Stand vs radiant floor heat

ewauk

New member
So, I've done some poking around to see if this has been an issue that's been discussed before, not too much that I've found.
I am starting a kitchen/dining room remodel and the new flooring will be heated using cable in a mortar bed over a crawl space. I've contacted the manufacturer of the cable to find out some specifics and they told me that the floor needs around 6 inches of clearance to vent off the heat properly. That leads me to my new problem.
I could easily skip the footprint of the tank, because it's a part of my family but...That would be pretty shady to sell to someone in the future that wouldn't have the tank, but they'd have a nice cold 2×6 area of tile. That won't work.
So, I know I'm not going to find a commercial stand that has been engineered to vent underneath.
Does anyone have any suggestions for construction of a stand that will allow the venting and still look like a piece of furniture?
I'm not concerned about anything that has to do with the flooring venting itself, I'm concerned about the floor cooking the sump because the heat has built up into an out of control hot plate.
I could be over thinking the temperature problem but if there's anything I've learned from this "hobby" (lifestyle) Murphy's law applies to everything ×2 so catch it before it happens.
 
Raise the floor inside of the stand by 6" and leave the back of the raised space open.
 
That's the direction I was heading, John, thanks. Maybe a couple of pc fans to help it through.
I had already decided against the point load of the individual legs type design.
 
Probably don't even need the fans, actually the warmth in the winter months may be a blessing.
 
Mark off the area of the floor under the tank and have your contractor make a second circuit for the heat under the tank. Leave that lead disconnected in the electrical box. When you move have it tied into the rest of the floor by connecting that wire to the thermostat. It should be quite easy to do!
 
I think that ^ is a fine idea. Prospective buyers may have other things, like a freezer, they don't want heated from underneath.
 
May not be as easy. These heated floors are all one loooooong wire.

We've done a few rooms with them. One side of the the thermostat is connected to the electrical panel, the other side of the thermostat is connected to the floor the keep the floor a specified temp. The loooong thermal wire under the floor has no breaks and has to be a specific resistance. Tying another set of resistance heated flooring into the same thermostat would not work.

Go to Warmly yours dot com. They will show you what the floors look like and how it is a long wire to heat the floor. I feel having the stand elevated would be a better option.


Mark off the area of the floor under the tank and have your contractor make a second circuit for the heat under the tank. Leave that lead disconnected in the electrical box. When you move have it tied into the rest of the floor by connecting that wire to the thermostat. It should be quite easy to do!
 
When we had the apt. built we put radiant heat in all the floors.
I left out a 4 foot area from the wall the tank sits on.
 
I think building a new stand with the inside floor of the stand raised to vent may be best way to go. A plus will be the tank being a little closer to eye level. Yes, right now in Indiana, the heated floor would probably be a good thing for the tank.
This past week, it was warmer in Alaska!
 
The tile doesn't really get all that warm - it just removes the chill off it. Walking around barefoot you can feel a nice pleasant difference, but your hand an inch above the floor won't feel it. I wouldn't worry about tank temps at all. I'm even surprised the manufacturer is all that concerned. But I do like the idea of creating a 'toe kick' like raised area - then just vent that on each side with a grill of some kind. Also helps remove any trapped moisture if you spill water and it gets under the stand.
 
I have radiant heated floors. You don't have to worry about your sump temp rising because it won't effect it much. The only thing different is that your sump heater won't run at all. My tank temp is usually around 72 with room temp at 73
 
I don't think the concern is "cooking" the tank, rather you're not allowing the floor to radiate heat evenly. One portion of the floor will be exposed to free air, and will be able to give off heat. Another portion will be "trapped" under the stand, which may mean it can/can't radiate heat as effectively. The difference means the flooring materials will be thermally stressed differently, which can cause issues (cracked tiles, etc.). Whether or not it'll actually be a problem is anyone's guess, but that's why the product manufacturer specifies the free space above the floor. They don't know or care about your tank's temperature.

I like the idea of raising the floor inside the stand and introducing a vent. Building a whole separate circuit for that portion of the floor seems far flung, and hard to explain down the road.
 
May not be as easy. These heated floors are all one loooooong wire.

We've done a few rooms with them. One side of the the thermostat is connected to the electrical panel, the other side of the thermostat is connected to the floor the keep the floor a specified temp. The loooong thermal wire under the floor has no breaks and has to be a specific resistance. Tying another set of resistance heated flooring into the same thermostat would not work.

Go to Warmly yours dot com. They will show you what the floors look like and how it is a long wire to heat the floor. I feel having the stand elevated would be a better option.
Too bad you don't know what you are talking about. I have installed numerous radiant heated floors and you can have one or more circuits on any of them. So why come on here and give false information? You certainly sound like an expert talking about the looong wire.
 
This thread is like:deadhorse1:. I have radiant floor heat with my 72 bow for 5 years or more. No issues. Nor will i ever see any. A tank on top will not make a difference. Just like your curio cabinet, couches, cabinets, tv console do not make a difference. It will preform fine and you will never know the difference!
 
I assume that radiant floors can have typical furniture arrangements on them.... and not only furniture with 6" legs; we all agree this will not "cook" a tank that is not already having cooling issues.

So what exactly is the problem..... why is it not considered a piece of furniture?
 
I have electric "in floor" heating in multiple rooms of my home. I understand, and know first hand, how it heats. I also know the heat will build in areas that aren't able to vent.
I do not have issues with the temperature of my tank.
I had hoped that someone that had similar circumstance would be willing to share how they personally dealt with it, or if it didn't become an issue.
The purpose would be to avoid issues with the tank temperature as a forethought instead of a reaction to something that wasn't contemplated.
"Cook" may have been too strong a term for some. I wasn't being literal.
I am not familiar with water being the source of the heat but I would think that the water would be a set temperature flowing at say...76 degrees. That wouldn't fluctuate. 76 is 76.
If the floor had held the heat, the water that would flow would actually not allow the temp to climb it would act similar to a chiller. I would love that option.
Electric on the other hand, has a temp sensor placed in a specific spot in the mortar(in my case) and it will heat until the sensor is satisfied. If the sensor is allowed to vent, it will cool and ask for more... watts are really, really hot.
A new stand has been built. Thanks to everyone for their viewpoints and suggestions.
 
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