# Anyone using pellet stove and in-floor radiant?



## jzinckgra (Dec 10, 2011)

We're hoping to build an open floor plan, Adirondack styl house next year. max sqft would be 2200. One of our must haves is in floor radiant heat. In our current house, we have both wood and pellet stove and they both work great. In the new house I would really like to put in a woodstove as backup on the main floor, but may also consider a pellet stove as well. What ever choice we make, my concern resides in how much the heat from either stove will affect the cycling on/off of the radiant floor. I understand radiant can take a long time to warm up, so I wouldn't want to be "tripping" the thermostat off when the stove provides enough heat, to only have it turn back on in the middle of the night if the stove goes out. From what I've read and been told there are floor and outdoor sensors for the radiant and it can you can just put the set temp a bit lower to compensate. In any case, would we be decreasing the efficiency of the radiant system in the winter by using either a wood or pellet stove?


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## nate379 (Dec 11, 2011)

Well I have a wood stove and floor heat.

I don't use the floor heat other than if I am not around to put wood in the stove.  I don't have any trouble keeping the house 70-75*, though the bedrooms do get a bit cooler when it's cold out (-20* area) because I can't flow the air to them that well.

I don't know if you have walked on a heated floor but the floor is only a few degrees over the air temp, so it won't feel warm to your feet.... you'd need the slab to be at least close to body temp for that.

The floor heat is for sure a turn it on and don't mess with it all winter deal.  If you fire up a stove for a bit then expect the slab to make up the difference at some point it will not work like that.  If the slab is room temp, it's going to take a good 10-12 hours to get heat into it and start warming up.

One year no one was here for 3 weeks in the winter so I turned the heat down to 45*.  It took a solid 24+ hours to get the house to 68*

I would VERY STRONGLY advise you to at least consider a "hybrid" system and have some kind of forced air as well.  One to simply circulate the air in the house and second for a quick or little heat.

If I would do it over again, I don't think I would choose slab heat, at least not in the house.


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## jzinckgra (Dec 11, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Well I have a wood stove and floor heat.
> 
> I don't use the floor heat other than if I am not around to put wood in the stove.  I don't have any trouble keeping the house 70-75*, though the bedrooms do get a bit cooler when it's cold out (-20* area) because I can't flow the air to them that well.
> 
> ...



I should have clarified, we wouldn't be going with a slab, but staple-up with heat reflector shields. I understand that this type of flooring will warm much faster, but I still think it is a consideration when using other heat sources. We'd be going with an LP-fired wall hung unit for the radiant. thanks.


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## George (Dec 11, 2011)

I have both in slab heat on the lower floor and staple up in the first floor.  This year I added a pellet stove on the lower floor, that are both an open floor plan, the stove keeps the center of  the house warm and has caused me to move a couple thermostats because i didnt use zone heating.  If you set up each room as a zone they call for heat seperatly weather your stove is running or not. 

http://www.radiantdesigninstitute.com/page2.html
Hope this helps, A lot of information on radiant floor heating


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## Charlie500e (Dec 11, 2011)

Radiant heat in concrete slab of ground floor of garage and pellet stove on the second floor.  New 2x6 insulated construction means neither of them are running too much.  A tankless water heater is used for my radiant heat and domestic hot water..







*wiring to heater was temporary at this time...now has a proper junction box/connection.






*below the middle section of the slab was intentionally left uninsulated to act as a heat sink and increase efficiency.


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## George (Dec 12, 2011)

This is my nightmare .. full potable system .. no insulation in the middle ?? I put 2" under the whole floor of the basement and walls are a foam form R51 3" foam inside and outside of concrete...... best money I ever spent


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## George (Dec 12, 2011)

jzinckgra said:
			
		

> We're hoping to build an open floor plan, Adirondack styl house next year. max sqft would be 2200. One of our must haves is in floor radiant heat. In our current house, we have both wood and pellet stove and they both work great. In the new house I would really like to put in a woodstove as backup on the main floor, but may also consider a pellet stove as well. What ever choice we make, my concern resides in how much the heat from either stove will affect the cycling on/off of the radiant floor. I understand radiant can take a long time to warm up, so I wouldn't want to be "tripping" the thermostat off when the stove provides enough heat, to only have it turn back on in the middle of the night if the stove goes out. From what I've read and been told there are floor and outdoor sensors for the radiant and it can you can just put the set temp a bit lower to compensate. In any case, would we be decreasing the efficiency of the radiant system in the winter by using either a wood or pellet stove?



Sorry . Feel like we stole your thread . Hope our rambling has helped . Any other info we can help with


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## nate379 (Dec 12, 2011)

I have no experience with the staple up systems.  My house is just one floor, slab on grade.

I do feel it's not all that efficient compared to the other systems though.
One guy I talked 2 houses down from me has forced air about same size house and same style as well (single floor ranch).
$80-100/month in winter on his gas bill.  Keep in mind too that his with wife and kid so increase in hot water use, dryer use and cooking (all gas stuff)

When I was running just my floor heat before I got the stove it was $100-150 gas bills, just me and my dog in the house that year.

I like forced air since there is air circulator/filtration and also it's very fast to respond.  Can leave for the weekend, kick the place down to 45*, come home and an hour later it's back to 70*.  No way you could do that with the floor heating!





			
				jzinckgra said:
			
		

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## nate379 (Dec 12, 2011)

Charlie500e

That small system heats both your house AND garage??  I have 1.25" piping from my 90,000btu boiler to my manifolds (4 of them), 2 pumps, etc.  It fills out the corner of my garage, probably a 4x6ft area.


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## Charlie500e (Dec 12, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Charlie500e
> 
> That small system heats both your house AND garage??  I have 1.25" piping from my 90,000btu boiler to my manifolds (4 of them), 2 pumps, etc.  It fills out the corner of my garage, probably a 4x6ft area.



No, just the garage...but the garage has a full bathroom, washer/dryer, and another sink that my Takagi Jr handles in addition to the radiant.


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