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[DJ]

I have a Hardy 180K btu heater that I use to heat an 1888 farmhouse in central Georgia. I have plenty of room on the Hardy to add add'l pumps. I recently built an 800 sf shop with a 500 sf bonus room above that I'll be using as a music studio. I would like to keep the studio at about 60 to 65 degrees at all times and crank it up if I know I'm going to be in it for a while. I'd rather not have the noise of a furnace blower, although I can position and insulate the blower so that the sound won't be a real problem.
I'm also considering installing PEX tubing (and heat exchange plates) below the floor and relying only on the radiant to heat the studio. The ceiling on the shop is still open so I won't have trouble installing the PEX. I will also be heating the shop with a suspended space heater which will also be powered by the Hardy; possibly on the same lines as the studio. I'm a home builder and well versed in HVAC/Mechanical so I'll do all the work myself.
That's my situation, here are my questions:
Is radiant floor heat better than forced air in this application?
Does radiant consume more energy than forced air?

Any help appreciated.

DJ

[willieG]

i love my radiant heat but it is expensive to put in. if you used it in your shope cieling (to heat the room above) you would need to (after you install it) insulate the shop ceiling as well. this will prevent the heat from your radiant floor from moving down into your shop
 You would need to do some sort of heat los on your room and figure out what the btu per foot of the type of radiant heat you are going to use. (each type of system has their own btu per foot rating. as a general rule of thumb  it is near 25 btu per foot of radiant heat
 another rule of thumb is for a well insulated room you are looking at between 20 and 60 btu per square foot to heat a room

also if you go with radiant read up about it on the net and then read some more. this is wonderful heat but it has to be done perfectly from the start.

I dont know about how much less or more it is efficiently but i installed it in my basement slab and absolutely love it. it is in the concrete so i run it a little hotter than most (about 85) my feet love it

Have you considered radiant baseboards to heat this area? it would (i believe) be cheaper to install and you still have no noise also if you find you need a little more heat it is much easier to add a basebaord than more radiant.

[DJ]

Willie,

Thanks for your reply. I did consider using some radiant baseboard heat but the room has cabinets on about 90% of the walls. Sort of rules out BB heaters. Mainly I'm interested in which methodradiant or forced air) will put less strain on the OWB.
I'm going to take your advice and keep searching the internet.

Thanks again. 

[yoderheating]

 Radiant heat would most likely not pull the heat out of your furnace as fast as a forced air system. I can't remember how much water a 180 Hardy holds but I know its not a lot. If all three systems kicked on at once it may pull the furnace temperature down rather quickly to the point you are not getting good hot heat from any of the three systems. Radiant heat is a "slower" heat and takes more time to heat up a room. I find it much more comfortable. Also in areas that have high ceilings it can be more efficient.
 I have done a number of places using regular 1/2inch pex pipe. I run it on 16 inch centers and 12 inch centers near the wall. Run multiple loops and tie them together with a manifold. This makes the heat more even.
 Good luck ether way you go.   

[dhibbs75]

I saw back about a month ago on This Old House  they installed a under the cabinet heater It consisted of a small heater core and a blower... Fit in about a 3-4 in tall opening under the counter....   This might help....

[willieG]

radiant is costly to install but does have some advantage in the btu area

hot air ahs to be blown around and causes draft that feel cool on the body. also most systems of this sort blow the air up from teh floor so to be 70 at your nose it will be 85 or 90 at the cieling and 60 at the floor, this may cause you to turn the heat up a little more to feel comfortable

with radiant you can set the floor temp at say 85 as the heat rises your nose will be 70 and above that it starts to cool more and who cares your toes are 85 and your nose is 70 and you feel good and warm and there is no draft to make the warmth feel cooler so you can get by with a few less btu in the room

believe me..when your toes are warm your whole body feels warmer
 but again..recovery time is longer than forced air if you have a door open foir any length of time