In radiant wall and ceiling hydronic room heating or cooling systems, using tubing that is fed hot or cold water, the tubing is embedded in gypsum or cement wallboard in intimate thermal contact therewith so that the wallboard heats or cools the room

Abstract

A method of providing hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling to a room that is framed by wall studs and ceiling rafters, comprising the steps of: providing a sheet of gypsum or cement wallboard with a length of tubing embedded in said gypsum or cement material of said wallboard, attaching the sheet of gypsum or cement wallboard with length of tubing embedded therein to the wall studs or ceiling rafters of the room, abutting conventional wallboard of the same thickness and connecting a supply of warm or cool water to the tubing for feeding water through the tubing, so that heated water so fed through the tubing heats the gypsum or cement material in the wallboard, which heats the room, or cooled water so fed through the tubing cools the gypsum or cement material in the wallboard, which cools the room.

Description

[0001] The applicant herein claims the benefit of his prior file U.S. Provisional Applications: Serial No. 60/351,540, filed Jan. 23, 2002; and Serial No. 60/381,760, filed Apr. 20, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to radiant hydronic systems that heat or cool by attached tubing that is fed hot or cold water for heating and/or cooling dwellings, offices, etc., the tubing being held in the walls or ceiling of a room as part of an assembly of panels that carry the tubing so that the panels radiate heat to the room when the tubing is fed hot water, to heat the room; or absorbs heat from the room by radiation when the tubing is fed cold water, to cool the room; the tubing being secured in the panels in intimate thermal contact with the panel material in the wall or ceiling of the room.

[0003] In particular, the panels are made of gypsum or Portland cement of conventional size wallboard in which the tubing may be embedded at manufacture or inserted in situs and the wallboard is finished in a conventional manner that may include taping joints, plastering, painting and tiling.

[0004] For example, the panels may be have a skim coat of hard plaster applied to finish the wall, the plaster being applied across abutting sheets of the wallboard that may be taped where they abut, providing a smooth hard highly durable plaster wall surface, as well as gently radiating heat or cooling the room.

Dry Modular Panel Radiant Hydronic Heating

[0005] Hydronic radiant floor heating (RFH), radiant wall heating (RWH) and radiant ceiling heating (RCH) are techniques of heating a room in a dwelling or commercial building for human and creature comfort. It is believed by many that hydronic radiant heating is the ideal way to warm the human body and superior to forced hot air heating.

[0006] Typical hydronic heating systems require a supply of hot water from a boiler and means for modulating the temperature of the water from the supply that is fed to the heating loops of the system, which include tubing and heating elements. This is particularly the case where modular panels are used in a dry installation in the floor for RFH, in the wall for RWH or in the ceiling for RCH. For example, if the supply water temperature is 180° F. for laundry, it must be modulated to about 100° F. (or lower) for RFH, RWH or RCH. A suitable system for reducing and controlling the supply water temperature for RFH, RWH and RCH is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,988, issued Jun. 09, 1992, entitled “Hydronic Heating Water Temperature Control System, to Joachim Fiedrich, the inventor herein. In that patent a three-way, modulated diverting or by-pass valve is provided in the return line to the boiler, for diverting some of the cooler return water to the hot supply water to reduce the temperature of the supply water feeding the heating loop supply header. This is sometimes called temperature dilution and the diverting valve is modulated by a feedback signal derived from the diluted water temperature.

[0007] Modular panel heating elements for RFH, RWH and RCH are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,065, issued Mar. 08, 1994, entitled “Radiant Floor And Wall Hydronic Heating Systems”, to Joachim Fiedrich, the inventor herein. The panel elements include a metal radiation plate or sheet attached to two spaced apart boards for holding the tubing in intimate thermal contact with the radiation plate, so that the plate is heated by conduction of heat from the tubing, and the plate has a substantial radiating surface that radiates heat to the room.

[0008] Thermal conduction from the tubing to the plate and mechanical attachment of the tubing to the panel are insured by a resilient thermally conductive filler material as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,996, issued Dec. 03, 1996, entitled “Radiant Floor And Wall Hydronic Heating Systems”, also to Joachim Fiedrich, the inventor herein.

