Thanks its very interesting how these are built in USA we dont have that in the UK. Its good to watch your expert eye on the issue been following for a long time including your home. UK
We didn't put a vapor barrier under the foam in our house or garage. We have at least 5" of 3/4" clean rock and the soil around here is well drained. Besides, we only get less than 20" of precipitation annually. In 7 years I've never seen any sign of moisture. While building, if it did rain, it didn't slow progress as there's no mud to deal with. I have walked around in freshly dug soil during rain and not gotten my shoes muddy.
Love the video!! I have a question. We built a post frame home. We love it! We installed the 6mm plastic and taped all joints, 2” foam board installed and taped. Layer out poly pipe and rebar. Finished the concrete. Later when we moved in the humidity is high, in the 60%-65%. Ac unit maybe to big? I’m don’t think it’s the floor. We don’t see moisture on the floor. The home is insulated very well. So my question is: in your experience what would be causing this? Thanks in advance!
Have you considered using a foil backed foam board for your radiant install? Foil would be more effective at reflecting the heat upward to your slab. I say that because most types of radiant installs use some type of plate or reflective insulation to reflect the heat in the direction you want heat additionally it has a higher R value which would pay for itself over time.
Yes is the cost usually. But when he says closed cell base is the way to go I agree. You're killing two birds with 1 stone and a better result with a total seal
Heat transfer here from the tubing into the slab is by conduction, not sure that adding foil is any help in spaces with very little air (unlike an attic, open crawl space, garage door, etc.).
There have been studies showing the use of a reflective barrier under a slab is not effective. It won’t harm anything, but it’s not useful spending. One of the bigger boiler companies shared this
Designing my next root cellar build. Considering this same system, only cold water. Hoping with a cold water circulating in the slab, and cold air from pipes buried 5' down and warm air drawn from the ceiling, maybe I can hit 40 degrees. Thoughts? Maybe run the walls as well?
If you live in a climate that doesn't get really cold for long periods of time, could you do 4'-6' of pex just around the exterior walls and still keep the entire house warm?
Yes but it’d me extremely inefficient. The whole slab works together as a storage system of the heat. If you only had tubing at the perimeter it’d still be trying to heat all the concrete (remember concrete is horrible at resisting heat transfer) but with maybe 10% of the necessary BTU/hr. This only applies to trying to heat an entire building envelope. You could heat individual rooms instead of the whole building envelope.
I have a question for you about how you did foundation. I noticed the one you use cement columns, the other you put in solid wall & you water proof it & insulated it. Why the difference between the two. We have been You take pride in all the work you do. Tks for sharing what you do...
We used the ICF system on this build for a couple reasons...1. There was an existing foundation and that all had to be removed a dug out. Wanted to make sure we had a solid foundation in undisturbed soil. 2. There is a lot of limestone in the area so it would have made it tough drilling holes with auger. If you have time to watch the first few episodes of this playlist I go into more detail of the reasons for choosing the ICF foundation over the cement piers. th-cam.com/play/PL3QM32YjSVn24Y0jGrwYcGQ1--0ACLiRN.html
I noticed around 8:28 you went right through what looks to be a bathroom. Should you avoid toilets and under bathtub areas? What about under kitchen cabinets and refrigerators?
Have you done radiant runs in a spiral vs the back and forth and if so have you seen a performance delta? I have seen the center of the slab left uninsulated and the perimeter dug down 24+ and heavily insulated creating a larger battery, do you have thoughts on that? Do you have any detail on anticipated costs to install and power to run? Thoughts on bigger pipe, thicker slabs, more insulation? Appreciate these great videos, not near enough information out there.
Can't tell if you're using PEX A or PEX B real question is why would you not use the expansion tool for PEX A? Just looking for pros and cons figure the expense may be good investment For a DYIer and for freezing, not necessarily not necessarily for the inground/in concrete radiant floor yet I'm looking at a 1 inch pipe going from a water source to a holding tank and then back down to the house thing the expence of the tools with proof handy
Awesome videos! Thank you! Do you have any problem with increase in cracking of your garage floors because of the foam? I have radiant in my basement, but I don’t know if I want to put it in my garage because I am afraid of it sagging or cracking with weight of the vehicles.
Two dumb questions, I’ve seen vapor barrier on top of polystyrene and underneath. Why would one go on top and one go underneath? And two… no rebar in concrete? Getting started on our build likely in next few months and we want to contract out foundation but we want to do radiant heat. Suggestions?
My heating contractor put sand down 2" foam board heat tubes and then 2 more inches of sand then the concrete guys put there rebar and concrete. heat works great.
I use a floor sensor with the thermostat. They make several different ones for hydronic heating systems. They are more efficient running off of a floor sensor than an air sensor.
Why XPS and not EPS. I'm hearing Conflicting opinions on that. Main argument us that EPS holds up over time to moisture better and retains more of it's R value in the end. I feel like the foam under these heated slabs will stay pretty dry if you have a few inches of gravel under it and good drainage around the building. Any thoughts on that?
