–recycled materials for insulation
–bamboo
–natural materials
–solar panels
–heat pump
I’d really like to do it right but I’m of moderate income and single middle aged woman.

I need it to be affordable. I’m in Alabama and few do this. I need to keep humidity and heat and climate in mind.

Under or around 2000 sf

Any info on financing for green homes would be welcome too;

I am thinking about installing a staple up system (PEX secured to underside of the floor) using heat transfer plates and insulation. After insulating and skirting the crawl space will this type of system work eficently in cold climates?
Also what kind of T.D. can I expect? I will have a fuel oil boiler and probably a Heat Link control system with the G.P.M. calculated. The house is two stories and 1600 sq.ft. Thanks.

I am researching on if it is possible to build a hydronic underfloor heating system from common materials. I was thinking about purchasing a medium size water heater, water pump, and about 1000 feet of tubing, maybe pvc, or even your higher end common garden hoses as they dont have much insulation to contain the heat in the hose. and it isnt like the lines will be under any serious pressure. I am on a 4' crawlspace now, and I am getting ready to install insulation. Any recommendations? the commercial stuff is way over priced if you have researched you can pick up a water heater for under 150 and a commercial smaller boiler will run 2000. also the pex hosing runs about 10 dollars a foot, your most expensive hose isnt 30 dollars for 50 feet. Any help is appreciated.. Thanks
I was wondering if this sounds like it would work well. I am trying not to dump 10k into a radiant system. And I have never seen one in person or the components used. But looking online at a few sites I have seen where water heaters were used, and I am not sure if they work properly for this application, also the hose, or tubing. The pex tubing that is suppose to be used looks alot like a garden hose. I was also thinking about running PVC as it is cheap too. I would think the hose would be better as I can run it between the joists in a snake pattern because it is so flexible. I am not wanting to waste 1000 either if it isnt going to work correctly. I was hoping to get some answers from people that have experience with this stuff. Will the PVC or a garden hose distribute heat well? or is there another inexpensive hose/tube that would work better other than the PEX? Will the water heater work for a heat source on a 1000 feet of tubing? and what size is recommended? How large a pump? TIA