[0009] Hydronic heating systems using the modular panel heating elements described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,292,065 and 5,579,996 to cool as well as heat are described U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,381 and 6,220,523, issued Aug. 03, 1999 and Apr. 24, 2001, respectively, both entitled “For Radiant Floor, Wall and Ceiling Hydronic Heating And/or Cooling Systems Using Metal Plates That Are Heated or Cooled by Attached Tubing That Is Fed Hot or Cold Water, Techniques of Improving Performance and Avoiding Condensation When Cooling” and both by Joachim Fiedrich, the inventor herein. The systems described in those patents include floor, wall and ceiling installations of modular panel elements and tubing. The floor installations are particularly effective for heating (RFH) and can also be used for cooling (RFC); the ceiling installations are particularly effective for cooling (RCC) and can also be used for heating (RCH); and the wall installations are effective for both heating (RWH) and cooling (RWC) and all use modular panels that include two spaced apart boards that hold the tubing and a radiating metal plate against the tubing, firmly secured to the boards.

[0010] Cooling is done by feeding cool water to the tubing to reduce the temperature of the radiation plate in the modular panel, to below room temperature so that heat is radiated from the room to the metal plate and conducted from the plate to the cool water in the tubing, heating the water slightly and the water is fed to a heat exchanger where it gives up the heat and is fed back to the panels. This circulation of cool water is continuous and may be a closed system. Systems for heating, systems for cooling and systems for doing both are described in those patents.

[0011] Modular panel structures that are laminations in which the metal radiation plate and tubing are in a middle layer between a structural board and a finished floor covering are described in U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/049,381, filed Jun. 10, 1997, entitled “In Radiant Floor, Wall and Ceiling Hydronic Cooling Systems and Heating and Cooling Systems, Using Metal Plates That Are Heated or Cooled by Attached Tubing That Is Fed Hot or Cold Water, Structures of Plates Laminated in Holder Boards and Tubing Attachments”, by Joachim Fiedrich, the inventor herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and means of providing modular panels for “dry” installation of RWH and/or RWC and RCH and/or RCC in a room using wallboards of gypsum or Portland cement in which the tubing is embedded, so that a substantial part of the wallboard is heated or cooled to heat or cool the room by radiation.

[0013] It is a further object that the wallboards of gypsum or Portland cement in which the tubing is embedded are dimensionally compatible with conventional wallboards of the same kind for installation on wall studs or ceiling rafters and can be finished for painting or wallpaper like conventional wallboard.

[0014] In some embodiments, gypsum or cement wallboard panels with the tubing embedded therein are attached to a wall or ceiling of a room and can serve for heating or for cooling the room and also provide the finished wall or ceiling surface ready for painting. In all embodiments, the wallboard panels are preferably conventional size (4 ft×8 ft×½ to 1 inch thick) for attachment to the wall studs or ceiling rafters, abutting conventional wallboard of the same dimensions.

[0015] For some embodiments, the tubing must be embedded in the gypsum or cement wallboard at manufacture. For other embodiments, the wallboard is grooved to receive the tubing and the tubing is inserted into the grooves at installation. The grooving can be done at manufacture or at installation

[0016] It is a further object that the wallboards of gypsum or Portland cement is adapted with grooves when made and in which the tubing is inserted at installation and all of the abutting wallboards (such as blueboards) are covered by a coat of hard plaster finish, the combination of blueboards so adapted and loaded with tubing being dimensionally compatible with conventional wallboards of the same kind, all for installation on wall studs or ceiling rafters and finished with the same coat of hard plaster for painting or wallpaper, like conventional skim coat hard plaster walls.

[0017] In embodiments where the grooved gypsum or cement wallboard panels are attached to wall studs, then the tubing is inserted in the grooves and secured thereto, the water supply and return ends of the tubing are thread through holes to the spaces between floor joists for connection to boiler supply and return headers the joints between boards are taped and the skim coat of hard plaster is applied. The wallboard panels are preferably conventional size (4 ft×8 ft×½ to 1 inch thick) for attachment to the wall studs or ceiling rafters, abutting conventional wallboard of the same dimensions.

[0018] Thus, for all embodiments, RWH/RWC and RCC/RCH are installed “dry”(not in wet concrete) using gypsum or Portland cement wallboard in which tubing is embedded so that the wallboard is heated or cooled by the tubing and the gypsum or cement material acts as a temperature sink for heating or cooling the room. Furthermore, the wallboard is sized for conventional attachment to wall studs or ceiling rafters alongside conventional wallboard and for finishing like conventional wallboard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the First Embodiment of a sheet of gypsum wallboard attach ed to the studs of a wall with tubing inserted into a groove in the outside surface of the wallboard through the paper cover into the gypsum;

