[TheForge] Re: insulated shop floor

[Kevin 'Donahoe]

I have to agree that it's more important to insulate the perimeter, as there
can be a 6-18" (depending on your delta) frost line into living quarters on
a concrete floor that abutts the foundation.

That said, an alternative to the polystyrene board might be PS chips mixed
in a layer of concrete below the floor.  A google of insulated concrete
turned up some sites.  Also, in my reading about this stuff for our
addition, was the comment that you want to install the heating tubes/coils
in the top layer of concrete, as it may never catch up if it's burried under
few/several inches.

Kevin Donahoe
Flying Pig Forge
Morrow, OH 45152
flyingpigforge at earthlink.net

 -----Original Message-----
 From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
 [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of GHS
 Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 12:04 PM
 To: Sponsored by ABANA
 Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: insulated shop floor


 Dann Johnson wrote:

 >
 > We always put "frost footings" under all our outbuildings, even on the
 > edges of poured slabs.  We do this  to keep rodents, and digging
 > animals like skunks & wood chucks from underminining  the concrete. I
 > can understand styrofoam on the exterior of the footing, but not under
 > the shop floor.  My 50 cents, is that unless you are using the
 > concrete floor as 75 degree temp, people- living space, that the heat
 > loss through the floor won't be significant.
 > I insulated & sheetrocked the walls of garage, and then blew a foot of
 > insulation  in the attic.  Even in the unheated garage in a North Iowa
 > winter, the floor never froze. (Provided that I remember to shut the
 > garage doors).  Almost always before, we had ice on the garage floor
 > from November to March, from water that dripped down off cars after
 > parking in the garage. Past couple winters, after the insulation,  the
 > water that dripped down off the cars, to the floor actually dried up,
 > rather than froze.
 > There may only be a few degrees different from the average ground
 > temp, to the average shop temp.  I can't imagine heating a shop to
 > shirt sleeve temps.  55 or 60 degrees is pretty confortable when you
 > are working, especially when the forge gets up to temp.
 >
 > Dann Johnson

 Dann, part of the resaon is just the heat sink factor.

 Some folks think I am nuts for putting away my aluminun scaffolds during
 the winter and using wooden planks, until they spend a day standing on
 sthe wood. The calves stop aching because the chill is gone. Even a few
 degrees make a difference.

 As far as insulating the whole floor if you should decide on the in
 floor radiant( I would not for this application) insulating the whole
 floor beneath the heat seperates it from the heat sink of the soil.  In
 that type of system you just want to heat the concrete. It is cheaper
 that way.

 Personally, I would use a unit heater with ceiling mounted electric or
 gas fired radiant over critical work stations where comfort was an
 issue. Keep the whole place at 45*F  or so and then toast myself at
 times when I am doing detail work that doesn't require much excertion.

 Mike Graf

 Mike Graf

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