Pros & Cons: Ecowarm Compared to Warmboard S
Warmboard attempts to make the case that their thick, structural product makes more sense because you avoid the cost of installing a subfloor and then Ecowarm on top of that. The math does not hold up.
“Its pretty badass. If you’re in the market for radiant, I highly recommend looking into these guys. And maybe the best part, is that they are super nice to work with. You can check out my Deep Dive interview with them and you can just see how passionate they are about what they do…even after 30+ years in the business!” – Anthony Carrino
Ecowarm RadiantBoard installation at end of project (Left) Compared to Warmboard S installation at beginning of project (Right)
For Warmboard S, a separate protective subfloor must be installed to protect the tubing during the construction of the building which can last months or more…and then this must be uninstalled, resulting in much higher installation costs and a difficult project flow.
Installation Speed
Ask any radiant heat contractor and they’ll tell you — Warmboard S is a slow install. Their time consuming two step process involves first pre-drilling holes, then maneuvering the large, heavy boards into place before finally installing the panels with both adhesive and 2 & 3/4″ stainless screws. With each board weighing 95 pounds, two people are required to maneuver the boards in place.
In contrast, Ecowarm is simply glued and stapled rapidly over the subfloor. Our panels are lightweight and easy to handle at 2′ x 4′ in size and weigh only 16 pounds making installation fast and easy.
Warmboard S Requires Extra Protective Floor
Warmboard S is installed over joists as the subfloor early in your project and the tubing is installed (because PEX loops will often run under walls), an extra protective floor ½” plywood temporary working floor must be installed to protect the tubing from damage during construction. This temporary floor increases costs by about ½ the cost of a standard subfloor.
Warmboard S: High Cost. Higher Freight
By purchasing the expensive Warmboard S, one is purchasing both a radiant panel and a subfloor in one. This means the radiant panels and the subfloor are shipped to the jobsite at a very high LTL freight rate.
With Ecowarm, the subfloor is delivered freight free from a local lumberyard and at a far lower cost. Compare the total costs.
Warmboard S: Far More Difficult Project Flow
Warmboard S requires an unconventional construction flow of platform construction in which the panels are installed early in the building framing. The PEX tubing must be installed immediately so that the walls can be erected, often crossing tubing.
For Warmboard S, a separate protective subfloor must be installed to protect the tubing during the construction of the building which can last months or more…and then this must be uninstalled, resulting in much higher installation costs and a difficult project flow.
Ecowarm is installed at the end of the project, right before flooring goods, thus avoiding these costly accommodations.
Ecowarm Timelapse Video
*Note: The above video is an infrared timelapse of Ecowarm without the final flooring goods installed. Once the finished floor has been installed, you will see the heat spread evenly across the surface of the floor.
Efficiency Of Ecowarm RadiantBoard
The efficiency of the structural Warmboard S and the nonstructural Ecowarm/Warmboard R are very much the same, according to both companies published data and independent testing. The aluminum thickness of structural Warmboard S was arrived at to meet the structural engineering demands of grooved board, not driven by performance concerns.
Very fast response time was once an important issue prior to smart setback thermostats and weather response controls. Super-fast recovery is still promoted heavily in Warmboard “performance” videos that conflate response time with efficiency.
More contact. Better heat transfer. Excellent efficiency.
Observe the greater contact between tubing and aluminum than other products
Ecowarm RadiantBoard has a patented overbite groove design that gives a larger and tighter surface connection of the tubing to the aluminum resulting in better performance. Good design has a tight, complete connection between the aluminum and the tubing carrying warm water.
With our patented overbite design, tough PEX tubing is snapped or whacked into the groove with a small mallet. When warm water flows through the tubing it expands into the space, making a very tight heat transfer connection. The result is excellent performance.
Warmboard has a U shaped groove design. They recommend malleable Pex Al Pex, because it will stay in place during installation. Notice above that the tight connection stops about half way up the side of the groove. Less surface contact.
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Ecowarm RadiantBoard incorporates the best balance of high performance, material quality, environmental responsibility, and cost. In short, Ecowarm RadiantBoard represents the best value in radiant board heating systems.