[0020] FIGS. 1 and 3 show the Second Embodiment of a sheet of gypsum wallboard attached to the studs of a wall with tubing inserted into a groove in the inside surface of the wallboard through the paper cover into the gypsum;

[0021] FIG. 4 shows the Third Embodiment of a sheet of gypsum wallboard for attachment to the studs of a wall and in which small diameter tubing is embedded entirely in the gypsum material and contained entirely inside the paper cover that encapsulates the gypsum in the board, the tubing being incorporated in the wallboard at manufacture;

[0022] FIG. 5 shows the Fourth Embodiment of a sheet of gypsum wallboard for attachment to the studs of a wall and in which relatively larger diameter tubing is embedded entirely in the gypsum material and contained entirely inside the paper cover that encapsulates the gypsum in the board and with a reinforcing web also embedded in the gypsum material to add rigidity and strength to the wallboard;

[0023] FIG. 6 shows a typical wood frame construction wall with a wall board of conventional dimensions in which tubing is embedded in several courses defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length perpendicular to the studs, providing a horizontal arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall;

[0024] FIG. 7 shows a typical wood frame construction wall structure with a wall board of conventional dimensions in which tubing is embedded in several courses defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length parallel to the studs, providing a vertical arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall;

[0025] FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show a typical wood frame construction wall structure with a wall board of conventional dimensions in which tubing is embedded in several straight courses arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and all connected at one end (the water supply end) to the supply header tube, and at the other end (the water return end) to the return header tube;

[0026] FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 show a sheet of paper covered gypsum blueboard attached to the studs of a wall abutting another sheet of blueboard. In FIG. 11, the tubing is about to be inserted into a groove in the blueboard, which is factory made with the gypsum entirely encased in paper, including the grooves, thus maintaining the strength gained by the paper enclosure, even with the grooves, and in FIG. 12 a skim coat of hard plaster is applied over all of the abutting blueboards;

[0027] FIG. 14 shows typical wood frame construction with a wall board of conventional dimensions in which tubing is embedded, as in FIG. 11, in several courses defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length perpendicular to the studs, providing a horizontal arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall, followed by a skim coat of hard plaster, as in FIG. 12, to finish the wall; and

[0028] FIG. 15 shows a typical wood frame construction wall, as in FIG. 14, with a wall board of conventional dimensions in which tubing is embedded in several courses defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard, with the board length parallel to the studs, providing a vertical arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall, followed by a skim coat of hard plaster, to finish the wall.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0029] First Embodiment—Gypsum Wallboard Grooved on the Outside Surface With Tubing Inserted in the Groove

[0030] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the First Embodiment of a sheet 1 of gypsum wallboard 1 attached to the studs 2 of a wall with tubing 10 inserted into a groove 4 in the outside surface 5 of the wallboard through the paper cover 6 into the gypsum 7. The wallboard gypsum is usually entirely encased in the paper providing the board outside surface 5, inside surface 8 and all edges. The groove 4 can be made in the wallboard at manufacture or later at installation and the tubing 10 can be inserted at manufacture or at installation, either before or after the wallboard is attached to the studs. In any case, the tubing 10 carries hot or cold water to heat or cool the wallboard and so heat or cool the room by radiation.

[0031] Second Embodiment—Gypsum Wallboard Grooved on the Inside Surface With Tubing Inserted in the Groove

[0032] FIGS. 1 and 3 show the Second Embodiment of a sheet 11 of gypsum wallboard attached to the studs 2 of a wall with tubing 10 inserted into a groove 14 in the inside surface 18 of the wallboard through the paper cover 16 into the gypsum 17. The wallboard gypsum is usually entirely encased in the paper providing the board outside surface 15, inside surface 18 and all edges. The groove 14 can be made in the wallboard at manufacture or later at installation and the tubing can be inserted at manufacture or at installation, before the wallboard is attached to the studs. In any case, the tubing carries hot or cold water to heat or cool the wallboard and so heat or cool the room by radiation. The location of the tubing and groove in the wallboard 11 can be indicated by markings on the outside paper surface and those markings may be readily covered by plaster or paint.

