In a dry installation of a radiant floor or wall hydronic heating system, metal radiating sheets that attach to the rough floor or wall adapted with a metal slot for holding hot water tubing

Abstract

In a hydronic heating system including a heating element that is a length of tubing that conducts water mounted in a wall, floor or ceiling of an area heated by the system against a radiating metal sheet, the method of providing the radiating metal sheet including the steps of: forming a unitary sheet of metal by bending and folding it longitudinally to provide a first protuberance of double thickness and bending and folding it longitudinally to provide a second protuberance of double thickness, the protuberances being evenly spaced apart providing a longitudinal metal slot for holding the tubing, the rest of the metal sheet providing radiation surfaces that extend away from the protuberances in a common plane, whereby the protuberances are substantially perpendicular to the common plane, and the metal slot accommodates the insertion therein of the tubing from one side of the sheet so that the tubing is held therein in intimate thermal contact with the sheet metal, whereby the sheet is heated by conduction of heat from the tubing and radiates heat from the one side to the area.

1 . In a hydronic heating system including a heating element that is a length of tubing that conducts water mounted in a wall, floor or ceiling of an area heated by said system against a radiating metal sheet, the improvement comprising: 
 (a) said metal sheet is formed of a unitary sheet of metal bent and folded longitudinally to provide a first protuberance of double thickness and bent and folded longitudinally to provide a second protuberance of double thickness,    (b) said protuberances being evenly spaced apart providing a longitudinal slot for holding said tubing,    (c) the rest of said metal sheet providing radiation surfaces that extend away from said protuberances in a common plane,    (d) whereby said protuberances are substantially perpendicular to said common plane,    (e) said metal slot accommodates the insertion therein of said tubing from one side of said sheet so that the tubing is held therein in intimate thermal contact with said sheet metal,    (f) whereby said sheet is heated by conduction of heat from said tubing and radiates heat from said one side to said area.    
     
     
         2 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 1  wherein: 
 (a) said sheet has length, width and thickness and said length and width define said radiating surfaces of said sheet and  
 (b) said sheet is mounted in said floor, wall or ceiling oriented with said radiation surfaces thereof parallel to said floor or wall surface adjacent thereto.  
 
     
     
         3 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 1  wherein: 
 (a) said unitary sheet of metal is of uniform thickness.  
 
     
     
         4 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 1  wherein: 
 (a) said metal sheets are modular so that a multitude of said sheets laid end-to-end and side-by-side on a surface define a multitude of courses for holding a continuous length of said tubing.  
 
     
     
         5 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 4  wherein: 
 (a) sleeper boards are provided filling the spaces between the slots of said side-by-side modular metal sheets to provide an even surface for the finish material  
 
     
     
         6 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 1  wherein: 
 (a) said metal slot is contoured to provide spaces between said inserted tubing and said sheet metal in said slot for containing a resilient filler material.  
 
     
     
         7 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 1  wherein: 
 (a) said metal sheet that extends away from said protuberances providing radiation surfaces has a longitudinal edge and said longitudinal edge is bent longitudinally to increase longitudinal rigidity of said sheet.  
 
     
     
         8 . A hydronic heating system as in  claim 7  wherein: 
 (a) said longitudinal edge is bent double.  
 
     
     
         9 . In a hydronic heating system including a heating element that is a length of tubing that conducts water mounted in a wall, floor or ceiling of an area heated by said system against a radiating metal sheet, the method of providing said radiating metal sheet including the steps of: 
 (a) forming a unitary sheet of metal by bending and folding it longitudinally to provide a first protuberance of double thickness and bending and folding it longitudinally to provide a second protuberance of double thickness,    (b) said protuberances being evenly spaced apart providing a longitudinal metal slot for holding said tubing,    (c) the rest of said metal sheet providing radiation surfaces that extend away from said protuberances in a common plane,    (d) whereby said protuberances are substantially perpendicular to said common plane,    (e) said metal slot accommodates the insertion therein of said tubing from one side of said sheet so that the tubing is held therein in intimate thermal contact with said sheet metal,    (f) whereby said sheet is heated by conduction of heat from said tubing and radiates heat from said one side to said area.    
     
     
         10 . The method as in  claim 9  wherein: 
 (a) said sheet has length, width and thickness and said length and width define said radiating surfaces of said sheet and  
 (b) said sheet is mounted in said floor, wall or ceiling oriented with said radiation surfaces thereof parallel to said floor or wall surface adjacent thereto.  
 
     
     
         11 . The method as in  claim 9  wherein: 
 (a) said unitary sheet of metal is of uniform thickness.  
 
     
     
         12 . The method as in  claim 9  wherein: 
 (a) said metal sheets are modular so that a multitude of said sheets laid end-to-end and side-by-side on a surface define a multitude of courses for holding a continuous length of said tubing.  
 
     
     
         13 . The method as in  claim 12  wherein: 
 (a) sleeper boards are provided filling the spaces between the slots of said side-by-side modular metal sheets to provide an even surface for a finish material