[Cob] Radiant heat floors

[paul]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yun Que" <yunk88 at hotmail.com>
To: <dkdale at sbcglobal.net>; <coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2007 1:12 PM
Subject: RE: [Cob] Radiant heat floors


>
>   Cat here!
>
>
>   Frank Lloyd Wright used copper tubing in concrete.  the chemicals in
>   the concrete degenerated the copper and the systems failed over
>   time...
>

Bummer!


>   Their are electrical tape systems that will put a grid of electricity
>   under you the same way an electric blanket works.  Not my favorite
>   choice!
>

Do you stand in a puddle of water to get the full effect?


>   You could look into copper tubing in a gravel base with clay (cob) or
>   terracotta tile with clay mortar.  More expensive for sure but will
>   last forever and could be repaired if their is failure.  No repair in
>   a radiant heated floor is going to be easy.
>

So nobody has ever devised an "easy maintenance" scheme?  I can see that 
it's pretty challenging.

I once stayed in a cottage in Oregon that whose floor was heated by a 
geo-thermal spring.  All you had to do was turn a knob and the water from 
the hot spring would fill the tubes (made of what, I don't know).  The place 
would hit 90 degrees if it wasn't bone chilling cold out.


>   My own choice was to lay dry clay pipe in gravel overlaid with tile in
>   a clay mortar...then allow heat to circulate into the pipe from a
>   lower level green house...this is to be a passive solar or wood fired
>   system.  taking the subterranean 52+/- degrees and heating it.  The
>   smoke from the fire would be exhausted out of the cellar or
>   greenhouse, using a masonry stove for greatest heat efficiency and the
>   heated air from the confined area would heat the level above thru
>   vents into the floor pipes... No smoke would ever be in the house.
>   It's a concept only!  I am working with property using a stepped
>   hillside farm with southern exposure....The idea is to have as few
>   moving parts as possible and even if the clay pipes crack or become
>   separated under the floor they would still function. The house would
>   have to be built with the heating system as a paramount design
>   element. My choice is eight sided and up to get the most space with
>   the least foundation and roof, keeping the heat source in the
>   center...
>
>   Anyone out there see possible flaws in my plan?  When I dream I tend
>   to be an optimist!

Clay pipes?  Never heard of them.  I'm amazed at how much I don't know. 
Yipes.

And they'd still function if they broke? I guess you can "see" how they are 
laid in there (sealed apparently.)


p