Installing UNDERFLOOR HEATING in our Sprinter Van Conversion!

Рет қаралды 11,189

3 жыл бұрын

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Underfloor radiant heating in a van?! We install underfloor radiant heating in our van conversion. we show to install underfloor heating in our van build by using PEX pipe and connect to our diesel hydronic water heater to give us a radiant hydronic heated floor in our van conversion. Ready for full time winter vanlife.
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#radiantfloorheating #floorheating #underfloorheating

Пікірлер: 70

@normahalliburton2908 3 жыл бұрын

Yayyyy, underfloor heating, onward and upward guys. I am taking particular note as I am going to try to copy Take care and stay safe xx

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

We're still figuring it out as we go, if we knew we were going underfloor heating from the beginning we would have planned our blue floor battons better to accommodate the raised beams, but it's a work in progress and a prototype 😂👍

@drewbradford7608 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, looking forward to seeing more. Great job :)

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers, we're working on it! 😊

@marks-0-0 3 жыл бұрын

Well done, its clever that you cut your subfloor so you can lift them individually if you ever need to 👍

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, that's the idea 🙂

@theoteam4641 3 жыл бұрын

Well done guys, the underfloor heating is getting there :-)

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Certainly is...one step closer 😂

@Andy-cf8ho 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, thanks for sharing, rather than under floor heating Your video has made me think about making radiators with the pipes. Any comments would be great ✌️

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Well, we have thought about it and it's the same in principle, hot liquid running through a pipe and releasing it's head. A company called "Alde" do radiators in their systems, and we were thinking of putting one in(in future we still might). It will be heavy, but doable 👍

@toastiesvanbuild4644 3 жыл бұрын

nicely done, looking forward to see how well it works

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

You and me both! 😂 Thanks

@rainbowsontheroad 3 жыл бұрын

As always such an informative video, you are inspiring with how much research and work you are putting into your home on wheels. This underfloor heating idea is genius - its definitely something which will make vanlife more comfortable in the winter for you. We're considering using underfloor heating in our furgon where we'll be keeping rescue dogs and puppies so thank you for sharing all your knowledge :-)

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

That sounds awesome! In your furgon there'll be more floor space so you can run bigger piping, and it should work great, can't wait to see that! 😀

@barry-cq4xg 3 жыл бұрын

Great job. I would not worry about the lack of a heat sink in the floor as you are heating a small space and you will probably be running the heater on minimum setting (unless you are at the Artic). I would imagine that it will be very effective in a campervan with a relatively small volume.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

That's what we're thinking and when we install everything, we'll do tests and see if we need to make adjustments anywhere. 👍

@Bikepacking 3 жыл бұрын

Good info

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks 🙂

@leow_se 3 жыл бұрын

Finally! Yayy

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

🙂 Indeed

@M_and_M_in_a_van 3 жыл бұрын

TIP: Leave a tiny gap between the floor pieces or otherwise they'll squeak. I made that mistake. When temperature changes, the wood and mostly the screws change their size. So you'll still have some squeaking from the screws.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Good tip, thanks, we'll bare that in mind for the floor panels :)

@andrewgilbride7546 3 жыл бұрын

Try silicone spray in the gaps had the same with some laminate flooring.

@M_and_M_in_a_van 3 жыл бұрын

@@andrewgilbride7546 Great tip. Unfortunately, the gaps are no longer accesible.

@pawelfoltyn4335 Жыл бұрын

Smart 😎👍

@FreedomStrider Жыл бұрын

Cheers 😊

@tanaarcher3258 2 жыл бұрын

Any update on how well this works?

@FreedomStrider 2 жыл бұрын

We will be doing a dedicated video (hopefully this winter... with an infrared camera), so we'll share the details there, but the underfloor is working as expected, the floor warms up within 30 mins and it does not get too hot (so no thermostatic control needed for now). 🙂

@letsvantrip4060 3 жыл бұрын

Interested to see how this works and how well it works! How much fluid does the system hold? :)

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks 🙂 The whole system will hold between 5-10L, but it has to be a minimum of 5L for it to work. 👍

@letsvantrip4060 3 жыл бұрын

@@FreedomStrider Thats not too bad then, i was expecting you to say it needed another 30l glycol. Sounds weird but that stuffs heavy! This also might sound weird but if you get chance, go into halfords or somewhere like that and pickup the different 5L of antifreeze. they all weigh different amounts and its heavier than oil! (I work at a motor factors so have to move 200L barrels and its in them you notice the difference!) :)

