The Manifold

The hot water tubes and aluminum plates have all been run successfully, including some pretty tricky parts underneath the stairs (pictured). We needed tubes against the risers as well as the treads, but the turn radius was too tight to switch back and forth. So they ran the tube down all the risers and then back up the treads.

Radiant floor heating installation seems like a pretty interesting job as far as construction goes in that can involve a fair amount of creative problem-solving. One must lay out the tubes in a Hamiltonian circuit, if you will, around the subfloor such that they can radiate from and return to the boiler. Plus, there are always obstacles, and the separation of desired heating zones must be respected. It's a neat exercise in practical topology.

Our contractor has spent a fair amount of time and effort putting together the various connections between the pipes and the boiler, and the control mechanisms that regulate them. There are a lot, as you can see. Each length of pipe had to be custom-cut to fit the particular design of the installation, which was determined by the heating needs, capacity, and space around the boiler. We don't yet know what all this stuff is for, but if I ever need inspiration for a steampunk contraption for Halloween, I know where in the house to look.