I am in my 60's and in the process of learning/figuring out how best to install water based radiant in floor heating. I took one university level course in physics and vaguely remember some content. I have been researching about the absorption of radiant/infrared heat into concrete and into the human body.
I am sure there must be better science to the design / installation of radiant heat than what I have found!
My current plan is to construct the main floor in the traditional plywood finish, put down the pex water pipe and then pour 1 1/2 inches of real concrete over it. Then ceramic tile over that. The concrete will Radiate heat and based on one Emissivity value I found will radiate energy in the area of 2 to 5.6 nm wavelength.
I then tried to find out what are the best wavelenghts for the human body to absorb radiant energy and I guessed that the absorbtion characteristics of water would be my best bet in an attempt to fine tune the radiation heat.
Can you point me to a couple of sources and/or answer some of these questions:
1. what wavelength should we try to design to emit from the concrete/tile [it looks like the texture of the finish might be able to impact the infrared wavelength] in order for people to best absorb/feel the heat. The range seems to be 2nm to 5.6 nm. Any filler one could/should add to the concrete to improve / fine tune the radiant wavelength?
2. same as 1, what wavelength radiated from the concrete-tile would be best to reflect heat back into the house from windows in the house?
3. Should I spray the plywood floor with an aluminum paint that has very high reflection property so that most of the radiant energy from the hot water will reflect away from the plywood floor into the concrete mass - room
4. does the energy radiate from the concrete to the tile or is that done via conduction? According to one table I have found, rough concrete finish produces higher emissivity than smooth concrete - does this make sense from a physics perspective?
5. Is there a particular colour / texture of tile that will help optimize the range of radiant waves that are "just the right' wavelength for absorption by human skin/body?
Any help would be appreciated .. Thanks you
claus - Canada
17601
Answer
Don't try to "reinvent the wheel" by going into such detail to install water based radiant in floor heating. There are many companies that have information and hardware for installing such a system.
http://www.radiantec.com apparently sell kits for installing. http://www.radiantdirect.com provides hydronic radiant floor heating systems. http://www.radiantdesigninstitute.com/ provides information, including costs.
I am sure you can find dealers in your area that can help in getting radiant heat for your house. It is better to deal with experts than to try to start from scratch yourself.
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