Radiant floor heat

[DougM]

I have installed the tubing in the floor and now have all
of the parts to do the plumbing. Closed sys.

What brand or type of anti freeze should I use.

Needed about 60 gal.

Doug

 

[heehaw]

if your boiler is inside, why would you need antifreeze; from what i have read, using antifreeze, cause it to take more energy to bring the water up to temp.
heehaw

 

[hazmat]

<font color=blue>if your boiler is inside, why would you need antifreeze; from what i have read, using antifreeze, cause it to take more energy to bring the water up to temp.</font color=blue>

Antifreeze is a fail safe, if the heater konks out for whatever reason (no electric, out of fuel etc.) when you're on vacation, the heating plumbing won't freeze. Pretty hard to fix a busted pipe inside a concrete floor. Not like forced hotwater baseboard.

 

[DougM]

This is correct as I worry that if and it has happened
loss of power to the garage.
anti freeze that is saft if spilled (type that will not kill dogs and cats )

Doug

 

[djradz]

Not sure I agree with the "takes more energy to bring ...". But antifreeze actually improves the heat transfer over water. That's just one of the many reasons it's used even when freezing might never occur.

 

[gerard]

I would check with the tubing manufacturer and see what they reccomend. Using the RV or boat antifreeze whould be safest from an environmental/animla perspective.

 

[heehaw]

i probably can't find it now, but i have read that one of the functions of antifreeze is to keep water from getting hot..not sure thats the right way to say that...but anyway, it takes more energy to bring a 50% solution up to a specific temp, than it does just water. but if this system is in a house, and it gets cold enough to burst the radiant heating pipes, that will be only one of many problems you have to contend with. heehaw

 

[hazmat]

You are wrong about keeping the water from getting hot, the specific heat of an antifreeze mix is lower than that of water. It takes more energy to heat 1 gallon of water 1 degree F than an antifreeze mix. However, the actuall heat transfer also depends on the coefficient of heat transfer which is different for water vs. antifreeze. So a direct comparison of specific heat is not 100% accurate.

Here's some info a quick google search turned up <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.overclockers.com/articles609/>Overclockers</A> Sorry the graphics are pretty bad, but it's got the info you need.

It does raise the boiling point of the mixture, so allows the coolant to exceed 212F w/o problems.

In any case I'd contact the manufacturer of the heating system to see what they recommend running in it.

 

[Argee]

I think the product your looking for here is called Noburst. It's a non-toxic heat transfering antifreeze for closed loop systems. I have two boiler systems, one is closed loop and the other has a anti-siphoning valve. I use Noburst in both of them with no problems.

www.kingsolar.com/catalog/mfg/noble/noburst100.html

 

[DougM]

I have been looking at the price of anti freeze and WHOO

Is there any place that is having a Sale on windsheald fluid

$ 2.00 per gal seems realy high.

Doug