@neiljemmerson8826 3 жыл бұрын

Great job again planned very well but if its just a nice added extra and your so concerned about weight why did you go for it? How much glycol will the system use and is it mixed with water or just neat? Just curious 🤔

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

We've chosen to do the underfloor heating because we want to, and there's a lot of potential benefits and since we have the opportunity, we're taking it. In terms of the weight, we'd rather give the weight to this fun experiment than on heavy walls and furniture. The glycol will be no less than 5L and it will be pure (no water) as far as we know at the moment so it doesn't freeze. 🙂

@OmmerSyssel Жыл бұрын

@@FreedomStrider You better look into that topic, to my knowledge Glycol only withstand freezing if mixed with water!

@jesusm174 5 ай бұрын

Hello guys! Awesome job. Just wondering how has wood worked for you as a top? Does it get comfortably warm when you switch the heater on? Planning to use OSB above the radiant floor. Thanks in advance!

@FreedomStrider 5 ай бұрын

Hi, yeah it's worked out great! After about 90 minutes the floor is (nearly) too warm, but we've run it for 3 hours straight and it doesn't get too hot to touch, takes around 30mins to properly heat up but totally recommended:)

@jesusm174 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for responding! Can I ask what was the thickness of the wood panel you used? Also did you install any vinyl floor on top of the wood panel for a neat finish? And the last one, what would you’ve changed if you could go back? Thanks a lot guys! ❤

@FreedomStrider 5 ай бұрын

Sorry for the late reply! We used 9mm ply on top, with stick on vinyl tiles over the top. The tiles were not suited for underfloor heating for the heater melted the glue and they drifted so we replaced it with a full vinyl sheet instead which works much better. As for next time, I think we would router a channel in some dence board and run the time in there with some aluminum dispersal plates, rather than the air gap, and have a bleeder valve on the pipework to get air our but otherwise it works great for us!

@robertoconnor2669 3 жыл бұрын

Would ye consider using a motorised 1/2” control valve on a normal switch ( to turn on/off) then you would have zones. Shower, sink , flooring and air heating.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

We are planning to get into that very thing next video but in short, we are going to have a valve to control the flow through this piping, not sure whether it will be a manual or motorised switch, and then everything else can be on one line since the hydronic heater, air matrix and water can all have external switches turning the device in/off 🙂👌

@robertoconnor2669 3 жыл бұрын

Hurry up so please😂

@tine8849 3 жыл бұрын

2:10 You guys don't look old enough for that joke.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

We might be because... did we make a joke...? 😂 About the Tetris, or the "can you tell what it is yet"?

@DJ-jx9mg Жыл бұрын

Wow, you got it done, but you sure made it complicated. I did a little research and found thermal board. Looked at install direction and was able to order 18”x36” panels that have a metal surface and can be payed out in your space. Cost $300 for panels and had a clean layout that radiates heat well. Also learned radiant heat in floor is not enough BTU to heat van. Add air exchange to get much more heat. And of course you can run glycol through a water heat exchange for hot water. Great job getting it done, but anyone else should look at thermal board.

@FreedomStrider Жыл бұрын

You're very right, the floor alone isn't enough to the heat van, we've done exactly as you said, run the glocol through an air exchanger and a plate exchanger for hot water, the heated floor was an experiment/bonus 😉 We have alot of improvements we would do next time, thermal boards are one of them, so I would do that if you are planning on doing something similar 👍

@michellebouchard8454 Жыл бұрын

@D J you got any links to the thermal board you are referring to?

@MrSharK97 3 жыл бұрын

Hi guys, I have a important question about Insurance. We’re going to buy the van and we need insurance to get to our destination (Bulgaria). So we need a temporary insurance just like for a week/month. Then we gonna convert the van to a camper van( in Bulgaria). After that we need a insurance that will cover us to comeback. My question is do you guys know any company that will do a temporary panel van insurance? We need the insurance that will cover us until we get to Bulgaria. While converting the van we do not need a insurance. It would be really good if you guys can help us we have been looking for days but couldn’t find any company.. Thanks 🙏

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Off, that's a tricky question, insurance companies are always slippery. We got temporary van insurance when we bought the van from RAC (www.rac.co.uk/insurance/van-insurance/temporary-van-insurance) We only needed it for the UK for a few days, but you can contact them directly and ask for a custom quote for temporary EU cover and see if they'll help. Otherwise, our best advice is to contact as many companies as possible (even if they don't say to do temporary insurance explicitly) tell them exactly what you need and see if they can get you any sort of cover. In terms of on the way back from Bulgaria, then I think it should be the same - ring the company you have chosen, tell them you are going to travel through these countries, and you need cover for the duration of that trip. 🙂

@mysticmountains5358 2 жыл бұрын

hi there is the underfloor hearting actually efferctive?

