Keeping Home Fires Burning

Fall's cooler weather calls for bringing out the comforters and turning up the thermostat on an old friend, our Eichler home's radiant heat.

Traditionally trusty, Eichler in-floor radiant heating systems have stood the test of time. In fact, many of these survivors continue to provide trouble-free service, even after 50 to 75 years. Others have been kept alive through repairs, new boilers, and additives.

Now that these time travelers are up there in years, the Eichler Network decided that now was a good time to address the many questions surrounding the health and future of Eichler radiant heating, and in particular the piping that lies hidden away inside our concrete slabs.

You'll find our in-depth investigation, and lots of answers too, in 'Joint of No Return,' in the new Fall '23 issue of CA-Modern magazine.

Posing questions concerning the Eichlers' copper and steel radiant piping, and what to do 'when all else fails,' we turned to a half dozen Bay Area radiant heat and leak detection experts. We kept our focus on 'practical preservation,' since radiant heat is such a key element in the architecture and lifestyle of Eichler homes.

As a heating system safeguard, Mike LaChance of LaChance's Radiant Heating, whose family business covers the Peninsula and South Bay, recommends annual inspections and pressure tests. "If not for inspecting the radiant boiler, then at least for checking to make sure the pipes in the slab are holding water," he says. "A good 24-hour pressure test, even a 20-minute pressure test, helps."

He also recommends an inspection before installing new flooring or beginning a remodel.

Assessing where a system's health stands helps to determine the next steps to take, and perhaps how much repair is necessary and practical. Depending upon their current condition and modern repair techniques, most leaks in copper pipe can be repaired. But when it comes to steel piping, our experts tell us a different story.

"I started doing this when I was about 12 years old, working with my dad," says longtime radiant repairman Jim Lehmann, of Lehmann Radiant Heating, in Marin County. "As far as tubing and concrete go, most of the steel-tubing systems have already been replaced. But with copper, I can still jackhammer the concrete and repair."