Yes, every 12". We use 1/2" oxygen barrier tubing from Menards - www.menards.com/main/plumbing/hydronic-radiant-heat/barrier-pipe/sioux-chief-powerpex-reg-1-2-oxygen-barrier-pex-tubing/665x2h300m/p-3289655538082701-c-8563.htm If interested we have a few other installation videos - th-cam.com/play/PL3QM32YjSVn1Mi5I9OwmwhXNL9CAXpyAZ.html
Actually there probably isn't any problems doing the in floor heat like that...I think the only thing I would do different is maybe use a foam board with a reflective film turned up and tape the seams with reflective tape
It really depends on what your building. The real money savings is foundation and sheathing roof and walls. With post frame you save money if you do concrete piers vs a continuous footing. Additionally you save money because you don’t have to sheath your roof or sidewalls. The building gets its shear strength from the metal so there isn’t a need to sheet those areas like stick build. There are other areas but those are the two biggest money saving areas.
Can I hire you to build my home for my farm near El Paso, Texas? I would rather use my VA loan to build a brand new home then purchase something already built
Building a shop now and it’s cool to see them use your same methods of expertise! Love the channel!
Great video. The details you share are appreciated!
Leaning so much from this channel. Love the Q/A at the end and commentary on the "why's" in the way you do it.
Glad you enjoy it!
Thanks its very interesting how these are built in USA we dont have that in the UK. Its good to watch your expert eye on the issue been following for a long time including your home. UK
Thanks for watching!
Excelente trabajo felicidades 👏 👍 saludos desde chile 👊 👌🏻 👏
We didn't put a vapor barrier under the foam in our house or garage. We have at least 5" of 3/4" clean rock and the soil around here is well drained. Besides, we only get less than 20" of precipitation annually. In 7 years I've never seen any sign of moisture. While building, if it did rain, it didn't slow progress as there's no mud to deal with. I have walked around in freshly dug soil during rain and not gotten my shoes muddy.
You do real nice work heated floors are the best heat ever
Thanks 👍
Your welcome sir work safe you scare me sometimes climbing around .1 fall would be aweful to you or ya crew members .
Love the video!! I have a question. We built a post frame home. We love it! We installed the 6mm plastic and taped all joints, 2” foam board installed and taped. Layer out poly pipe and rebar. Finished the concrete. Later when we moved in the humidity is high, in the 60%-65%. Ac unit maybe to big? I’m don’t think it’s the floor. We don’t see moisture on the floor. The home is insulated very well. So my question is: in your experience what would be causing this? Thanks in advance!
Nice job explaining system!
Thanks!
Looks really good man. Almost makes me want to get back into radiant for my next house, but just almost ;)
Thanks!
Looking good Paul and gang! I assume you will put some more foam board around the outside edge of the rat board? Looking forward to my build!!
Thanks man, Super Cool...
Thank you for the vid very informative
Have you considered using a foil backed foam board for your radiant install? Foil would be more effective at reflecting the heat upward to your slab. I say that because most types of radiant installs use some type of plate or reflective insulation to reflect the heat in the direction you want heat additionally it has a higher R value which would pay for itself over time.
Yes is the cost usually. But when he says closed cell base is the way to go I agree. You're killing two birds with 1 stone and a better result with a total seal
Heat transfer here from the tubing into the slab is by conduction, not sure that adding foil is any help in spaces with very little air (unlike an attic, open crawl space, garage door, etc.).
There have been studies showing the use of a reflective barrier under a slab is not effective. It won’t harm anything, but it’s not useful spending. One of the bigger boiler companies shared this
Designing my next root cellar build. Considering this same system, only cold water. Hoping with a cold water circulating in the slab, and cold air from pipes buried 5' down and warm air drawn from the ceiling, maybe I can hit 40 degrees. Thoughts?
Maybe run the walls as well?
If you live in a climate that doesn't get really cold for long periods of time, could you do 4'-6' of pex just around the exterior walls and still keep the entire house warm?
Yes but it’d me extremely inefficient. The whole slab works together as a storage system of the heat. If you only had tubing at the perimeter it’d still be trying to heat all the concrete (remember concrete is horrible at resisting heat transfer) but with maybe 10% of the necessary BTU/hr. This only applies to trying to heat an entire building envelope. You could heat individual rooms instead of the whole building envelope.
I agree 6mill is fine! Just don't tear it
1mil would be sufficient IF you could find some concrete guys who wouldn’t tear it!
Great content! Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
I have a question for you about how you did foundation. I noticed the one you use cement columns, the other you put in solid wall & you water proof it & insulated it. Why the difference between the two. We have been You take pride in all the work you do. Tks for sharing what you do...
We used the ICF system on this build for a couple reasons...1. There was an existing foundation and that all had to be removed a dug out. Wanted to make sure we had a solid foundation in undisturbed soil. 2. There is a lot of limestone in the area so it would have made it tough drilling holes with auger.
If you have time to watch the first few episodes of this playlist I go into more detail of the reasons for choosing the ICF foundation over the cement piers.
th-cam.com/play/PL3QM32YjSVn24Y0jGrwYcGQ1--0ACLiRN.html
I noticed around 8:28 you went right through what looks to be a bathroom. Should you avoid toilets and under bathtub areas? What about under kitchen cabinets and refrigerators?
keep pex tubing at least 12" from toilets so you don't melt the wax ring.