[0033] Third Embodiment—Gypsum Wallboard With Small Diameter Tubing Embedded in the Gypsum Inside the Paper Cover

[0034] FIG. 4 shows the Third Embodiment of a sheet 21 of gypsum wallboard for attachment to the studs 2 of a wall and in which small diameter tubing 20 is embedded entirely in the gypsum material 27 and contained entirely inside the paper cover 26 that encapsulates the gypsum in the board and provides outside surface 25, inside surface 28 and the board edges. The tubing 20 is incorporated in the wallboard at manufacture and the wallboard paper cover 26 is marked at least on the outside surface to show the installer where the tubing is located. The tubing 20 diameter is relatively small to insure sufficient gypsum material around it for the required strength and rigidity of the wallboard. The tubing carries hot or cold water to heat or cool the wallboard and so heat or cool the room by radiation.

[0035] Fourth Embodiment—Gypsum Wallboard With Larger Diameter Tubing and Reinforcing Web Embedded in the Gypsum Inside the Paper Cover

[0036] FIG. 5 shows the Fourth Embodiment of a sheet of gypsum wallboard for attachment to the studs 2 of a wall and in which relatively larger diameter tubing 30 is embedded entirely in the gypsum material 37 and contained entirely inside the paper cover 36 that encapsulates the gypsum in the board and provides outside surface 35, inside surface 38 and the board egdes. Along with the tubing, a reinforcing web 39 is also embedded in the gypsum material to add rigidity and strength to the wallboard to compensate for weakness introduced in the board by the embedded tubing. The web 38 may be made of material having the same thermal expansion characteristics as the wallboard. The web may also serve to conduct heat between the tubing and the gypsum material and for that purpose may be more thermally conductive that the gypsum. The tubing and reinforcing web are incorporated in the wallboard at manufacture and the wallboard paper cover 36 is marked at least on the outside surface to show the installer where the tubing is located. The tubing carries hot or cold water to heat or cool the wallboard and so heat or cool the room by radiation.

[0037] Wall Installation—Wallboard Tubing Horizontal Across Studs

[0038] A typical wood frame construction wall structure is shown in FIG. 6. It includes a wall bottom plate 43, studs 42 and top plate 44 erected on the sub-floor 100. A wall board 41 of conventional dimensions in which tubing 40 is embedded in several courses 49 defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length perpendicular to the studs is secured to the studs, providing a horizontal arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall.

[0039] The tubing water supply is fed to the supply end 101 of the tubing and the return is from the return end 102 from a side edge of the wallboard 41. Any of the embodiments First to Fourth described hereinabove may be incorporated in the wallboard for this type of installation.

[0040] Wall Installation—Wallboard Tubing Parallel With Studs

[0041] A typical wood frame construction wall structure is also shown in FIG. 7. It includes a wall bottom plate 43, studs 42 and top plate 44 erected on the sub-floor 100. A wall board 51 of conventional dimensions in which tubing 50 is embedded in several courses 59 defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length parallel to the studs is secured to the studs, providing a vertical arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall.

[0042] The tubing water supply is fed to the supply end 111 of the tubing and the return is from the return end 112 from a side edge of the wallboard 51. Any of the embodiments First to Fourth described hereinabove may be incorporated in the wallboard for this type of installation.

[0043] Ceiling Installation—Panels And Tubing Across Rafters, Etc.

[0044] Radiant hydronic cooling described herein is effective when installed in the ceiling, because the cooled air against the ceiling falls to the floor creating a convection flow that is favorable to providing even cooling throughout the room. In typical wood frame construction the ceiling of a room before the finished ceiling is installed is bare rafters, joists or strapping. Such a ceiling installation would be essentially the same as the wall installation shown in either FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, except it would be on the rafters, joists, etc. of the ceiling instead of the wall studs.

[0045] Wall Installation—Wallboard With Straight Courses of Tubing and Input and Output Headers Attached to the Inside Face of the Wallboard

[0046] The same typical wood frame construction wall structure is shown in FIG. 8, 9 and 10. It includes a wall bottom plate 43 and studs 42 erected on sub-floor 100. A wall board 61 of conventional dimensions in which tubing 60 is embedded in several straight courses 62 arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and all connected at one end (the water supply end) to the supply header tube 63, and at the other end (the water return end) to the return header tube 64. The supply and return header tubes are attached to the inside face 68 of the wallboard and are parallel to the studs 42. When the wallboard loaded with embedded tubing and with the headers attached to the ends of the courses of tubing is installed across the studs as shown, each header should be in a space between studs and that space can be loaded with thermal insulation 69.

[0047] The tubing water supply is fed to the supply end 121 of the tubing and the return is from the return end 122 from a side edge of the wallboard 61. Thus, the wallboard length is perpendicular to the studs 42, providing a horizontal arrangement of several courses of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard 161, to complete the wall. Any of the embodiments First to Fourth described hereinabove may be incorporated in the wallboard for this type of installation.

