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Feature Article:
Diagnosis and Repair of Failing In-floor
Electric Radiant Heating Lines
Lee Durston
Lee Durston BS, CBST
Forensic Building Scientist
BCRA
2106 Pacific Avenue, Suite 300
Tacoma, WA 98402
With radiant in-floor heating becoming
more popular, both in private residential and multi-family residential,
the number of failures experienced in these systems is increasing
proportionally. Infrared is now being used to locate failure points
and assist in the QA/QC process on many construction sites. By utilizing
infrared, one can save both time and money and play an integral part
in claim subrogation as a failure of this type is mitigated. This
presentation will introduce tips and tricks used in diagnosis and
repair of electric radiant in-floor heating systems through multiple
case studies in which infrared proved to be a valuable resource.
Introduction
In-floor radiant heating has become
a very popular means of heating a structure, including the residential,
multi-family, and commercial markets of construction. This recent
surge can be contributed to the claims that radiant heating is more
energy efficient. While this claim can be true in some instances,
many times there will be no realized cost savings and in some cases
energy usage can soar. In new construction, proper design factors
must be taken into account with a radiant floor system, including
floor insulation, construction type, boiler efficiency (hydronic),
etc. Proper assessment of a potential retrofit floor system should
also be performed by a third party who is not selling a product. It
pays to have a thorough assessment performed on a case by case basis
to see if radiant in-floor heating is energy efficient and thus cost
effective.