Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the advantages of Ecowarm over other modular radiant board products that are applied to a sub-floor?
A: There are many. They relate to pipe size, loop length floor coverings and placement of metal heat transfer layer.
Ecowarm takes 1/2" nominal (.625 OD) ASTM 876-877 PEX pipe, 12" on center. This means longer loop lengths, fewer connections and less labor to install. The thick aluminum layer spreads heat laterally. Ecowarm is made with 3/4" thick Weyerhaeuser Premium Edge Gold subfloor material. It is made from sustainably managed trees, is water resistant and is suitable for direct nailing of hardwood floors. And being OSB it is a suitable substrata for all the normal flooring products. The major competing product that is made from wood products uses much smaller pipe, and uses a metal plate on the bottom of the board instead of on the top of the board where the heat transfer needs to take place. Other systems use plastic grids in combination with metal plates. These systems are not only costly but also not as flooring assembly flexible. Download the Ecowarm Installation Manual and you will see how easily different floor coverings can be accommodated.
Q: What are the differences between the structural subfloor product Warmboard and Ecowarm?
A: Again many! Ecowarm has many sequencing advantages in addition to its significantly lower cost.
Ecowarm is applied to the subfloor only to where it is needed, not under counters or other unheated areas. Usually that means Ecowarm is applied to about 80% of a sub-floor. Since Warmboard is the subfloor it typically decks the whole house. Even accounting for the fact that Warmboard is the subfloor and the tubing channel, it is an expensive product! And the With Warmboard tubing must go in early and be protected throughout the building sequence. Ecowarm can be applied much later in the job with less issues regarding protecting the tubing throughout building. Ecowarm does not have to be specified early in the job, so it can be added for a customer who decides later in a project to add radiant heat. Since Ecowarm is not a bonded structural panel like Warmboard where the metal must be stamped and bonded to wood to form a structurally strong composite panel, the thickness of the metal layer of Ecowarm is determined by what transfers heat well without structural considerations. As a result the Ecowarm aluminum layer, while thick does not use more aluminum than required for heat transfer. This saves on the worlds precious resource of aluminum. Additionally Ecowarm is made using OSB made from sustainably harvested wood, the aluminum contains recycled content and the metal layer is bonded with a water based adhesive. These green qualities of Ecowarm are important distinctions.
Q: Why Would I use Ecowarm instead of cement or gypsum based cements?
A: The answer has to do with convenience, sequencing, moisture, heating and cooling loads and use of set back thermostats.
Ecowarm does not require special framing changes, double plating, joist upsizing and does not introduce large amounts of moisture into a project. When building in cold weather there is no worry about it freezing before it cures as would be the case with concrete or gypsum. . Since it can be installed at numerous points in the job it can be conveniently sequenced and controlled by the contractor. Ecowarm has adequate mass so that it performs well and is easy to control but not so much that it cant be used with setback thermostats. And many climates have a heating and a cooling load in the same day so with Ecowarm the chance of paying to cool what you have heated or vica versa is greatly reduced.