Infloor Infloorboard - Manual (Page 6)

www.Infloor.com
6
DESIGN & PERFORMANCE
HEAT LOSS ANALYSIS AND SYSTEM DESIGN
Systematic heat loss and design for the structure to be heated
should be done prior to any Infloorboard™ installation. As with all
floor heating jobs, a detailed and accurate heat loss must be calcu-
lated in order to determine proper design conditions. This may be
provided by a design service (see Design Services pages). Refer to
the 1999 Radiant Panel Association Guidelines for the Installation
of Radiant Panel Systems for standards on insulation and heat loss.
R-VALUE OF FLOOR ASSEMBLIES
While Infloorboard™ will work with a wide variety of floor coverings over the
top of the boards, it is important to realize that all floor coverings offer a resist-
ance to heat transfer typically measured by their R-Value. As with all radiant
systems, the higher the R-Value of the floor covering, the higher the average
water temperature it takes to overcome this resistance and to generate the desired
amount of heat. If the R-value of any covering on top of Infloorboard™ is
excessive, as with any radiant heating system, performance will
be compromised due to lack of heat transfer, or would require
exceeding the 150F° maximum supply water temperature. The
maximum recommended supply water temperature for
Infloorboard™ is 150°F.
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE
DESIGNER’S NOTE
Perform the heat loss analysis of the structure at the design stage. This way,
selection of floor coverings can be made with the system requirements in
mind. If the heat loss is too high, add insulation or auxiliary heat. In a very
high heat loss room, Infloorboard™ can be added to the walls or ceilings for
extra heat.
DESIGNER’S NOTE
Remember average water temperature means the average of the supply and
return water temperatures flowing to and from the loop. Most typically,
Infloorboard™ is designed with a 20F° temperature drop. This means the sup-
ply water temperature would typically be 10F° higher than the average water
temperature.
Illustration A-2: Account for all heat losses of the building
Illustration A-3: Aways account for the resistance of floor coverings