Quote:
Originally Posted by AC_Hacker
osolemio,
It sounds like you may have one of the most comprehensive renovations going on at EcoRenovator. We would all like to know more details and to see photos of your progress.
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Oh, it is quite comprehensive indeed. I have posted various things about it here already if you follow my posts. Let me try to answer your questions one by one, sorry don't know how to quote as nicely as you did
Underfloor heating is not that difficult. But if you keep a mix of radiators and underfloor heating, you should either have two heating loops, or you could have one loop where the water goes to the radiators first, then through the underfloor heating (possibly via a shunt).
There is not that much to it. You got to have the right tubing, and I have something called aluflex, as it is easier to work with. It is aluminum inside, covered in some coating. You can bend it and it stays in shape, but if you bend it too many times it breaks! Not a problem as long as you are gentle. You can also use tubing without aluminum, just make sure it suits the purpose. Insulate the base if needed, then put out a iron mesh used to fortify concrete with something to lift it up an inch or two. Then route the piping keeping a distance of about half a foot or so, depending on the distance from the tubing up to the top of the floor. If you want an even distribution, keep it closer. I am sure there are lots of good guides on this if you search online.
Regarding two circuits, I explained it above already. The Okofen allows quite good control over the heating, and the radiators require a much higher temperature to keep the house heated when it gets cold outside, while the underfloor requires a lower temperature. Also, the underfloor takes hours or even days to react, while the radiators are much quicker.
The water tanks I have is the 300 USG Okofen tank as main buffer (it includes the control), then I have three pallet tanks, each just over 300 USG as well. These are dug into a hole in the ground, insulated and then on top, there is the new room of the house (expansion). Piping from there goes to a system where I can mix solar heat, stored heat with the Okofen buffer, as well as route heat under the house, and even around the foundation of the house (!) which I am about to insulate, on the outside (long story).
The glass is way better than the old glass I had, but not the super best you can get. Only dual layer, with argon gas - the krypton gas is just too expensive and not that much better. I cannot go triple layer as I exchange glass in existing frames and they do not allow more than a certain thickness. We had a lot of snow recently, and those windows in the roof (45 degree angle) need to be cleared of snow! Before it would eventually melt, but not any more. Too good insulation in them. The windows are brand Velux, those at 45 degrees, I don't know what brand the glass is.