Radiant Floor Heating
Featured Articles from Home Heating Heaters
Comparing Heating Systems Review Of Ways To Heat Your Home
Do you need to upgrade the heating system in your old home? Are you buying a new home which needs an additional heating system? Are you wondering which unit to buy?
To assist you in comparing heating systems, let’s review some basic information.
Understand the cost of running hot and cold water depends upon three factors: How efficient does the system consume fuel? What is the cost of the fuel? How do you operate the system? The mistake most homeowners make is to leave their hot and cold water running all the time. The boiler, then, is constantly running to heat the home. Therefore, this is not a cost-effective method. Unless it is outrageously cold, the hot water and heating should stay on for more than nine hours a day.
Most apartment dwellers use electric plug-in heaters, or gas fires are very expensive and quite an inefficient way to heat your home. Generally, portable heaters should be relegated to one room and central heating for an entire home. Keep in mind, portable heaters can be dangerous. You may want to consider an alternative method. If you opted for central heating, keep the temperature high in the rooms you use most, and low in the rooms you use least.
If you are like many of us, you may have radiators in your home or apartment. Have you ever heard the sizzle of the heat as it comes up to your radiator, but notice that the top of the radiator is cold? Actually, this represents loss of heat. The reason is because the radiator needs to be bled. Contact a professional for this task, since the heat needs to be turned off to avoid scalding.
Dee Cohen is a website owner and publisher at http://www.heating-help.com . Stop by to learn more about Comparing Heating Systems and staying warm.
Radiant Floor Heat: It Warms Your Soles But It Doesn't Empty Your Pockets
There is no doubt that radiant floor heating is a superior method of heating your home. Its popularity is steadily increasing as people discover that not only is it the most comfortable form of heating, but also the most cost efficient.
Though comfort and cost are the two biggest benefits of this heating system there are many others:
-Silent operation – no hum or whistle of a forced air system.
-Inconspicuousness of the system – you don’t see vents or air blowing.
-A healthier home – forced air systems can spread dust, pollen, and germs.
-Even, quiet warmth: even with wood, tile, or uncovered concrete floors.
-Also, radiant heat is less likely to dry out your breathing passages and skin.
The warmth of the floor on a cold winter morning would probably be enough to convince a lot of people that radiant floor heating is the best thing since sliced bread. However, after discovering the cost savings, there is usually no going back.
Radiant floor heating concentrates the heat in the lower half of a room where the human body needs it most. Since heat is evenly distributed in the floor, the thermostat can be set 2 – 4° less than a forced air heating system. This can reduce energy cost by 10-30%. Homes and building with high ceiling will save even more in heating costs as heat generated by forced air systems quickly rises to the top of these structures, where it is of little use.
Whereas a forced air system delivers heat which quickly rises to the ceiling – a radiant floor heating system radiates heat from the floor and delivers the heat evenly throughout the rooms.
In a radiant floor heating system warm water circulates through tubing beneath the floor. This turns the flooring into an efficient, low temperature radiator.
Though Radiant Floor heating is not a complicated system, there are components which are required, and that the homeowner should be aware of – The Heating Source, The Boiler, The Pump and the Tubing.
The heating source can be electricity, solar, natural gas, propane, oil, wood, or any other heating source.
The boiler, with a certified efficiency rating houses the water to be heated. This same boiler can also be used to heat the pool, snow melting, heating a hot tub, or and domestic hot water needs.
A Pump is required to circulate the water though the tubing located under the floor.
The tubing for a radiant floor heating system is located either in the concrete, under wood subfloors, or on a subfloor of wood, precast concrete or concrete slab-on-grade, then covered with gypsum.
Once a homeowner makes the decision to install radiant floor heating system, contacting the right installer is imperative.
Some companies who design radiant floor heating systems may also install the system.
A qualified System Designer and a qualified System Installer will work together and know which components work well together, capacities of various systems, special considerations for installations in your area, and manufacturers’ warranties and reliability.
