QA

Quick Answer: How Big Of A Water Heater Do I Need For Radiant Heat

Water heaters, on the other hand, are perfectly happy being fed 55°F supply water and chugging along at 110°F to 140°F — perfect for radiant floors, and more than adequate for many baseboard and panel radiator applications.

What size tankless water heater do I need for radiant heat?

You’ll need to be able to heat at least 5.2 gallons of water. So you’ll need a tankless water heater that can produce at least a 60 degree rise in temperature at 5.2 gallons per minute.

Do you need a separate water heater for radiant heat?

Single Purpose Systems Either a hot water heater or a boiler handles all the heated water necessary to power the radiant floor heating needs. Meanwhile, a separate hot water heater takes care of the household hot water usage. The one used to drive a radiant floor heating system must be rated to do so.

How many Btus do I need for radiant floor heating?

A typical output of a residential hydronic radiant heating system is within 25-35 BTU per square foot, with 40 BTU being a rare occasion for older homes and buildings with poor insulation. 2. 12W per square foot equals approximately 41 BTU per square foot (optimal heat output with enough backup power).

Can I use a hot water heater to heat my house?

Heating the House With a Water Heater This is an option only if your house is very well sealed and well insulated, or if you live in a mild climate. The hot water is used to heat the fan coils for your home heating system, and the heat is then distributed through ducts, as with a standard furnace.

Can you run radiant heat with tankless water heater?

Though they are sold primarily for domestic hot water, tankless heaters are actually well-suited for radiant heating, which operates at low temperatures compared with, for example, hot-water baseboard. So using the unit for radiant heating generally has little or no effect on the sizing calculation.

Is Radiant Heat expensive to run?

Like any type of electric heat, radiant panels can be expensive to operate, but they can provide supplemental heating in some rooms or can provide heat to a home addition when extending the conventional heating system is impractical.

Can you use a water heater for radiant heat?

Water heaters, on the other hand, are perfectly happy being fed 55°F supply water and chugging along at 110°F to 140°F — perfect for radiant floors, and more than adequate for many baseboard and panel radiator applications.

What kind of boiler do I need for radiant heat?

Your options are wall-mount tankless boilers and floor-mount tank-style boilers. Features: This is a combination (combi) boiler that produces hot water for radiant floor heating and domestic hot water (DHW). Both wall-mount and floor models can be bought in natural gas or propane versions.

How much is a boiler for radiant heat?

Installing a radiant heat boiler costs from $6,000 to $9,000 and an extra $6 to $20 per square foot for the hydronic heating system in the house. Hot water radiant heating costs less to operate than electric systems because water conducts and holds heat very well, meaning there is less actual operating time.

How many BTUs do I need to heat 1500 square feet?

A 1,500-square-foot home will require between 45,000 to 90,000 BTUs.

How many BTU is 1700 square feet?

34,000 BTU Square Footage BTU Capacity How many BTUs for 1700 square feet? 34,000 BTU.

How do you size radiant floor heating?

To size the heating source, simply multiply your heat loss per square foot by the area (in sq. feet). You will need a heater or boiler with this rated output. Your contractor should confirm this calculation.

Can an electric hot water heater be used for radiant heat?

In fact an electric hot water tank can be used to heat a house with in-floor radiant and they are thousands of dollars cheaper than boilers, and if they fail cost very little to replace; also there is very little maintenance, which can be done by the homeowner.

Is radiant heat water?

Radiant heating systems circulate hot water from your boiler through durable tubing installed in or under your floors, walls or ceilings. This form of heating also can be installed outside your home under your sidewalks and driveway to deliver warm water that melts ice and snow.

How do you add radiant heat to an existing hot water boiler system?

Yes you can. All you need to do is provide a Radiantec mixing valve to step down the temperature of the water to the radiant circuits. You mix hot water from the boiler with return water from the floor to provide a lower temperature.

How much tubing do I need for radiant heat?

Generally, for a residential Infloor Heating System® we recommend 3/8″ and 1/2″ tubing. The tube size dictates the flow rate that can be achieved and also indicates the maximum loop length based on the head pressure. We generally recommend 5/8″ and 3/4″ tubing for large commercial and snowmelt applications.

Is radiant heat a closed system?

In a Closed Radiant System, the heating fluid is self contained. The fluid stays there unless removed for maintenance. The closed system and the potable domestic water source are not connected. A baseboard heating system using a boiler is one example of a closed system.

Can I use a tankless water heater as a boiler?

Now onwards – As mentioned each home is different and a tankless definitely can’t be installed as a boiler replacement in all situations. But they can in quite a few. A tankless is upwards of 98% efficient and can bring you quite a bit of money and energy savings.