[0048] Fifth Embodiment—Paper Covered Gypsum Blueboard Made With Grooves on the Outside Surface With Tubing Inserted in the Groove

[0049] FIGS. 11, 12 and 3 show a sheet 71 of paper covered gypsum blueboard attached to the studs 42 of a wall abutting another sheet of blueboard 171. In FIG. 11, the tubing 70 is about to be inserted into a groove 74 in the blueboard. The grooved blueboard is factory made entirely encased in paper 76 including the grooves, thus maintaining the strength gained by the paper enclosure even with the grooves. Thus, the grooves are formed in the outside surface 75 of the board, the inside surface going against the studs

[0050] Sheets of the grooved blueboard are attached to the studs 42 that form a wall or to the rafters (or strapping) that form a ceiling and abut other sheets 171 of the same thickness blueboard, as shown in FIG. 11. Then tubing 70 is inserted in the grooves 74, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and connected to a boiler supply and return for heating, or to a source of chilled water for cooling. After testing the water flow for proper operation, the inserted tubing may be coated to accommodate the hard plaster skim coat 78 that is to be applied; and after taping the wallboard joints the skim coat 79 of hard plaster is applied, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, providing the finished wall or ceiling. Thus, the wall or ceiling of the room is gently heated or cooled to the water temperature, the gypsum or cement material acts as a temperature sink for heating or cooling and the hard plaster coat raises the radiation efficiency of the heated or cooled wallboard.

[0051] Wall Installation—Wallboard Tubing Horizontal Across Studs

[0052] A typical wood frame construction wall structure is shown in FIG. 14. It includes a wall bottom plate 43, studs 42 and top plate 44 erected on sub-floor 100. A wall board 71 of conventional dimensions in which tubing 70 is embedded in several courses 70a defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length perpendicular to the studs, providing a horizontal arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard 171 to complete the wall, followed by a skim coat 79 of hard plaster, to finish the wall.

[0053] The tubing water supply is fed to the supply end 131 of the tubing and the return is from the return end 132 from a side edge of the wallboard 71.

[0054] Wall Installation—Wallboard Tubing Parallel With Studs

[0055] The same typical wood frame construction wall structure is also shown in FIG. 15. It includes a wall bottom plate 43, studs 42 and top plate 44 erected on sub-floor 100. The wall board 81 of conventional dimensions in which tubing 80 is embedded in several courses 80a defining a serpentine path through the wallboard, the courses being arranged side by side and end to end in the wallboard and the board length parallel to the studs, providing a vertical arrangement of several passes of the tubing and ready for installation of abutting wallboard to complete the wall, followed by a skim coat of hard plaster, to finish the wall.

[0056] The tubing water supply is fed to the supply end 141 of the tubing and the return is from the return end 142 from a side edge of the wallboard 81.

[0057] Ceiling Installation—Panels And Tubing Across Rafters, Etc.

[0058] Radiant hydronic cooling described herein is effective when installed in the ceiling, because the cooled air against the ceiling falls to the floor creating a convection flow that is favorable to providing even cooling throughout the room. In typical wood frame construction the ceiling of a room before the finished ceiling is installed is bare rafters, joists or strapping. Such a ceiling installation would be essentially the same as the wall installation shown in either FIG. 14 or FIG. 15, except it would be on the rafters, joists, etc. of the ceiling instead of the wall studs.

[0059] Compliant Thermally Conductive Filler Material

[0060] A compliant filler material around the tubing held in the wallboard groove in any of those embodiments herein is applied to the groove before the tubing is inserted or forced into the groove. A purpose of the filler material is to hold the tubing in the groove as an adhesive, while at the same time allowing the tubing to expand and contract longitudinally within the groove. In particular, copper tubing must be free to expand and contract, while the wallboard is fixed by nails, screws, etc. to the wall studs or ceiling rafters. Another purpose of the filler material is to reduce noise created by expansions and contractions of the tubing in the groove. Yet another and purpose is to provide a medium of thermal conduction from the tubing to the gypsum. A suitable filler material for any of these purposes is silicone rubber.

[0061] A convenient form of silicone rubber that can be used in the installations described herein is available commercially as a sealant or a caulking in viscous liquid form, usually dispensed from a tube by simply forcing it out of a nozzle on the tube. Such a sealant/caulking is usually a prepared mix of silicone dioxide, methanol and ammonia. A commercial source of this sealant/caulking mix is a General Electric product called SILICONE II that remains resilient for many years after it is applied.

