What are people's recommendations and experiences with regards to the different heating systems appropriate for high ceiling homes (ie 3.6mt)
Best heating systems for high ceiling house
- Thread starter buzzlightyear
- Start date
We've put in underfloor heating in the slab - that's supposed to keep the temp fairly even. I'll let you know if it works next spring.....
A ceiling fan which has a winter setting (ie forces air towards the ceiling) may help to prevent the hot air pooling up high.
Hi Buzz,
We also have vaulted ceilings in our pole house. We've opted for a gas heater, the Rinnai 516TR. They are extremely energy efficient and heat the whole space no problem at all. I agree with Kieth that a ceiling fan can help on low to circulate the hot air back down to floor level.
Open fire places, bar heaters, or electric element heaters are all very energy inefficient. Gas is the go, and not one of those fake gas fireplaces either. They're also very inefficient.
Here's one for sale on eBay in Mosman for only $400. We paid $1100 new for both of ours and it was money well spent. I know you're in Melbourne, but the link helps with spec's anyway.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RINNAI-GAS-H...632595QQihZ008QQcategoryZ106200QQcmdZViewItem
Cheers,
Michael.
We also have vaulted ceilings in our pole house. We've opted for a gas heater, the Rinnai 516TR. They are extremely energy efficient and heat the whole space no problem at all. I agree with Kieth that a ceiling fan can help on low to circulate the hot air back down to floor level.
Open fire places, bar heaters, or electric element heaters are all very energy inefficient. Gas is the go, and not one of those fake gas fireplaces either. They're also very inefficient.
Here's one for sale on eBay in Mosman for only $400. We paid $1100 new for both of ours and it was money well spent. I know you're in Melbourne, but the link helps with spec's anyway.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RINNAI-GAS-H...632595QQihZ008QQcategoryZ106200QQcmdZViewItem
Cheers,
Michael.
Gas ducted heating is cheap to install and cheapish to run, and effective. It's not good though if you have anyone who has bad asthma as by it's nature it blows air (and therefore dust) around.
Money no object I'd get hydronic. Expensive to install, but cheap to run, no issues for those with asthma, very effective, and very quiet.
Money no object I'd get hydronic. Expensive to install, but cheap to run, no issues for those with asthma, very effective, and very quiet.
I agree with Twitch.
Hydronic is the best however gas ducted is by far best bang for buck.
My recent quotes:
Hydronic - $10k, not including any additional plastering/painting
Gas ducted - $3.5k + $800 if an extra gas line is required
Both have the lowest possible running costs.
This is for a oversized 2 bedroom apartment.
OK,
But how would ducting work with vaulted ceilings? i.e. I have absolutely no ceiling cavity in which to run the ducting. I suppose I could run it on the side walls of the house or some such, but that would be unsightly.
The specific request here was for a high ceilinged house so I presumed no roof cavity. Could be wrong on that count of course, I just extrapolated my own position.
Cheers,
Michael.
But how would ducting work with vaulted ceilings? i.e. I have absolutely no ceiling cavity in which to run the ducting. I suppose I could run it on the side walls of the house or some such, but that would be unsightly.
The specific request here was for a high ceilinged house so I presumed no roof cavity. Could be wrong on that count of course, I just extrapolated my own position.
Cheers,
Michael.
Not really... I live in a pole house so the under-floor is exposed to the elements as its bearer and joist construction. If its OK out in the elements then it might be a goer. And how would you run it between the 1st and second levels in the floor cavity? You'd still have to rip into the gyprock 1st floor ceiling and run it along the joist gaps I suppose.
Could work, but would need some gyprock work to get it in. Might add another $2-5K to the cost.
Cheers,
Michael.
Michael, sorry, my knowledge is pretty limited, someone else on the forum or a builder/architect/heating person will know I'm sure. I doubt though you'd want to rip down ceilings.
Depends a little on where you live. We live in an old stone home with 15 ft ceilings with open fire places in all bedrooms. We spent our first winter here freezing - I swear it was colder inside than outside and although the open fires looked good they are only about 30% efficient. As soon as we could afford to we put in a Schooner (NZ brand) slow combustion heater in our family room and a fan to push the heat down. The heater warms the entire house and burns logs to almost nothing. We also have a slow combustion heater in our sitting room and never need to use it. Obviously, if you have to buy wood there are probably cheaper ways to do it.
Good luck. There's nothing worse than being cold.
Cheers
Did anyone else watch "Is your home killing you?" on SBS last night? Seems the open wood fires are a big no no. Lots of bad pollutants blowing around your house and lodging in your lungs. Yet another reason to get rid of them if you still use them on top of the poor efficiency as a heat source.
Cheers,
Michael.
Cheers,
Michael.