@FreedomStrider 2 жыл бұрын

Yes very much, it takes a while to heat up (maybe 1/2 an hour) but once it's warm, it's amazing! We've run just the air heater by itself and there's a big difference, the air heater does make the space warm but the underfloor is sort of like having a hot drink, it warms the van up from the furniture 😎👍

@UrbanVanlife 3 жыл бұрын

are you just having the underfloor heating or are you having another heating source,

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

The underfloor heating is not the main source of heat, it's just a bonus from the hydronic heater. We're having a 5.5kW Air Matric connected to the diesel hydronic heater (as well as a heat exchanger for hot water) and the underfloor heating loop as well. 👍

@UrbanVanlife 3 жыл бұрын

@@FreedomStrider be nice on the feet in the cold mornings I’ll say that much

@Yann-solo 3 жыл бұрын

I'm French and I didn't understand all your explanations. What are the pipes in the floor for?

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

The pipes are for underfloor heating. We will use our hydronic diesel heater to heat up glycol, and we will pump this glycol through these pipes (and other heat exchangers to heat the air or water or whatever else is needed). As the glycol passes through these pipes, it will transfer the heat from the pipe to living space as a radiator does. 👍

@saidt.8200 3 жыл бұрын

I guess instead of concrete one can lay down few mm thick sheets of aluminum over the structure. Aluminum retains the heat better than air and wood.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

You can get aluminium heat dispersing plates but they were horrifically expensive - we might introduce aluminium in a different way in the structure of the floor but first we are going to test out how hot it gets with our current plywood floor as a control

@robertoconnor2669 3 жыл бұрын

At last under floor heating!!

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

🎉🎉🎉

@supersimo4105 3 жыл бұрын

Hi guys. Well done. We did this, well similar. You’ll need an aluminium 3mm min floor to transfer the heat int to the van. Wood floor on top won’t work.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

We haven't decided on our final floor yet (the current 9mm ply will not be staying) - we've been looking at aluminium composite panels, if you have any suggestions please let us know 😊

@supersimo4105 3 жыл бұрын

Yes it’s the only way for it to work. We bought 2mX4m sheet X2 and fit it on top of our 40mm kingspan that had the hydronic pipe laid into it. I’m delighted to say it’s almost too hot to stand on after 30mins. We also have a 600hX400w mm towel rail and it’s perfect.

@saidt.8200 3 жыл бұрын

I’m concerned about the pex pipes rubbing against the wood pieces. I would surround the pex with a rubber tubing

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

Certainly something to think about, we'll look into it 👍

@mrgcav 2 жыл бұрын

Making it up as you go method is not a good choice in this instance.. You now have unused screw holes in your floor. Potential rust spots. Always make a Floor plan then cut/Drill. Then then made a floorplan. Glad it turned out well.

@FreedomStrider 2 жыл бұрын

We are a bit confused as to which holes you are referring to as we have no unused hole in our floor. The subfloor beams (see in this video) are only screwed into the main blue beams that were originally installed (they have not been modified) - the screws don't reach the metal of the van. As for not making it up as we go, well, as newbies 🙃 in the field of hydronic underfloor heating and floor construction, there is only so much you can plan before you have to go and learn on the job (as there are things that a person can not see or understand until they have applied the knowledge). We spent more than enough time planning and if we had thought that it was possible to do underfloor heating before we put down the floor we would have done it more efficiently. It all turned out well in the end. 👍 However, we do the best we can with the information we have at the time.

@nomadcarpenter8549 3 жыл бұрын

Just spray foam the 18mm gap

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

We don't see much of a need to right now, plus the spray foam will just insulate the pipe stopping the heat from escaping? The air gap and reflectix on the floor should reflect the heat upwards into the floor. 🔥

@thefirst555 3 жыл бұрын

The lack of floor screed to evenly dissipate the heat will cause significant variation in temperature across the floor. Expect some warping and movement in any wood unfortunately.

@FreedomStrider 3 жыл бұрын

If screed is the substrate that you usually cover the pipes with, then like we said, we don't have the weight allowance to fill the floor with any material so we'll of course do experiments and see how well what we are doing works out. Although wood warping is always to be expected, hopefully, it won't be noticeable enough to affect our daily life. 🙂