Menards Pre-assembled Radiant Packages

[Jenkle]

Hello, I'm curious if any knows the quality of Menards pre-assembled Radiant Floor Systems. They are on sale this week and I'm very tempted.

I've installed quanity 6- 250', 1/2" Pex loops w/ O2 barrior (in concrete) in hopes of hooking it to a wood boiler someday. My first quote to install a small LP boiler (90k btu) and nessary pumps and such came to $8000, which was a bit shocking.

I currently have a Fireview installed in a 40'x40' living space with 10' ceilings (R48 ceiling, R19 walls, R10 under concrete) and at zero degrees it struggles to keep the temp at 60. I want to keep this as my primary heat source and possibly set the floor to 60.

So anyway, enough rabbling, just curious if the Menards 1 zone packages are worth the money.

Thanks, Jody

 

[stee6043]

I saw that ad. Looks very expensive for what you get. Building manifolds is not that hard. I can't believe the prices people get for "pre-fabbed" manifolds. If the price was right on the tubing and components I'd consider it but I would not spend the money on a package. Go look at one and build the unit yourself for less than half the price...and you can do it without being a plumber and without sweating pipe.

 

[STANG302]

My parents picked up an off peak system from menards about a month ago. He did not get the pex tubing in the kit. It is heating a 15-20 x 48 very well! There was a few issues though. They got the kit home and had a plumber install it. He quickly found out that parts that were listed were missing. And had misc. parts that were not suposed to be included in the kit. After a bit of beating on the poor guys at menards. They were given the correct parts and the system went together farely easily. I'll try to get a pic of the system when I stop by there tonight.

 

[STANG302]

Here's a few pics.

And what it's heating.

 

[djblech]

I am going to hook up radiant for my brother in a 40x80 shed in the next couple of weeks. I looked at sweating my own manifolds and the price of 1" copper fittings and pipe was really high. I went with 2-6 loop manifolds. He also bought the nat gas boiler from Menards that is supposed to have everything included. I am planning to add a 2nd pump because this is such a large system. $8ooo seems way to high to me. I think materials will be around $1800 with the boiler. That does not include the 12-250' rolls of pex or the manifolds. I installed those last year.
Doug

 

[Jenkle]

What I'm looking at is not really a kit that you piece together, but rather pre-assembled / fastened to a board or sheet of metal.

Just had a call back from Menards. It seems the LP boiler I have chosen (Quietside made by Hydro Smart 30K-108K modulating condensing) already has the expansion tank and a circ pump installed. The guy at Menards is telling me it is no big deal, that I just need a different pre-assembled board with out these items. This kind of shoots myself in the foot as far as switching over to a wood boiler down the road, these items will be needed....

The other concern is maintenance/repair. I asked who in the area services the Quiteside unit. The response from the Vendor was any licensed plumber. I was really hoping they had a contract with a business in the area and some possible training for their techs....

Oh decisions and expensive ones at that...

 

[djblech]

The boiler that my brother bought already has the pump, expansion tank, thermostat, and a instant hot water hook-up. I really don't think you need another board. Menards tried to sell me a board set-up but it really isn't necessary. As far as hooking up to wood, just install to tees so that you could circulate to a hx. This would keep your radiant separate and running(on propane) if you needed to shut the wood down. Just run a loop from your wood boiler to the hx.
Doug

 

[Jenkle]

Doug, would you ask your brother if he is using a Quiteside by chance and how many feet of pex he is feeding with it?

Thxs, Jody

 

[benjamin]

they seem overpriced to me.

You could hook it up without all the gizmos and doohickies, just a couple of six branch manifolds (~$60 minus 15%!) and a pump. Use a water heater and it's even cheaper. When you hook up the wood with storage, indirect hot water, heat exchangers and on and on, then you can decide what kind of controls you need for all that stuff.

 

[djblech]

I will ask about the boiler. I know we put 12-250' zones in the concrete. That would be 3000 ft of pex I think.
Doug

 

[SE Iowa]

Jenkle, where are you in Iowa? I have a "simple" 11 zone system with an instantaneous condenssing boiler that you could look at if you wanted. Mine was not a kit though. I was supprised at how simple the piping looks although I understand looks aren't everything. I only have problems in my living room on nights like we've had the last week (-10F with wind chills in the -25 to -35F range). It is fully carpeted and 3 sides are exposed to the outside, and the room is located on the north side of my house on a hill. The floor can not fully keep up with the heat loss, so supplemental heat via NG fireplace is used 3-4 times a year. I think I could have overcome this if I had a different floor covering or if the main circulation loop temp could be increased above 136F. For some reason the max design temp is 136F so the boiler shuts down once we exceed that temp even if the room is still calling for heat.

 

[djblech]

I went to Menards this afternoon, the Quietside is the boiler that my brother bought. On sale for $1499.00 and has everything you need. Just hook up to your manifolds. One other thing I was going to mention, A cement subcontractor I work with said that 120* is the recomended temp for radiant floors. Higher temps could cause the cement to crack. Also if rebar or mesh is in the cement it can expand faster than the concrete causing cracks.
Doug

 

[Jenkle]

SE Iowa, My install will be in the Washington area, but I travel for work between CR and Mt. Pleasant almost daily. I'd like to take a peak at the system if it some what close. Where are you located?

Doug, after reading some review on the net, I'm running scared from the Quietside. No one has anything good to say about cust service once it breaks...

I appreciate everyones input on this. I stopped by a HVAC shop this morning and asked for a price on another turn key install. He was pushing Crown and Weil-McClain. He also mentioned the possibility of using a tankless water heater since I have a Fireview stove running almost 24/7. I'm able to hold 60* on these cold days, but would like another 10-20* on reserve....

Jenkle

 

[varna]

I heat a 24' X 32" pole barn with radiant heat in the concrete consisting of only 3 - 250' loops. I hooked up a 40gal hot water heater, did all install myself. I looked at pre-made also. To me, it was a rip off and mine ended up easier than I expected. Some pipe, manifolds ( I did buy these) expansion tank, pump, thermo, relay...... Best part is, now I hooked my OWB to it by adding a HX. I just unpluged the water heater, everything works the same but OWB makes the heat. This is on a second loop from boiler, the other heats my house.

 

[STANG302]

I heat a 24' X 32" pole barn with radiant heat in the concrete consisting of only 3 - 250' loops. I hooked up a 40gal hot water heater, did all install myself. I looked at pre-made also. To me, it was a rip off and mine ended up easier than I expected. Some pipe, manifolds ( I did buy these) expansion tank, pump, thermo, relay...... Best part is, now I hooked my OWB to it by adding a HX. I just unpluged the water heater, everything works the same but OWB makes the heat. This is on a second loop from boiler, the other heats my house.

Have any pics of your setup?