I have 9ft ceilings downstairs and cathedral ceilings upstairs and have gas ducted heating which is very cost effective to run. Upstairs (2br, big landing and big bathroom) I have one vent which we have turned off as we dont like too much heat in the bedrooms. This is pleasant upstairs when we go to bed and in the middle of winter, the tile floor of the bathroom is warm for most of the night from the heat coming through the ceiling. As far as heat rising, we can feel the point half way up the stairs (at lower ceiling height) where the hot air stops. It is quite funny. Ducts have had to go in the roof, but around the outside of the building because of the 2nd storey and in the last townhouse I did, we had to have a compact unit (I think it was called a Wombat) because the crawl space was so small. If you need to I could find out the name of it, it was very efficient. I installed ducted heating in my IP and they had to build a galvanised square channel to run outside and into the lounge room because it was above the garage and no access. In those days I wasnt very wake up and never checked if they lined this with insulation, but it wasnt very efficient perhaps as much because it was a huge lounge room and only two ducts as anything else.
We had a big house once that was very cold. We put ducted heating in. It was great. We cranked it up and got around in t-shirts. Then the first bill came in - $800 for 3 months. So we started to dress a bit more warmly inside.
Many councils in Sydney (and I suspect Melbourne) ban wood burning heaters.
When I get around to it, I'll be putting a heater in my kitchen. It's a tough space to heat - glass wall + no doors. I'll be putting in radiant heating. That's the sort of heater that sends out waves that heat up whatever surface they hit. Outdoor cafes often use them - you'll see them tucked up under awnings and umbrellas. I don't think we understand heating in this country. We spend a huge amount of money (and energy) heating the air in our houses and public buildings because that heated air warms us when we are in contact with it. The Europeans have used radiant heaters for years to heat objects (including people). One of the benefits of this from my perspective is that the heat is very quick because they are not trying to warm a whole room.
Scott
Many councils in Sydney (and I suspect Melbourne) ban wood burning heaters.
When I get around to it, I'll be putting a heater in my kitchen. It's a tough space to heat - glass wall + no doors. I'll be putting in radiant heating. That's the sort of heater that sends out waves that heat up whatever surface they hit. Outdoor cafes often use them - you'll see them tucked up under awnings and umbrellas. I don't think we understand heating in this country. We spend a huge amount of money (and energy) heating the air in our houses and public buildings because that heated air warms us when we are in contact with it. The Europeans have used radiant heaters for years to heat objects (including people). One of the benefits of this from my perspective is that the heat is very quick because they are not trying to warm a whole room.
Scott
The Rinnai 516TR Convector Gas Heater is a gem!
We rent an old, big farmhouse, well over 3.6m ceilings, big kitchen, big lounge....only have heating in lounge and kitchen, the Rinnai is in kitchen and it is the best heating we have ever come across.
Cost us about the $1000 2 winters ago?
We still cannot believe how quickly and comfortable it makes the kitchen... in (sometime) minus 7c winters....usually minus 2c anyway.
In the lounge we put in an Everdure gas wall heater, oldy now, when it finally dies we will go Rinnai type, and as mentioned energy efficient.
In the IP's we put in ducted gas heating.
This Rinnai is amazing.
We rent an old, big farmhouse, well over 3.6m ceilings, big kitchen, big lounge....only have heating in lounge and kitchen, the Rinnai is in kitchen and it is the best heating we have ever come across.
Cost us about the $1000 2 winters ago?
We still cannot believe how quickly and comfortable it makes the kitchen... in (sometime) minus 7c winters....usually minus 2c anyway.
In the lounge we put in an Everdure gas wall heater, oldy now, when it finally dies we will go Rinnai type, and as mentioned energy efficient.
In the IP's we put in ducted gas heating.
This Rinnai is amazing.
Well have decided to pursue the ducted heating path for now and was speaking the guys who are quoting the work and they had indicated they vents in the ceiling would be fare more effective than the floor.
Their rationale was if you have vents on the floor, the hot air rises to the roof, whereas the systems in the ceiling force the hot air down to the ground and then rise, making it more effective.
They had also mentioned that putting ducting under the floor, blocks the natural ventilation of house and in cases of heavy rains (remember those), the resultant musk/odour will come up through the vents.
Anyone know whether this is actually right? The second point is the very first time I have heard of this.
Their rationale was if you have vents on the floor, the hot air rises to the roof, whereas the systems in the ceiling force the hot air down to the ground and then rise, making it more effective.
They had also mentioned that putting ducting under the floor, blocks the natural ventilation of house and in cases of heavy rains (remember those
), the resultant musk/odour will come up through the vents.Anyone know whether this is actually right? The second point is the very first time I have heard of this.
Don't believe everything that is on TV as there generally tends to be a hidden agenda and in this case, and for many years, there is a push on to ban fireplaces and get people into the system.
Some years ago I was involved in data collection for the National Health and Medical Research Council into indoor air quality. We had a fireplace that was used all the time and our indoor air quality was lower than the outside.
Generally however, others who did not have functioning fireplaces and used gas central heating had a higher level of pollution inside their house as opposed to outside. Food for thought.
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But noiser than a central heater with floor registers, as they have to put a larger capacity fan in the ceiling unit to blow the air down to your level.
what is hydronic? is that like the english central heating systems with the heated water flowing thru the radiators? i have never seen them in Oz and often wonder why given our gas is so affordable.
here;s the answer, should have googled first
http://www.greenheat.com.au/
here;s the answer, should have googled first
http://www.greenheat.com.au/
