More on Hydronic Heating
Soon after writing the previous post on hydronic heating I came across a system which seems to me superior in a way which is simple for the layman to understand. This system is the thermalboard system ostensibly from the US. This is basically aluminium-covered MDF board which has the tracks for the piping routed into it. You simply screw it down and then tramp the piping into the tracks. The Aluminium overhangs the tracks so when the piping is inserted, it naturally contacts the aluminium. This system has the advantage of a smaller thermal mass and the heat-spreading characteristics of the aluminium means that the system is very responsive. The website has several PDF documents which spell out the exact benefits.
There is a news link which announces that this system, which was previously only recommended over timber is now available in an onto-concrete version. This requires simply a moisture barrier such as a membrane, or a polyurethane moisture mastik.
