Dear Jim: I like the efficiency and comfort (for my allergies) of radiant heat, but I do not want to tear up the floors to add it. Are there any simple-to-install "non-floor" electric radiant heating methods available?
-- Mike F.Dear Mike: There are many simple-to-install radiant heating methods other than warm floor systems. These, often sold as kits, are ideal for heating just one chilly room in an existing home or for an entire new home. There are even small plug-in radiant units designed specifically to fit under a desk at work.
In addition to lower utility bills and comfortable steady radiant warmth, you will notice fewer dust mite and mold allergy problems. I am highly allergic and I use a quartz radiant heater and a radiant wall picture heater in my study. By eliminating blowing air, radiant heat reduces airborne allergens.
The other key advantages of radiant heat are that it is totally quiet and maintenance-free. Since these systems heat objects and people in a room, not just the air, the room temperature stays steady. Hot (near a register) or cold spots in a room are eliminated.
Most people end up selecting several different radiant methods or kits for different rooms in the house. Once you install radiant heat in one room and feel the comfort, you will add it in others too. Since each room heating system is independent, each room temperature can be different.
An excellent choice for almost any room are electric radiant ceiling panels. These are often available as large attractive panels (can be painted any color or pattern). Smaller two and four-foot panels are also available to fit standard suspended ceiling T-bar grids.
If you are remodeling a room or you are handy with tools, select special drywall panels (Therma-Ray) with the radiant heating elements already embedded inside the gypsum. You can order panels with whatever heating wattage your room needs.
Another option is a thin plastic film with heating strips running through it. This film is sized to fit perfectly in ceiling joist spacing. You just staple it up under the ceiling joists and attach standard drywall.
Attractive cove heaters (by Radiant Heater Corp.) are the easiest to add to a room. These are long, narrow heaters that mount on the wall by the ceiling. In this position, one unit radiates heat out to an entire room. These are only several inches wide and are finished in many colors or wood graining.
If you have a small room or only need to heat a small area, use a quartz radiant heater. These produce heat almost instantly with no sound or annoying drafts. Some models (Marvin) also have very small fans to help heat a larger area. Other designs oscillate to cover a larger area.
Write for (or instantly download -- www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 524 -- buyer's guide of 13 radiant panel, film, cove and quartz heaters, sizes, comfort controls and features. Please include $3 and a business-size SAE.
James Dulley, Deseret News, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244
Dear Jim: We just built a new double car garage and I am converting the old garage into a playroom for the kids. Is it best to use 15-inch or 16-inch wide fiber- glass insulation in the 16-inch-spaced wall studs? -- Ron H.
Dear Ron: If you install the insulation properly, standard 15-inch wide fiberglass batts will fit perfectly. I prefer to use vapor barrier faced insulation stapled in place.
If you are using unfaced insulation that you plan to cover with a plastic film vapor barrier, then 16-inch wide insulation is an option.
Since it is slightly wider than the cavity between the studs, it makes a snug fit.
James Dulley's Internet Web page (http:.www.dulley.com) includes 150 of his previous columns organized under 30 general topics. Dulley's Web page also includes a rush order form for readers who want to expedite the delivery of the current Dulley Update Bulletin offered in his column.