Berkeley Parents Network: Radiant Heat Systems

Berkeley Parents Network

Radiant Heat Systems

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Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > House & Garden > Radiant Heat Systems

Advice about radiant heat systems

May 2005

Does anyone have recommendations or information about installing electric under-floor radiant heating in just one room? I have dreams of a warm bathroom floor. The floor is small - I'd probably be heating about 12-15 square feet. It's currently got ceramic tile one it (12"). So - any idea what it would cost to do the work (including re-tiling the floor)? Any recommendations on contractors? Experiences to relate? Thanks, Footsicles

I'm interested to hear if anyone has experience with NuHeat, an electric radiant heat system, or the like. The recommendations on the list are several years old, and all deal with water systems. Remodeller

Concerning radiant floor heating, Three years ago we remodeled our own bathroom, and put in radiant floor heating. It was a fun, easy and straightforward project. We bought the system from Art Tile on Broadway in Oakland. At the time there were two owners, both very helpful and supportive (Royal was one of the guys, I forget the other's name) We did out own measuring of the floor, they helped us figure out how much floor heat we would need for the space. Its basically a wire system webbed through a cotton netting that you shape to go around your toilet and tub etc. by making cuts in the cotton webbing. Its tacked into place and then you tile over it.

My husband wired the system himself, we have it on a timer, and all the components are in a cupboard so we don't have to look at any of the hardware. When we get up in the morning, the floor is toasty warm, every day can be set for a different time if you like.

We love our bathroom, had fun doing it, and I'd recommend it. My biggest suggestion is plan and read and plan and read some more. Good luck. CB

Dec 2004

We love our radiant heating, I can't describe how great it is to always be the right temperature. It was installed in a new slab on gade by Mark Fineau at MDF plumbing. He was effiecint and reasonably priced. The sytem is beautiful, literally a work of art. You can reach him at 510-508-6589 Susannah

August 2002

I'm interested in adding radiant-floor-heating to one room in my home (100 sq. ft). Does anyone have a recommendation for an installer/contractor? Cynthia

To Cynthia, who wanted referral for hydronics installer: Though he doesn't do installations, Alan Forbes of Forbes plumbing (ph. 510-452-2844) can give you information and a solid referral. He has done fabulous, thorough and reliable repairs on our radiant heating system. I would NOT go with J.W. Lunt, who is one of the bigger names in this area--my experience with him was that he was expensive, arrogant, didn't return calls, and said some things ''wouldn't work'', when Alan Forbes simply fixed it. Good luck. BTW, we love our radiant heating system. Joan

My husband Paul does hydronics. Company name is Pipeline Plumbing and the phone number is 510-658-1588. Leave a message and he will get back to you promptly. I promise. Lisa G

Radiant heat retrofit for older home?

Feb 2002

Has anyone done a radiant heat retrofit (the kind with polyethylene tubes that go underneath the floorboards) in their older home ? How has it worked for you? Would you do it again? Any advice re. boilers, components, installers, things you wish you had know before you started? In case it is helpful to know this, we have a 1908 bungalow with wood floors except in bathrooms and kitchen (vinyl and linoleum there), plus a second story addition which will need either baseboards or European flat panel radiators tied into the system. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom! Katie

We just had our 1907 house retrofitted with radiant heat. We did not get the floor board units that you describe, but we did get 4 other types of units (including the flat panel units you describe and refurbished antique cast iron radiators) that met the needs of different parts of the house. Amazingly, the boiler for our entire house (appx 3500+ sq ft) is an incredibly efficient wall-hung unit that measures only 18" square by 36" tall -- very unobtrusive as it fits on the wall in our laundry room! The heat that the system provides is awesome -- very warm, absolutely no noise (or dust generation like a forced air system). Also, these are water radiator systems -- completely silent as opposed to those old clanky steam radiators you may have encountered in old buildings. We were challenged to pick from a very small handful of contractors (about 4 or 5 in Berkeley) that install radiant heat. But we were very pleased with our choice of Greg Ticehurst of Ticehurst Plumbing (843-0508). Getting radiant heat is more expensive than forced air (more labor I suppose? or less demand?), but I think it is a superb heating solution. There's a radiant heat contractor's resource in Berkeley that has a number of models on display (including the polyethylene tubes you mentioned). While generally, they're a contractor's resource, you can probably just peruse their showroom and ask a few questions to educate yourself: Hydronic Specialties Company 800-786-6847 http://h-s-c.com (I know that's the correct link, but it seemed to be down just now when I checked it). Brian

The url for Hydronic Specialties Company is http://www.2hsc.com/. They are located at 1051 Folger Street, Berkeley, CA 94710. David

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