Radiant floor heating revisited

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jjgesq Georgetown, IL Jul 13, 2005

Hi..I'm new to your forum and wondering if anyone has any insights on the pros/cons of radiant floor heat for a roughly 15x11 Hartley Botanic greenhouse in Zone 5. All I know is that (1) my parents put radiant heat in an addition to their house and it is the most pleasant environment imaginable and (2) electric heat -- my next best option -- is probably going to cost a fortune.

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skyeblu Stockton, MO(Zone 6b) Jul 14, 2005

Hi! Radiant floor heat is very recommended for greenhouse use. Ball Redbook (the GH bible) has a section dedicated to explaining it in detail.

Right now I use a space heater that can be set to about 40 degrees. It hasn't cost a fortune, but I don't use the GH 'til February. It is 10x10 and insulated on the north side with cellotex. I'm planning on adding another 10foot section and would love to go with radiant floor heat, then.

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DCarrington Riverview, NB(Zone 5b) Jul 14, 2005

I'm glad you started this thread, jjgesq. I've often wondered about floor heat too.

It seems to me that it would probably be the best way to heat. It might cost a bit more to install, but I think it might be the cheapest to opperate in the long run.

I have electric heat in my house. It's very expensive to heat in the winter months here. I turn the heat off in a couple rooms to help defrey the monthly bill, but it's still expensive, no matter how you look at it.

It seems like, if you had a hot water heater, a circulating pump, and a thermostat you wouldn't need much more. But then again, I don't know an awful lot about floor heat.

I've wondered about a "Heat Exchange" system too. Using the cold air from outside and turning it into heat for the inside.

I'm axious to learn more.

Darrell

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skyeblu Stockton, MO(Zone 6b) Jul 14, 2005

Darrell, that is about the bare bones of it.
There are several types, like; under floor (porous cement or gravel).or, under bench. Bet if you did a Google search, you could come up with all kinds of information. Good luck, and if you find something real interesting, please share.

Skye

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jjgesq Georgetown, IL Jul 14, 2005

Interesting thoughts - thanks to all! My concern with an "in floor" system in concrete is what happens when there's trouble? I'm thinking maybe "under bench" is better -- since my greenhouse will have a brick base wall, I don't think I'll grow on or near the floor anyway. I'll check out the book recommended by skyeblu and see what I can determine from that.

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