Fluid heating in floor using pex and the former heating system.

[Geo Jeff]

Originally Posted by milkmania

Now if we could use that technology in highway bridges... No more ice on bridges!

Wish I knew how to build ****

Been there done that. These guys just got a few contracts to try this system out. Its very cool how it can change the lines on the road. For instance it can all ow a officer in a accident situation to re rote the road or even put up a stop sign or write info for drivers on the road. Imagine a helicopter landing for an accident in bad weather on a highway. they just give him a heliport pad in led. Plus it melts snow.

Solar-powered 'smart' roads could zap snow, ice - CNN.com

[Versatile]

I have a Block heater and i read that they keep your water temp at abut 120-130 F. How hot does the fluid need to be to heat a floor. I understand this is subjective. I see some that are 750 Watts . Why not add another one? I would use the 12 volt continuous duty water pump that is factory. I would wire the pump so it would not be needing the key on and getting power from an inverter that gets its ac power from my Ac system.

Comments please.

Google is my friend:

Typically, radiant heating systems warm floors to temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees F.

[DoubleO7]

Originally Posted by Versatile

I have a Block heater and i read that they keep your water temp at abut 120-130 F. How hot does the fluid need to be to heat a floor. I understand this is subjective. I see some that are 750 Watts . Why not add another one? I would use the 12 volt continuous duty water pump that is factory. I would wire the pump so it would not be needing the key on and getting power from an inverter that gets its ac power from my Ac system.

Comments please.

Google is my friend:

Typically, radiant heating systems warm floors to temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees F.

If the primary electric is going to be 120 or 240 volt AC, then it would be cheaper and more efficient to just use a residential water heater.
Pumping the warm water thru the heating system.
Cost of an invert would likely go a long way towards purchase of a water heater an pump.

[Dapplecreek]

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

If the primary electric is going to be 120 or 240 volt AC, then it would be cheaper and more efficient to just use a residential water heater.
Pumping the warm water thru the heating system.
Cost of an invert would likely go a long way towards purchase of a water heater an pump.

Especially if you find someone scrapping a mobile home nearby...

[DoubleO7]

Originally Posted by Dapplecreek

Especially if you find someone scrapping a mobile home nearby...

or a used WH from a travel trailer or RV.

or....a spa heater, which is merely an "inline" electric residential WH without a storage tank. Since you need a circulating pump, you really do not need the storage tank (and weight) of hot water.
Unless you want heat "right now" versus in a few hours.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

I have in floor hot water radiant heat. Heat source is engine while running and Espar boiler when not running. There are pictures and some explanations throughout my build and there are some pictures on my web site. Also supplies domestic hot water.

From build site starting about here
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/so...sa-6318-4.html

Some pictures from my web site here. I see I haven't updated lately.
Heat
Diagram here.
Heat 2

Dick

Note to self: look at build thread.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Tootalltechie

Has anyone ever wrapped copper tubing around the woodstove pipe? Then run water through it to apply heating throughout the bus? Just a thought
Gordon

I'm thinking of "gluing" the under seat heat exchanger to the back of the firebox or under the firebox. Enclose the bottom and it should get toasty warm for the exchanger. Definitely going to need a pressure relief valve if I "glue" it to the firebox if the pump ever dies.

[DreamWeaverBus]

Ok I've been reading a lot and a lot of people seem pretty fond of radiant floor heat via hot water. I gotta ask: what about moisture? I thought keeping extra moisture out of your bus was important. I figured the pipes would condensate. I'm confused.

[somewhereinusa]

Warm pipes don't condensate.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

Warm pipes don't condensate.

I would build my floors in sections tho. Blow a hose or a hose clamp gets loose and you'll be in a world of hurt especially if it is still your engine coolant.

I was thinking radiant. Would be nice to make use of the heater hoses. Just thought of the sectioning of the floor tho. May just use electrical instead. Don't need to run the engine for that. Who wants to get up and idle the engine for an hour?

