Texas might not be top of mind when thinking about radiant heating, but when some longtime customers mentioned radiant floor warming for their new building, Raymond Nelson knew exactly what to do: he called his Viega rep and got the ball rolling.
FINS is a swim instruction company located in the Houston, Texas, area. President and CEO Bill Goudeket decided he was ready to build his fourth location, FINS of Cypress, and he called on Nelson, owner of Raymond Nelson Plumbing, to help.
The newest location features radiant heating to help keep students comfortable in and out of the pool and changing areas. Although Nelson hadn’t installed radiant products before, he was confident that Viega was his go-to source.
“I’d heard about radiant heating a long time ago, and I thought it would be a big benefit to what we do,” said Liam Goudeket, aquatics director for FINS. “We don’t get long cold snaps in Houston, but we want to make it warm and comfortable indoors for whatever the weather. I heard radiant was a different type of heat compared to traditional heat.”
Radiant areas make up nearly 1,500 of 8,000 square feet.
It isn’t just warm floors. Radiant heats the objects in a room, making the environment more comfortable without the energy-intensive process of heating air.
There was a short turnaround to get the radiant tubing installed, as concrete was about to be poured. Nelson said he and his crew had 3,000 feet of PureFlow PEX Barrier tubing, which installed was 11 different loops in the concrete slab. In the finished building, radiant heated areas make up nearly 1,500 of the total 8,000 square feet.
“I thought there was no way we’d get it done with only two days to put it in,” Nelson said about the radiant tubes. “But we zip-tied it to the rebar, and it went really quickly. I was surprised to get it done in that time crunch.”
The concept of radiant heat at FINS stemmed from the idea to help keep customers, especially children, comfortable so they’d have more fun and more success with their swimming skills. The decks of the pool are heated with radiant, as are the changing areas. That brought along some challenges in keeping the heating in the specified areas at temperatures so that parent spectators or staff not in the water were still comfortable, too.
In this particular climate zone and working with the needs of the customers, Viega’s heating design team created a system that would decrease the overall amount of energy used to heat the space, keep occupants more comfortable and even reduce slipping hazards by evaporating water on the pool deck faster.
“Our air heaters kicked on a lot less in this facility over the winter [with the radiant],” Goudeket said. “For customers, forcing that moisture off the pool deck was a nice thing. In the shower area, the kids walk out and into the [warm] changing area, and I think that’s the biggest benefit. It’s pleasant to walk on the warm tile. It enhances the customer experience.”
To read more, click here.
Related Stories
75 Top Building Products | Mar 22, 2018
101 Top Products: Flooring 2018
Among the best flooring products included in BD+C's Top 101 Products report are Bostik's 'Climb' Low-VOC Adhesive and Schulter Systems Ditra Heat Duo Membrane.
Flooring | Nov 6, 2017
Rubber flooring ready for traffic at Calgary airport
More than 400,000 sf of norament grano and noraplan sentica cover portions of the international terminal and Connections Corridor.
Green | Sep 27, 2017
Wellness gains ground with real estate and property management professionals
Structure Tone survey finds LEED is still a selling point, but interest in resilience practices could be waning.
Sponsored | Flooring | Aug 22, 2017
INSTALL revives acute care facility with forward-thinking installation
A complex installation and a phased timeline were executed flawlessly in a fully functional acute care facility thanks to a highly skilled, INSTALL-trained team.
Fire-Rated Products | Aug 15, 2017
Walking on glass: Clear floor system offers largest two-hour fire- resistive panels
The system uses the largest tested and listed individual glass panels for two-hour fire-resistive glass floor applications.
Products and Materials | Jul 21, 2017
Acrylic-infused wood flooring brings durability for commercial spaces
The product incorporates an acrylic-infused top layer.
Flooring | Jul 12, 2017
Membrane dials down the sound, while it cranks up the heat
A new membrane from Schluter Systems, Ditra Heat Duo, reduces sound transmission while also warming the floor and supporting the covering to ensure lasting installation.
Sponsored | Flooring | Jun 5, 2017
INSTALL sets stage for inspiration with expert installation
The challenge of a large space, mixed materials and intricate design were met by a highly skilled, INSTALL-trained team.
Sponsored | Flooring | Dec 7, 2016
Reading Hospital expansion project saves two months in construction schedule thanks to nora nTx
Construction delays are common with projects as large as the $354 million Reading Hospital expansion. Maybe that’s why construction manager Jeff Hutwelker, project executive with LF Driscoll Co., LLC, was so pleased with his nora® experience. By Hutwelker’s estimates, nora nTx saved approximately two months in his construction schedule.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 1, 2016
Top 10 kitchen design trends for 2016
Charging stations, built-in coffeemakers, and pet stations—these are among the top kitchen design trends for the coming year, according to a new survey of kitchen and bath designers by the National Kitchen & Bath Association.