With water I would install a pipe loop in my wood stove, one side the inlet, the other the outlet, and just stick a cheap fountain pump in the pipe on the inlet side of the loop, (so the water would not be as hot going into the pump, and it would be pushing the cooler water into the heat source), and tell it to go to work.
My concern with using antifreeze is the environmental issues. It does eventually stop being antifreeze and you have to replace it. It is pretty toxic to animals and kids, I don't think most adults would be tempted, but it has a sweet taste I have been told. It is also hard to get off of your slab if you spill it, and it is very slick.
I wouldn't want to put it in my slab unless I had some kind of a closed system, and then I have a whole different set of issues to deal with. I have not really thought it out from that angle.
According to the EPA antifreeze only lasts 2 to 3 years... but with chemical additives I can extend its life from 150,000 miles to 600,000 miles. I wonder what kind of mileage I can get in a yurt? A little info here, but not very helpful; their main concern is heavy and toxic metal contamination, probably not an issue in this application.
Antifreeze Common Wastes & Materials | US EPA
Maybe with a non-pressurized system, sort of like the master cylinder in your car, a high reservoir before the pump letting out air bubbles and feeding a no-pressurized system you could monitor levels and feed that into a low pressure/high volume pump; hmm it is beginning to sound interesting and very possible.
Perhaps combining the heat supply with a water jacket on a wood stove would give a separated semi-closed system, and give you a heat exchanger into the slab, and potable hot water at the same time. I think that could be desirable whether you used slab heat with water or with antifreeze.
So many things to think about and so little time, space, money, hahaha, but I think even to have the ideas to play with is great.
Rod
Rod
yurtlocker.com
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