Can steam be used in radiant floor heating?
Can steam be used in radiant floor heating?
I'm an architecture student designing a dorm for the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY.
The school already has a geoexchange system that provides ground-temperature water to buildings. There is also a system that supplies buildings with steam. I'm attempting to implement in-floor radiant heating/cooling. I was wondering if there is a system that will convert steam to hot water, or use steam to heat the ground-temperature water that can then be fed through the floors. Any suggestions would be very helpful! Thanks!
Answers:
Alina: please use electric heating wires like everybody else
2011-04-01 11:40:06
2011-04-01 11:40:06
schmidtjohnb: You can use the water from the boiler that creates the steam, there's plenty of literature out there on how to do this. Start thinking heat exchanger.
2011-04-02 20:06:59
2011-04-02 20:06:59
Chosen Answer
BrianW: It's all about cost.
Electric is very convenient. However the cost of material (wire) and the supply power makes large installations pricey.
Although you have steam heat available, the cost of a piping a system that can carry the steam through a floor would be expensive, probably iron pipe. (Iron pipe does not have a good life expectancy in radiant floors).
Hydronic is a great choice due to the cost of material and amount of heat you can move with water. PEX tubing is cheap and works well at water temperatures below boiling. So you merely need a steam-to-water heat exchanger. Any qualified steam plumber should be able to size and install the correct heat exchanger.
Just get your radiant system sized and designed by a qualified radiant outfit like Pexheat.com.
2011-04-04 07:07:27
BrianW: It's all about cost.
Electric is very convenient. However the cost of material (wire) and the supply power makes large installations pricey.
Although you have steam heat available, the cost of a piping a system that can carry the steam through a floor would be expensive, probably iron pipe. (Iron pipe does not have a good life expectancy in radiant floors).
Hydronic is a great choice due to the cost of material and amount of heat you can move with water. PEX tubing is cheap and works well at water temperatures below boiling. So you merely need a steam-to-water heat exchanger. Any qualified steam plumber should be able to size and install the correct heat exchanger.
Just get your radiant system sized and designed by a qualified radiant outfit like Pexheat.com.
2011-04-04 07:07:27