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Posted by ++ on November 26, 2007, 1:13 pm
Michael (LS) wrote:
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>
>>I'm at my mother's house and she is thinking of moving her washer/
>>dryer to a semi-heated porch off of her kitchen. Great idea with only
>>a few problems. The biggest one is that is sometimes get below
>>freezing in there and she doesn't want to heat it all winter.
>>
>>I was thinking I could lift up the rug and put down some tile with
>>embedded, electric, radiant heat just under the washer to keep it from
>>freezing. But I was wondering if anyone has ever seen any pre-fab
>>anything that I could put down there and accomplish the same thing --
>>you know, sort of a heating pad.
>>
>>Pat.
>>
>>
>
>Well, since nobody else has mentioned it I'll bring it up.....
>
>You said that it "sometimes get below freezing in there". That could be a
>big problem if the plumbing freezes!
>
>I've spec'd electric in-floor radiant heat many times in everything from
>bathrooms to porches. Water isn't an issue as long as the flooring is
>appropriate (i.e. tile). While they're not the most efficient way to heat a
>space, they work great for areas that don't need to be constantly kept
>heated. But they aren't going to heat a large space from 40* up to 70* in
>minutes.
>
>As long as the room keeps the plumbing at a safe temp. you could consider a
>heated rug/pad. I've seen some (2'x4') rubberized ones with electric heat
>coils. I've never used one so I don't know how well they work, but if the
>volume of the space is small enough I'd be willing to bet they' work fine.
>Another good option is a heating lamp. I put one up in my garage and use a
>500watt heat bulb (get the white color bulbs not the red ones - unless you
>like to feel stoned all the time!). The bulb probably keeps my workbench
>area (roughly a 3'x8' area) 5-8 degrees warmer. The main benefit is my
>tools are actually a little warmer and I can avoid freezing my hand when
>grabbing a wrench.
>
>HTH,
>
>
>Michael (LS)
>
>
Radiant heat can be great for people with arthritis and I think there is
an added benefit whenever you are on the second or third floor of a
radiant heated structure. You would not believe how wonderfully plants
grow on a mid floor of a building with radiant heat on the floor and
affecting from above, depending on the plenum. People do nicely, too.
Done right, they can be cheaply maintainable.
Anyone designed a solar radiant system?
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