No need to stay that far away. It doesn’t get hot enough to melt the wax.
Have you done radiant runs in a spiral vs the back and forth and if so have you seen a performance delta? I have seen the center of the slab left uninsulated and the perimeter dug down 24+ and heavily insulated creating a larger battery, do you have thoughts on that? Do you have any detail on anticipated costs to install and power to run? Thoughts on bigger pipe, thicker slabs, more insulation? Appreciate these great videos, not near enough information out there.
Why is there no foam insulation around the perimeter, attached to the girt boards like you did on your house?
Yes I would do that as well. They may be doing closed cell on the walls so you could carry that detail to the slab
You'll see how that's all sealed up in an upcoming video...closed cell.
Can't tell if you're using PEX A or PEX B real question is why would you not use the expansion tool for PEX A? Just looking for pros and cons figure the expense may be good investment For a DYIer and for freezing, not necessarily not necessarily for the inground/in concrete radiant floor yet I'm looking at a 1 inch pipe going from a water source to a holding tank and then back down to the house thing the expence of the tools with proof handy
Awesome videos! Thank you! Do you have any problem with increase in cracking of your garage floors because of the foam? I have radiant in my basement, but I don’t know if I want to put it in my garage because I am afraid of it sagging or cracking with weight of the vehicles.
No as long as you prep all your below grade properly you shouldn’t have excess cracking.
Two dumb questions, I’ve seen vapor barrier on top of polystyrene and underneath. Why would one go on top and one go underneath? And two… no rebar in concrete? Getting started on our build likely in next few months and we want to contract out foundation but we want to do radiant heat. Suggestions?
For a single zone pole barn approximately 1600sqft, would there be any reason not to use 1000ft rolls of led for each run?
My heating contractor put sand down 2" foam board
heat tubes and then 2 more inches of sand
then the concrete guys put there rebar and concrete.
heat works great.
Can you put wire mesh over top of the pex tubes?
Also, how would Styrofoam infused aircrete work vs sprayfoam for fitting to the gravel bed?
How does reliability and cost compare for using some sort of fiber for reinforcement vs rebar in your slab?
Someone get this man some new work gloves. He's earned them
What’s the max run on your supply and return line? 300 Ft?
300' for 1/2" loop
What type of thermostat you use for in floor heating ?
I use a floor sensor with the thermostat. They make several different ones for hydronic heating systems. They are more efficient running off of a floor sensor than an air sensor.
Why XPS and not EPS. I'm hearing Conflicting opinions on that. Main argument us that EPS holds up over time to moisture better and retains more of it's R value in the end. I feel like the foam under these heated slabs will stay pretty dry if you have a few inches of gravel under it and good drainage around the building. Any thoughts on that?
Are you doing PEX every 12"? What is the brand and model of your 1/2" PEX ox?
Yes, every 12". We use 1/2" oxygen barrier tubing from Menards - www.menards.com/main/plumbing/hydronic-radiant-heat/barrier-pipe/sioux-chief-powerpex-reg-1-2-oxygen-barrier-pex-tubing/665x2h300m/p-3289655538082701-c-8563.htm
If interested we have a few other installation videos - th-cam.com/play/PL3QM32YjSVn1Mi5I9OwmwhXNL9CAXpyAZ.html
Do the pex staples/clamps puncture the vapor barrier?
No they’re 1.5” staples into 2” board.
Have you ever used Crete Heat?? I'm trying that on my project.
I have not used the Crete-Heat product.
You can tell how hard a guys working by his Swiss cheesed gloves lol
What size is gravel? 3/4 inch? Thanks!
Actually there probably isn't any problems doing the in floor heat like that...I think the only thing I would do different is maybe use a foam board with a reflective film turned up and tape the seams with reflective tape
What size fiberglass rebar you are using at 2’ on center for this slab? Is 7/16” adequate?
We recommend 1/2"
@@MrPostFrame Awesome, thanks for the reply.
What if it breaks and you can’t get to it because it’s buried under concrete?
Hi, Do you still have the radiant heat video series ?
No RADON ventilation?
is post frame cheaper to put up than stick frame on average?
It really depends on what your building. The real money savings is foundation and sheathing roof and walls.
With post frame you save money if you do concrete piers vs a continuous footing. Additionally you save money because you don’t have to sheath your roof or sidewalls. The building gets its shear strength from the metal so there isn’t a need to sheet those areas like stick build.
There are other areas but those are the two biggest money saving areas.
@@MrPostFrame thank you sir!!
Where are you getting your designs/plans?
Home designs? We have a designer we work with. Email design@mrpostframe.com if you'd like more info.
What determines a zone?
Can I hire you to build my home for my farm near El Paso, Texas? I would rather use my VA loan to build a brand new home then purchase something already built
Just about time to retire those gloves
That poor guy needs some new gloves !
.
Need a new pair of gloves haha?
New ones never feel the same LOL
Thank you for the vid very informative