Building an Addition for an Elderly Parent Project
Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor VideoThe PEX tubing is set in the concrete and will circulate hot water used to heat the addition. Jason McKinnon of Viega North America reviews the features of PEX tubing. PEX is electronically cross-linked polyethylene tubing that is made to be stronger and resistant to high temperatures and pressures. The PEX tubing was placed in the concrete slab. The concrete acts a low-temperature radiator for the tubing. High temperature water will be pumped through the coils and heat will dissipate into the slab. A heated slab acts as a radiant heat source for the home. Tim Cutler of TJ's Plumbing & Heating reviews how the tubing was placed within the slab. In a radiant-heat application, the tubing is evenly spread out across the floor. With radiant heat, the air is not heated, only the floor. The heat is modulated according to outside weather conditions so a precise amount of heat is sent through the coils to warm the building's interior to the desired temperature. A heat/loss analysis done on the home indicates that the tubing should have nine-inch spacing for five circuits. During manufacturing, the tubing has 10,000 volts sent through it which cause the molecules to cross-link. This makes the tubing virtually indestructible. An oxygen barrier is sprayed on it to protect the boiler and the heating system from oxygen infiltration, which causes cast iron boilers to deteriorate. A foam stapler pushes plastic clips with prongs into the foam decking to secure the tubing in place.
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Additional Bob Vila Showrooms• Radiantec - Radiantec Solar heating systems for home heat
• Intelligent Warmth - The Value and Benefits of Today's Oilheat
• Sears - Heating & Cooling Repair
• A.I.M. Radiant Heating - Clean, Quiet, Efficient Heating
• PexSupply.com - Your Online Source for PEX Plumbing & Radiant Heating Supplies
• Unico System - Retrofit High Performance, Heating & Air Conditioning
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 | Floors, Stairs & Elevators
• Howard Brickman Consulting (Norwell, MA) - General contracting and project management
Insulation
• Eagle Mountain/Radiantmax - Insul-Tarp under-slab reflective, insulative, water-and-vapor barrier
Masonry & Faux Stone
• LaBarge Engineering & Contracting - ICF construction and engineering services
• Portland Cement Association - Cement for slab, walls, and floor
Plumbing & Septic Systems
• TJ’s Plumbing and Heating - Radiant floor heating installation
• Viega - PEX tubing for radiant floor heating
Structural & Framing
• Fab-Form Industries - Fab-Form stay-in-place footing and drainage forms
• ReddiForm Inc. - ReddiForm polystyrene, snap-together insulated forms for ICF construction
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Other Video Clips from this Episode |
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| The project in Norwell, Massachusetts, involves putting an addition on an existing house to create an in-law suite. A lower-level garage is being built with a spacious suite above. The ...
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| Bob talks with Ron Ardres from ReddiForm about the construction of the home's concrete-slab floor. To build the floor, the walls were constructed using ReddiForm expanded polystyrene foam forms. The ...
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Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor The PEX tubing is set in the concrete and will circulate hot water used to heat the addition. Jason McKinnon of Viega North America reviews the features of PEX tubing. ...
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| Once the PEX tubing is in place, the concrete is poured. Using ReddiForm blocks lets the crew pour the lower walls and the slab all at once. The side walls ...
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| Bob talks with Todd LaBarge of LaBarge Engineering, the contractor on the project, about the concrete pour. The process is a very fast-moving one, with the first-floor walls put ...
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| Bob talks with Jim Niehoff of the Portland Cement Association about building homes using concrete. For builders, constructing homes with concrete can save a lot of time and give homeowners ...
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