GBlist: re:masonry heater + radiant flooring

[rob_tom@freenet.carleton.ca (Robert W. Tom)]

long ago, on Wed, 19 Jan 2000, mheat@mha-net.org wrote,

[snipped & pasted just for the heck of it]

>    If I were adding the office these days, however, I'd just
>    make it more efficient to begin with, and eliminate the
>    hardware "fix".  
[snip]
>    No pumps, no controllers, no pipes, no mixing valves, no
>    fossil fuel, plus you get to watch a big fire every morning
>    (in a masonry heater) with your cup of coffee.
[snip]

Well MeatHook, I would say that if the office (and the rest of
the house) were made more efficient to begin with, that in our
climate (~8500 HDD/yr, ~48 deg NL) one wouldn't need to fire-up
the wood-burning appliance in the mornings during the coldest
months of the year (Dec.-Feb.)

I would say that the house would usually still be plenty warm (70
degF-plus) from the fire of the night before and that the
appliance would not need to be fired-up again till later in the
evening, way after sundown. (Unless there has been a long period
of overcast days)

In fact, I would say that if the appliance were fired-up early in
the morning, the house would probably be over-heated by late morning
if it is a sunny day.

I would also say that the insulated slab floor of the efficient
house would remain barefoot comfortable  without any embedded
radiant heating (hydronic or otherwise) during most of that
period of time (again, assuming sunny periods, which is reasonable
in our climate because the coldest days are also the
sunniest).

     ("Barefoot Comfortable" ( not toasty) = 70-72 degF range (as
     best I can measure with a CTC thermometer because I don't
     have one of those nifty Radio Shack point-and-shoot
     temperature sensor- gizmos that MeatHook has).  I don't like
     hot feet and my more temperature-sensitive apparatus (me
     bum) is usually on  a chair, not the floor. 
     Nosey (the mutt) prefers to lie on the floor during the day
     (as opposed to in her bed). That should tell you something.
     But then again, it might not  because she's not very bright)

I might also say that MeatHook's morning coffee could be omitted
too, but I won't because one can't expect a person to give-up 
all of his habits.

---------- * ----------
Rob_Tom @ ncf.ca
Kanata, Ontario, Canada

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