OT: Warm floors

@RJSakowski
About 5 miles SW of Mazomanie. Intersection of county K and KK. That was back around 1970.
We had a Mazomanie phone prefix (on a party line, who remembers those?)
Arena Fire service
Black Earth Schools
Blue Mounds mail address.
 
We have heated floors (boiler fed) in our Michigan home, agree they are the bees knees.

When we finished our bedroom over the garage we put infloor heat there too, it worked for one season then quit. Have never been able to find someone who could fix it and eventually put a mini-split up there.
At least I don't have to carry the window AC unit up there for summer anymore:grin:

John
 
rabler said:
@RJSakowski
About 5 miles SW of Mazomanie. Intersection of county K and KK. That was back around 1970.
We had a Mazomanie phone prefix (on a party line, who remembers those?)
Arena Fire service
Black Earth Schools
Blue Mounds mail address.
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I am about 3 miles south of there, just west of K. I moved there in 1978.
 
rabler said:
My solution to swarf getting in the home carpet is to get rid of the carpet. But on days like today, 12 degrees F outside, it is a bit chilly. We keep the house heated only to the mid 50's. Recently remodeled the bathroom, put in a tile floor and new tile shower. Sounds truly decadent, but getting older, some luxuries are worthwhile. Under the ceramic tile we put in the electric tile heater. Delightful on a day like today. Major points with the wife.
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Mid 50’s, brrrrrrrrr.
We keep ours at 70.
 
RJSakowski said:
I used to own an old farmhouse with little in the way of insulation. We heated with LP at the time and it was expensive even at 1970's prices. At the time we worked away from home and would be gone for 10 - 12 hours each weekday. While we were gone, I set the thermostat at 45º and set it to come up to 65º a half an hour before our expected return time. At night, I set the temperature to 55º and set it to warm up a half an hour before we got up.

Over that winter, I graphed run times for the "on" and "setback" time and calculated the ratio, including the first warmup period in the "setback " group. When I compared the results, I concluded that I had save more than 50% on heating costs doing this.
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Way ahead of your time sir.
 
rabler said:
Southern Wisconsin's climate is definitely colder than here. Some of those old farm houses there are scary. Lived in one about 30 miles W of Madison that we joked you could start a marble in the middle of the floor and it would build up enough speed from the slope to go through the wall by the time it got there.
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My brother use to live in Sturgeon bay, WI. He spent one winter there and left in the Spring. Never looked back.
He said it was too darn cold.
 
Janderso said:
My brother use to live in Sturgeon bay, WI. He spent one winter there and left in the Spring. Never looked back.
He said it was too darn cold.
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We went from there to Duluth, Mn. *Significantly* colder there. My father left Duluth when he retired, to move south. He's just on the other side of the Mississippi, in NE Iowa.

I remember driving home from college to visit the folks in Duluth over Christmas one year. Got just north of Rice Lake, Wi about 3am, and the car (a VW diesel rabbit) started to run really rough. Pulled over, stepped out of the car and immediately knew the problem. It was pushing -30 below and last I'd filled up was in Northern Illinios, with diesel #2. Hitchhiked to a gas station, added a pint of gasoline to the tank, and was off and running happily again. There are downsides to getting too much gas (diesel) mileage. I do not miss sub zero temperatures!!
 
When I was station in Korea back in 1969, there was a type of heating system called ondol. Archaeological remains go back 5000BC. Basically, you have a fireplace with the chimney that goes under the floor of the building. The masonry will radiate the heat and keep your feet warm. Great in a climate in Korea where they have bitter cold winters. The bad thing is if the masonry cracks, people could die of carbon monoxide poisoning.
 
Now I feel bad keeping my garage heat set at 55*. Keep the house at 70. don’t think the cat would like anything less. ;)
next house will be radiant in floor heat!!
 
After having spent 2 summers at McMurdo, Antarctica what you are speaking of is warm. A nice warm sunny summer day there was only down to 20F below. When I got home, well back in the States, I settled in the deep south. It doesnt snow here. After 50 years, I'm allergic to anything below. Wife is from Maine and came here for the same reason. We run the house from 65 to 70F. I wear long sleeves and have an electric blanket for anything below 70F. With wood floors, Wife's preference. I wish there was a reasonable way to heat the flooors in a 100 year old house.
I have read that having the floors heated, one can reduce the ambient far below 75F. Sounds plausable to me. All I have is rugs.

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