[audralynn]

Hello:
Hello:
I installed radiant heat in my home this fall as part of a 1st floor renovation. We gutted the first floor to the studs and rebuilt, insulating and updating the house. The heat is installed between floor joists of the 1st floor (basement installation). I have a cast iron boiler. When the system runs (because the floor went below the set point) the water going into the system is 125 and coming out is 120 so we are within the 5 degrees. My floor has a set point of 74. I have an infrared thermometer so I know the top of my floor is typically 5 degrees off of that, so around 69. My floors are hardwood (pine) with a 3/4 floor board and then 3/4" pine boards. The PEX tubing was installed per directions (tubing, aluminum plates, foil insulation (foil pointing toward the aluminum plates) and then insulation around that.
So my problem is that the house is not warm. My room temperature is typically 12 degrees lower than my set point – so if my set point is 74 then my room is about 62 – it has even been lower the past couple of days b/c we have a cold snap here in Maine. I am concerned because well it’s cold a lot here in Maine. I thought I was losing heat to the upstairs (where there is no heat at all) so I put an old army blanket in the stairwell. I have to think that is working b/c its 42 degrees in my rooms (it’s been awful for sleeping!) but my downstairs still has the 10-12 degree difference. I turned the set point up to 80 because I am freezing but I don’t think it’s supposed to be that high. I can’t figure out why the room does not get warm. We do not yet have the mop board (floor board trim) around the rooms, but I covered up the few places I could feel a draft coming in with more army blankets. We are going to drill into the floor a bit more and put the floor sensor probe further up so we can get the top of the floor temperature closer to the set point but I don’t think those few degrees are going to make up for the 12 degree difference we are experiencing. The only other thing I can think is that the water going through the tubing is not hot enough. They sent me specs that said it could be up to 150 but that seemed high and before I did that I wanted to check and see if anyone else has had this problem. This is our first experience with radiant heat but we(my father and I) have tons of experience in heating and renovating homes – but this one has us baffled.

Thanks!
Audra