Radiant Floor Heating
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Which Type Of Radiant Floor Heating Is Best For Me?
If you are looking to warm your floors with a radiant heat system, and have typed “radiant heat system” into a search engine, you might find yourself scratching your head at this point. There are dozens of products available to purchase, and there are even more companies telling you that their product is the best.
So which product is the best? Should you install a hydronic heating system that pumps hot water through your floors, an electric cable heating system, or a low voltage screen system? The answer lies in the type of project you are doing. Not every system is ideal for every project, but there is an ideal system for every project.
Hydronic Heating Systems
Hydronic floor heating is the oldest and most popular type of radiant floor heating. These systems are comprised of a boiler or hot water heater, pumps, manifolds, pex tubing, thermostat, and either gypcrete or wood panels. Hydronic heating is the most complex of all radiant heat systems. These systems require trained professionals to design and perform the installation. Your best economies of scale are achieved for hydronic systems in large areas or entire homes because of their expensive components and operational costs.
Hydronic systems can be installed under any type of flooring. Most hydronic systems require hot water tubing to be installed in a 2 to 4 inch bed of light concrete and are best installed during the initial construction because of its weight load demands and adjustments to floor height. Recent low-mass products have been developed to avoid these challenges by fitting the tubing into pre-cut wood panels making hydronic systems more convenient and possible for most major remodeling projects.
If you want to heat smaller areas like a bathroom or kitchen, a hydronic floor heating system may not be the best value for your project. The complexity and cost of installing the system, along with the long-term maintenance and up-keep required, is not worth the small amount you will save in operational costs.
Electric Cable Heating
Electric cable heating systems, often called line or high voltage systems, are gaining popularity and are ideal for heating smaller areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These systems are comprised of a thermostat and a heating cable. On some systems, the cable will be shipped to you as a large spool of cable. These systems are often times less expensive, and give you the ability to space the cable how you want and customize a layout that will heat every square inch of your floor. Other systems have the cable attached to a plastic mesh or tape to create a mat to maintain its proper spacing.
Every available cable system is equally effective, and so when determining which system to purchase, you should look at the warranty of the product, along with the ease of installation. Some cables must be embedded in a separate layer of concrete or mortar, whereas other systems can simply be installed in the thin set. Most cable systems can only be installed under tile. However, on others, if the cable is embedded in mortar or concrete, any flooring can be installed on top of the concrete. When heating smaller areas, it is nearly impossible to beat the simplicity and price of an electric cable heating system.
Low-Voltage Screen
Finally, there are low-voltage radiant heat systems. These systems are ideal for mid-size to larger areas and are comprised of a control box, transformer, heating screen or cable, and thermostat. The main advantage to a low-voltage screen system is the extremely low profile of the heating element. Zmesh is a 12 inch wide bronze-wired mesh that resembles screen door material. This mesh is practically paper thin and does not buildup floors during the installation. Zmesh can be installed directly under any type of flooring including hardwood, tile, and carpet. Whereas most cable systems must be installed on top of the concrete board when installing tile, Zmesh can be installed underneath it. These systems are easy to install and don’t require maintenance like a hydronic system.
Radiant heat technology has made significant advances over the years and is an excellent way to supplement your existing heating system or be your sole source of heat. One good way to be assured that you’re being sold the best system for your project is to buy from a company that offers all of the available types of radiant heat.
Warmzone, Inc. is one company who carries various types of radiant systems and is dedicated to specifying the product that makes the most sense for each individual job. Without a bias towards one system they have become a consumer advocate in the radiant industry and will save you time and money. Warmzone has already done the research and has selected to only work with the best products on the market. Because they are a large nation-wide wholesaler, they can offer you the best pricing by selling to you direct. You can receive a free estimate for your project by submitting a request at www.warmzone.com or calling them at 1-888-488-WARM.
Warmzone, Inc. is one company who carries various types of radiant systems and is dedicated to specifying the product that makes the most sense for each individual job. Without a bias towards one system they have become a consumer advocate in the radiant industry and will save you time and money. Warmzone has already done the research and has selected to only work with the best products on the market. Because they are a large nation-wide wholesaler, they can offer you the best pricing by selling to you direct. You can receive a free estimate for your project by submitting a request at www.warmzone.com or calling them at 1-888-488-WARM.
What's So Great About Radiant Floor Heating Systems?
For a long time, the radiant floor heating has been the most preferred system in many homes. This is because of the reliable and thorough heat it provides to a home and the people living in it. With heat provided from the ground, families are guaranteed the sufficient warmth they need during the cold season.
