Radiant Floor Heat
Featured Articles from Home Heating Heaters
Is Radiant Floor Heating More Efficient?
With a lot of talk lately about doing more for the environment and being more efficient, the question has arisen about the efficiency of radiant floor heating. Here's what I've learned.
According to the US Dept of Energy's website radiant floor heating is efficient in several ways. It's more efficient than baseboard heat, and since there is no energy lost through ducts it's usually more efficient than standard heating systems. Additionally, since there is less air moving it tends to be nicer to people with allergies as there are less particles being circulated through the air.
There are three main types of radiant floor heat radiant air floors electric radiant floors and hot water radiant floors. The best option for you will depend on the construction of your home, whether it's a new build or a remodeling project and whether you prefer electric over water heat. Electricity has been more expensive lately so it may not be the most cost effective option for you unless you're able to generate your own electricity through solar panels, as some of the more industrious families are starting to do.
From a comfort standpoint radiant heat has many advantages. Since it heats from the bottom up and heat rises, everything is warm on the floor and that heat seeps into the furniture. This means that any secondary heating systems you have won't have to work nearly as hard to keep your home warm since the the items within it are also putting off heat of their own. The floor will be warm when you get up in the morning and your entire house will be comfy and cozie and the heat works it way through everything from the floor to the furniture to the walls.
For more information on radiant floor heat please visit our website.
The Beauty Of Radiant Floor Heating
Imagine how great it would be if you rolled out of bed on a sub zero day and your feet landed on a warm floor. Imagine getting out of the shower and your floor was warm and toasty. Now imagine that your heating utility bill is 20% cheaper each month because the furniture inside your home is warm and is radiating heat all around you. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? It's entirely possible with radiant floor heating.
The system is highly efficient because your home is heated from the bottom up and warms everything touching it as well. It's becoming extremely popular in new construction since it can easily be installed before the floors are put in, but you can also install it in existing homes. Its also a healthier form of heat because it doesn't blow allergens around your home.
The system works best under floors of wood, granite, tile and marble. Its ok under carpet, but since carpeting is already warmer than hard floors you don't notice it quite as much. Hard floors are known for being cold under your feet and with radiant floor heat they will be toasty warm all the time. It takes approximately a full day for the heat to get completely circulated, but once it's done you'll never be without again.
There are three primary systems available. Hydronic heating is the most popular and oldest type. They're more suitable for bigger areas as the components are a bit pricey. Electric cable heating are good for areas up to 300 sq feet and involve a heating cable that you can space out in your own design and can easily heat the entire floor. Low voltage systems are best for medium areas of 300 to 3000 sq feet. It's ideal if you have a small space under the floor as its nearly paper thin and doesn't require you to raise the floor or experience any bulging.
For more information on radiant floor heating and installing radiant floor heating please visit our instructional website.
Electric Vs Hydronic Radiant Heat
If you've decide warm floors would be nice and you are thinking of installing a radiant heat system, you already know it's not quite that simple. If you've typed radiant heat into Google you may become quickly confused at all of the options. Which is best? Electric radiant heat or hydronic radiant heat. The answer depends on what type of project you are doing.
Each system has a type of installation that it's best suited for. So let's have look at both electric radiant heat and hydronic radiant heat.
Hydronic radiant heat is actually the oldest of the radiant floor heating systems and it still remains the most popular. The system is made up of a boiler or hot water heater, manifolds, pumps, thermostat, pex tubing, and either gypcrete or wood panels.
Although hydronic radiant heat is the most popular it is also the most complex system requiring professionals to both design and install the system. Hydronics can be installed under any flooring type. But the biggest challenge has always been getting the hot water tubing installed in the light concrete bed and sometimes the floor height must be adjusted. Recently there have been some new products that are both lightweight and allow the tubes to be fitted into pre-cut wood panels that make the entire installation much easier.
If you want to heat a small area like a kitchen or bath, then hydronic radiant heat is not always the best choice. This is a cost and complex system that has long-term maintenance and thus is much more suited to installation into a larger area. Smaller areas are more suited to electric radiant heat.