[Shambhala Tinbolle]

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

I have in floor hot water radiant heat. Heat source is engine while running and Espar boiler when not running. There are pictures and some explanations throughout my build and there are some pictures on my web site. Also supplies domestic hot water.

From build site starting about here
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/so...sa-6318-4.html

Some pictures from my web site here. I see I haven't updated lately.
Heat
Diagram here.
Heat 2

Dick

holy COW! i'm happy dancing - i LOVE this community!
Thank you Dick for your detail and documentation of process.
I want to do this in my bus, and have been racking my brain on how it could be done. So glad that i found this thread.

much gratitude,

[Jolly Roger]

Just a thought from someone that will never leave the southern U.S. Again unless I have to?
If you are plugged in all the time to a 120v source? Why not use a 120v heat trace tape directly tied to the bus ribs underside? Heat radiates up so if you heat the main bus floor ribs then you could go with thinner flooring.(something to think about)?
Raychem sells wire length and connecters to your needs. Lose the big box stores and look into commercial suppliers!
Good luck

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

Just a thought from someone that will never leave the southern U.S. Again unless I have to?

That sounds like a sentence worse than prison!! To each their own but why leave the wheels on the bus if it isn't going to travel? MN can get to 100° in the summer.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

From build site starting about here
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/so...sa-6318-4.html

Dick

Dick, I haven't read thru the build thread (yet) so sorry if this is a repeat, but what is the bug sprayer for? Your captions says swing out to fill. What are you filling and why? Is it not a closed loop circuit?

[DreamWeaverBus]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

That sounds like a sentence worse than prison!! To each their own but why leave the wheels on the bus if it isn't going to travel? MN can get to 100° in the summer.

Truth!! I was there in Minnesota, summers are about as hot as they get here in Southern Illinois, just a bit shorter, and around here people like to complain that they never get a white xmas, but in MN they sure do!

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by DreamWeaverBus

Truth!! I was there in Minnesota, summers are about as hot as they get here in Southern Illinois, just a bit shorter, and around here people like to complain that they never get a white xmas, but in MN they sure do!

I was born and raised in the SE. We never got a white Xmas but I never understood why someone would choose to live where the weather sucks at both extremes. -30° to 100° is a hell of a swing. Spring and fall just aren't long enough to make up for it. My dad is from WI and the ex in-laws MN. I could do the snow bird thing which my dad's parents did but I couldn't do the year round thing there. Give me one extreme or the other but both? Piss off!!

I'll take the PNW any day of the week.

[DreamWeaverBus]

I mean you've got a point, extreme weather is extreme weather. I just wanna live in MN because of the community there in the Twin Cities area...

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by DreamWeaverBus

I mean you've got a point, extreme weather is extreme weather. I just wanna live in MN because of the community there in the Twin Cities area...

SE has more 100°+ days plus more humidity. The weather is why I no longer live there. I'm ready to give all that up. Too damn hot and humid here in MD. Better than FL but coastal WA is what I like. Summers aren't brutal, snow close by if I want it. And nothing below 0° unless I go looking for it.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Dick

What am I seeing here? My bus with the kiddie seats in it but no kiddies was 22060 I think. The bus minus the seats, rubber mat floor, and plywood is sitting at 20600. I have NOT removed the interior skins nor windows. Nor have I added new sheet metal for a roof raise. An extra 2,000 sounds a bit much but I don't have a roof rack, AC, nor interior luggage rack.

Have you done anything to try to level load the bus more left to right? You're within 1.5% of front/rear of what you started with. I haven't axle weighed mine much less corner weighed.

[somewhereinusa]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Dick, I haven't read thru the build thread (yet) so sorry if this is a repeat, but what is the bug sprayer for? Your captions says swing out to fill. What are you filling and why? Is it not a closed loop circuit?

It is a closed loop. It's basically built like an automotive cooling system. The gray tank is the reservoir if you look closely there is an automotive radiator cap on top of it. That is where the fill is. In order to get that cap higher than anything else the tank needs to be that high. The swing out is to make it easier. The sprayer is just a tank like the overflow on your car. I had no idea how much if any it would be used so I made it big. In actuality I don't think it has ever changed.