Tony-B...
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:02pm
Post Subject:
Underfloor heating in plastic water pipes
Dear Liam, Much depends upon what type of boat you have in mind and how tall you and your crew are. Narrowboat headroom tends to be somewhat limited and you must have an air gap between the ballast and the floor so dropping the floor is not an option. I would also want something more than reflective insulation below the system because any heat moving down will only serve to heat the canal. So if you have the headroom or are short them that will probably be OK. I am far more concerned what you will use to produce the hot water. These systems seem to use very long runs of small bore pipe so you will have to ensure that the pump used to circulate the hot water is designed to cope with the resistance. I am fairly sure that for example the Alde one would struggle. If you are thinking of using one of the "main stream" forced draught diesel boilers of which there are three major very similar makes then I think a number of boaters who would question your decision on the boiler front. If you have a mains supply and are thinking about a domestic type boiler rather than a 12/24 volt one then success is more likely. Tony Brooks