Janes Infloor Heating

I met with Mike Janes, head of Janes Infloor Heating of Mukilteo (he took over from his father, the founder). We went over my radiant heating plan and I explained that there was no new slab and that I was considering putting the pipes above the floor.

Mike didn't seem to like above floor installations--he pushed the underfloor aluminum bracket system. For the 1230 SF main house, he said the aluminum would be 600 pieces @ $1.50, $975. By contrast, he showed me a couple of above-floor products and said they were $5.00 to $6.50 per SF or more (that would be $6,150 to $7,995 for materials only).


But heating through the floor requires higher temperature--maybe 140° due to the inefficiency of wood as a heat conductor. He brushed off my concerns about the real hardwood above the heat. If the floor has been there 65 years, it'll be fine, he said. He seemed to think I was removing the hardwood just to accommodate the heat situation.

When we calculated the total heated area at about 2000 SF, he said it's too big (more than 500 SF) but too small (under 2500 SF). In that niche, they've been very successful using a tankless water heater to create heat for the house as well as domestic hot water. This is $15,000 compared to a boiler which would be for a larger house and would cost $20,000 or more. Mike said they've installed 500 of these Noritz

Mike recommended a Noritz NCC1991, a stainless steel inside and out, commercial grade gas tankless water heater. It's Japanese. I liked Mike and he gave me the tour of their facility. I wouldn't mind doing business with them, but I'm not sure about the choice of products.

Rather than an above-slab installation in BR3, we talked about radiators or baseboards. Mike gave me a brochure for a Slant Fin Fine/Line 30 baseboard. A better value, he said, than Runtal, the more expensive brand. They also have what looks like the electric heater we have now that runs on radiant tubing. He turned it on--very quiet.

The Northwest Mechanical people push Viessmann German boilers, and they seem very nice, but Integrity Energy offer Navien, made in South Korea, and the online community suggests that Navien is a little more advanced than Viessmann. I saw a Navien combi-boiler on the Green Home Tour.

For water heating only, Consumer Reports (2008) doesn't think tankless models are worth it. You still have to run the water for it to heat up. They save $70-$80 a year, but at that rate, they take 22 years to pay for themselves. Calcium buildup is a problem, and they recommend annual cleaning. They say conventional water heaters have thicker insulation, bigger burners and better corrosion-fighting metal rods called anodes.

Mike Janes
The Janes Company
8227 44th Ave W
Mukilteo, WA 98275
(425) 267-0202