Radiant heating systems supply heat to the flooring or to the wall panels or ceiling. From the source, heat is directly transferred to the people and objects in the room through heat radiation also known as infrared radiation.
This process is considered to be more efficient than baseboard heating and forced-air heating as no energy escapes while it goes through the ducts. It is also beneficial to people with allergies as no moving air is involved.
Radiant heating that uses the water system or the hydronic type has an edge as it consumes less electricity. It can also use different energy sources such as the boilers fueled by gas, oil or wood, solar water heaters or a combination of these. As for the floor covering, the most commonly used is the ceramic tile as it's a very effective conductor of heat. Other suitable materials are vinyl, wood, linoleum sheet and carpeting.
Different types
There are actually three types of radiant floor heat - the radiant air floors, electric radiant floors and hydronic or hot water radiant floors. The installation of these types also varies.
Radiant air floors are not commonly used in homes but they can be used together with solar air heating systems. The only downside is that they can only be used during the day.
The electric radiant floors involve the use of electric cables installed on the floor. The latest innovation is the mat type with plastic that are electrically conductive and is rolled out on the subfloor beneath the flooring. They can cost less if using a thermal mass such as thick concrete flooring. The role of the thermal mass here is to store heat in a home lasting from eight to 10 hours without need for any electrical input. This, therefore, translates to more savings to homeowners.
Hydronic radiant floors are also referred to as the liquid systems. This type is considered the most popular and cost effective as well. In this system, heated water is pumped from a boiler going through tubing laid in a certain pattern under the floor. There are some systems involving zoning valves or pumps and thermostats which allow homeowners to control the temperature in each room by regulating the hot water's flow through the tubing.
Installation process
Installing radiant heating systems can either be wet or dry. The wet type of installation is the oldest form and involves cables or tubing embedded within a solid floor such as a slab, gypsum or other materials placed on top of a subfloor.
The dry floor features cables or tubing running in an air space underneath the floor. This type has also been gaining popularity as it is quicker and less costly to install. This, however, requires heating at higher temperatures because it entails heating an air space. Another variation in dry installations requires suspending the tubing or cables below the subfloor between the joists. This involves more work, though, as drilling needs to be done through the floor joists to be able to install the tubing.
Whether building a new home or renovating your present home, it's important to consult a professional before deciding on what type of radiant floor heating to use.
This article is brought to you by HomeHeatingSystemHelp.com. Learn more about home heating systems like radiant heat, and solar heating.
Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating How Does It Work?
So, you're sold on the idea of radiant floor heating. Of course the question becomes "What type of system do I get?" Radiant floor heating comes in three varieties: electric, hydronic , and air based systems. The hydronic system is the most popular, for reasons that will be revealed shortly.
The "how" of hydronic radiant floor heating is fairly straightforward. A boiler heats up water, which is pumped through your house. This water flows through a network of tubing that sits just underneath your floor, radiating the heat outwards, giving you a nice, consistent heat that is the trademark of the radiant floor heating systems.
This method makes for quite an efficient system. In fact, hydronic systems are the most popular radiant floor heating systems on the marker. Since liquid holds and stores heat quite efficiently, hydronic systems uses less energy than almost any other heating system. However, since you'll need a boiler, a plumbing system, and installation underneath the floor, they aren't easy to install. In fact, they are quite a pain unless you're building a new house or an addition, in which case they can be a great option.
Keep in mind that you're not going to be getting any cooling from this system. If you need cooling, you'll need to look for alternate methods, such as forced air, or evaporative coolers. These can coexists peacefully with in floor heating, so don't worry. Just something to consider.
There are two types of hydronic systems available. The traditional "wet" system embeds the tubing into a concrete slab on the floor, which makes it quite efficient, since the concrete slab will absorbs heat and continually radiate it outwards throughout the day.
A "dry" system puts the tubes underneath the floor framing. A series of reflectors and diffusers help contain and diffuse the heat evenly. These systems are great if you don't have or don't want to deal with a concrete slab, but they aren't quite as efficient. They are still a good option, though, if your situation demands it.
If you are building or renovating your house, and you want to try a new, luxurious heating system, be sure to look into radiant floor heating. Because of it many advantages, you just might find that it becomes your favorite thing about your house. Talk to a professional today to learn about this great heating system. Thanks for reading.
David Wilson is the man behind the Radiant Floor Heating Guide Visit the site to learn more about the various types of radiant floor heating, including hydronic radiant floor heating
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