Agriculture
Agricultural
applications for HRH systems include livestock or poultry breeding
enclosures as well as greenhouse and seed bed applications.
Since many
agricultural enclosures are constructed over earthen floors, tubing
installation is difficult. Also, poor thermal mass could discourage
use of HRH as the sole heat source. Slab-on-grade provides the
most effective and efficient heat conductivity, however, an awareness
of "floor covering" is still important. Layers of soil, straw,
saw dust, etc., will impede good heat transfer. HRH applied in
livestock scrub-down or bathing areas may not deliver adequate
warmth for heating purposes, but can prevent ice or glaze from
forming in freezing weather.
Farm buildings
that have little or no insulation, or suffer from high air infiltration
can overwhelm a radiant floor system. It may be necessary to provide
supplemental heat to compliment the HRH system when these conditions
are present.
HRH installed
in plant seed beds has been found to augment growth by warming
the soil year round even during harsh winter environments. Such
systems may be expanded to include greenhouse floors and office
spaces thus allowing employees and customers to benefit from the
comfortable heat.
It should
be noted that BTU/square foot requirements can be high for agricultural
applications. The size and output of the hot water source must
be sufficiently sized for the area to be heated. Agricultural
systems will use either 1/2" or 3/4" CANPEX™ OXY PEX tubing depending
on system design and heat output requirements.

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