CONCLUSIONS

[0062] While the inventions described herein are described in connection with several preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, equivalents and variations of those embodiments and their features as may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system having a heating/cooling loop including a length of tubing that conducts water, mounted in a wall or ceiling of a room heated/cooled by said system so that the room is heated/cooled by conduction of heat between the water in the tubing and the room, the improvement comprising,

(a) a sheet of gypsum or cement wallboard,

(b) a length of tubing embedded in said gypsum or cement wallboard,

(c) said sheet of gypsum or cement wallboard with length of tubing embedded therein attached to the wall studs or ceiling rafters of said room, abutting conventional wallboard of the same thickness and

(d) means connected to said length of tubing for feeding water through said tubing,

(e) whereby, heated water so fed through said tubing heats said gypsum or cement material in said wallboard, which heats said room and

(f) cooled water so fed through said tubing cools said gypsum or cement material in said wallboard, which cools said room.

2. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 1, wherein,

(a) said gypsum or cement material in said wallboard acts as a temperature sink for heating or cooling said room

3. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 1, wherein,

(a) said wallboard sheet is sized for conventional attachment to wall studs or ceiling rafters alongside conventional wallboard and for finishing like conventional wallboard.

4. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 1, wherein,

(a) said sheet of wallboard has an inside face and an outside face and grooves in one of said faces thereof and

(b) said length of tubing is embedded in said grooves.

5. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 4, wherein,

(a) said grooves are in said outside face

6. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 4, wherein,

(a) said grooves are in said inside face

7. A method of providing hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling to a room that is framed by wall studs and ceiling rafters, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sheet of gypsum or cement wallboard,

(b) providing a length of tubing embedded in said gypsum or cement wallboard,

(c) attaching said sheet of gypsum or cement wallboard with length of tubing embedded therein to said wall studs or ceiling rafters of said room, abutting conventional wallboard of the same thickness and

(d) connecting a supply of water to said length of tubing for feeding water through said tubing,

(e) whereby, heated water so fed through said tubing heats said gypsum or cement material in said wallboard, which heats said room and

(f) cooled water so fed through said tubing cools said gypsum or cement material in said wallboard, which cools said room.

8. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system having a heating/cooling loop including a length of tubing that conducts water, mounted in a wall or ceiling of a room heated/cooled by said system so that the room is heated/cooled by conduction of heat between the water in the tubing and the room, the improvement comprising,

(a) a sheet of paper encased gypsum or cement wallboard that has grooves recessed in the outside face thereof, all entirely encased in said paper, said paper being specially adapted for the adherence thereto of hard plaster applied thereto as a skim coat,

(b) said sheet of wallboard attached to the wall studs or ceiling rafters of said room, abutting the like or conventional wallboard of the same thickness,

(c) a length of tubing inserted in said wallboard grooves,

(d) A skim coat of hard plaster covering the outside face of said wallboards including said inserted tubing,

(e) means connected to said length of tubing for feeding water through said tubing,

(f) whereby, heated water so fed through said tubing heats said wallboard, which heats said room and

(g) cooled water so fed through said tubing cools said wallboard, which cools said room.

9. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 8, wherein,

(a) said gypsum or cement material in said wallboard acts as a temperature sink for heating or cooling said room.

10. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 8, wherein,

(a) said hard plaster coat raises the radiation efficiency of the heated or cooled wallboard.

11. A hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling system as in claim 8, wherein,

(a) said wallboard sheet is sized for conventional attachment to wall studs or ceiling rafters alongside conventional wallboard and for finishing like conventional wallboard.

12. A method of providing hydronic radiant heating and/or cooling to a room that is framed by wall studs and ceiling rafters, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sheet of paper encased gypsum or cement wallboard that has grooves recessed in the outside face thereof, all entirely encased in said paper, said paper being specially adapted for the adherence thereto of hard plaster applied thereto as a skim coat,

(b) attaching said sheet of wallboard to the wall studs or ceiling rafters of said room, abutting the like or conventional wallboard of the same thickness,

(c) inserting a length of tubing in said wallboard grooves,

(d) applying a skim coat of hard plaster covering the outside face of said wallboards including said inserted tubing,

(e) connecting said length of tubing to means for feeding water therethrough,

(f) whereby, heated water so fed therethrough heats said wallboard, which heats said room and

(g) cooled water so fed therethrough cools said wallboard, which cools said room.