solar floor heating - Part 2

Things are still moving in this area, but sadly with life getting in the way of tasks its a little slower than I'd desire since Part 1. Naturally (as with all things efficient) a balance of input and protection is required: so part of the solar floor heating is to not loose that warmth. So I'm installing some basic insulation between the joists of the floor boards of my house; to reduce the heat losses and increase the heat transfer to the floor.

This can be a filthy job with shit falling in your face and whatever dirt and shit that lives under the house in your nostrils while you work. (for those who've never gone there think about every local cat which explores, pisses and drags food down there as well as whatever building materials the tradies dumped while doing their work).

So its important to protect yourself while working.



This mask is rated to organic vapours and works so well I couldn't even smell the festering rotting cane toad that I found in the laundry back in the wet season which had died and been half consumed by rats ... but trust me it stank.

Its important to take precautions especially when doing home reno as health effects from exposure to building dusts is an increasing issue in Australia (as more people do their own). And as you can see in this quick video shit was falling down right onto my face:



So it is well to cover eyes (with my swimming goggles) and breathing intakes (mouth and nose) for safety.


Today the interior of the house actually got 3 degrees above outside temperatures without any other inputs. I'm pretty happy with that as normally it lags behind during the day (that roof insulation preventing the sun from heating the house in summer works the same way in winter). So with the temp overnight being something like 11 (this graph is for the sea way which is actually a bit warmer than we are here just a couple of K inland) the house is often only 3 or 4 deg above the outside minimum and then the same amount below the outside maximum.

Rather annoying really, but so common in Queensland where houses are often colder inside than the outside is soon after sun rises. People sit around alternatly saying "how cold it is" and "how dear the electricity is for heating".

With only 1/2 my downstairs floor area fitted with heating (and I can't fit the insulation till I've fitted the pipes) its all looking quite promising.

We're also attempting a poor mans double glaze with fitting of 1mm clear PET plastic sheets over the windows. You can barely notice them and as heaps of heat is lost via windows (glass being a good conductor not an insulator) we should have a warmer house again.