Electric radiant heat is quite often called a line voltage system and they are really gaining in popularity recently and it is perfect for areas up to 300 square feet like kitchens, sunrooms, and bathrooms. The system is made up of heating cable and a thermostat. These systems are considerably less expensive and the way they are installed allows you to lay the install out just how you like it. You can even cover every inch of the floor if you like.
All cable systems have the same effectiveness, which leaves you with examining other elements before you make your choice. Consider warranty as well as how easy the installation process is, and of course price.
One last system, which we'll briefly mention, is the low voltage radiant heat, which is perfect for areas ranging from 300 to 3000 square feet. This is a very low profile system. It's beginning to catch on and one reason it's appealing is the size range it can be used on. It uses a 12" wide wire mesh that looks like the material used in a screen door. The appeal is because it's so thin that it means there is no big problem with having enough clearance or having to install into concrete. Rather the mesh installs directly to the tile, carpet, or hardwood.
Now that you have a lot more information on electric radiant heat and hydronic radiant heat, you are in a much better position to decide what's right for you.
Terry Fitzroy is a professional author and heating specialist with expertise in radiant heating, in-floor heating and radiant floor heating.
Radiant Heat New Construction
Radian heat has become very popular in today's new home construction in cold climates. Once again I'm going to share some of my experience with my own house and others that we have recently built for customers. Radiant heat offers both energy savings along with comforts for home owners.
There are many different types of radiant heat systems on the market today but I will only discuss one of them that I'm quite familiar with. The new homes that we build with radiant heat utilize one of three boiler types high efficiency gas boiler by Weil McLain, direct vent oil boiler by Buderus, or a high efficiency gas on demand boiler by Rinnai. Each of these boiler systems provide a high efficiency option for our customers depending on their choice of fuel and preferences.
The system is quite simple, the basement slabs have PEX tubing looped throughout the slab and tied to the reinforcing steel. Each loop runs back to a manifold and hot water from the boiler is pumped through the tubing to heat up the slab and "radiate" throughout the space. The main floor of the house is heated by running rubber or PEX tubing between the joists and stapled to the bottom side of the floor sheathing. Each of these loops is again run to another manifold which allows warm water to be pumped through the tubes thus warming the floor and causing it to "radiate" heat to the floor above.
In my new house we even ran tubing to the second floor for each of the bathrooms so we have nice warm tile to stand on. Radiant works well with concrete slabs, tile floors and engineered wood floors. You should check with the manufacturer of any flooring material prior to installation to make sure it is compatible with radiant heat.
Radiant heat produces a much more even temperature and an incredible warm feeling on your feet. By producing the steady even temperature the system actually will use less energy trying to overcome the up and down swings of a traditional heating system. Many statistics suggest that radiant heat can be as much as 20% cheaper to run than traditional heat systems. On average my experience has shown that the radiant heat system will cost approximately 20% to 30% more to purchase and install. However, the comfort alone is well worth the price and over time it should easily pay for itself.
Wirsbo has some great information about radiant heat at their web site. If you're interested in more information about the details we typically use in our homes see my website at http:--homeconstructionimprovement.blogspot.com
Todd Fratzel, P.E. is a building superintendent for a construction firm in New Hampshire. In addition to supervising the construction of new homes Todd is a registered professional engineer in the New Hampshire and Massachusetts and has an extensive back ground in building structures. For additional articles like this one see his blog at http://www.homeconstructionimprovement.com
More Articles from Home Heating and Heaters
This Type of Home Heating is Radiant, Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating Heat Your Home With Radiant Flooring
radiant floor Radiant Floor Heat, Cost Efficient Heating Solutions With Radiant Floor Heating Systems
radiant heat Radiant-Floor-Heat-1, Radiant Floor Heat Is The Best Kind Of Heat
radiant floor Radiant Floor Heating, Electric Radiant Floor Heating
radiant heat