The designer should do a room-by-room heat loss analysis of your home or building done as well as a step-by-step system sizing process.
Harvey Juric, ICF Consultant and CEO of ICFhome.ca is a custom home builder in southern Ontario. He has been in the home construction industry for the past 30 years performing a wide variety of tasks related to the building trades. As one of the pioneers of the Insulated Concrete Form industry, he formed ICFhome.ca to take advantage of, at that time, emerging new construction techniques that promised stronger and better and more energy efficient homes.
For more information about the model home, Insulated Concrete Forms, or Radiant Floor Heating contact ICFhome.ca by telephone 519 843-7612, or visit their web sites at Ontario Home Builder, Luxury Home or Repairing/Building Contractor.com
Use Electric Heat Units For Easy And Fast Heating
Electric heat units or electric heaters are, by far, the most popular heating systems. You can use electric heat units for interior jobs as well as outdoor jobs, and any place where you have a steady supply of electricity.
Following are the advantages of electric heat units-electric heaters Electric heaters, unlike fuel-fired heaters, can be left unattendedElectric heaters run as long as it gets a steady supply of electricity. You need not refuel it at frequent intervals. Electric heaters are environmentally friendly, as it has no other by-product than heat. All electric heaters come with built-in safety features include…thermostats, extreme cut-out switches , etc Nowadays, electric heat systems are available with a variety of additional options for different types of usages. You can find 10KW electric heaters to heat up a small room, 15 KW electric heaters, 30 KW electric heaters, portable electric heat units for tents, camps, battery operated electric heaters, customized industrial electric heaters, electric heat units with adjustable thermostats, heaters that can be switched to fan-only operation, and electric heating units that are devised specially for home use. The 10 KW, 240 Volt is a standard configuration mostly used in private homes and offices. You can opt for heaters that come with a cable, and those that have standard range outlet for emergency heating and drying.
For best results, use electric heaters only in enclosed areas where ceiling height is not more than 15 feet. For safe results, by electric heaters that are certified or quality approved. A lot of cheap variants are available in the market, which are neither tested for quality nor for safety, leading to the possibility of fire hazards. Refrain from buying such products as it is your safety, which is finally important.
Myself webmaster of http://www.heatersales.com offers electric heater, adjustable temperature control, high Priority, heater rental, temporary heat, portable heat, less priority, electric heat
Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter Overlooked Sources Of Heat Loss In The Home
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long – the heat loss, cold drafts, and wasted energy! Well if your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and-or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home!
These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in – costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy.
Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. We apply caulk and weatherstripping to these areas to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.
But what can you do about the three largest “holes” in your home – the folding attic stair, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.
Attic Stairs:
Do you have a folding attic stairway in your house? When attic stairs are installed, a large hole is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed. And what is installed to cover this opening? A thin, unsealed, un-insulated sheet of plywood!
Did you know that your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors? In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood!
Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the door. Try this yourself: at night when it is dark, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door - do you see any light coming through? These are gaps - which add up to a large opening where your heated-cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year! This is like leaving a window open all year round!
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.
Fireplaces:
Approximately 100 million homes in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home especially during the winter home-heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers!
Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing! One remarkable research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating energy consumption by 30%!
A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter just due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces!
Why Does a Home With a Fireplace Have Higher Heating Bills? Hot air rises! Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when your warm heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw - sucking the heated air from your house. This is like leaving a window open all year round!
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. A fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.
Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts:
Have you ever noticed that the room containing your clothes dryer is the coldest room in your house? Ever wonder why? Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house, while your heated air just pours right out!
Dryer vents use a sheet metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open. This is like leaving a window open all year round!
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal! A dryer vent seal will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint, and moisture to escape.
If your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and-or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. At Battic Door, we have developed low-cost, green solutions to these and other energy-conservation related issues. For more information please visit our website www.batticdoor.com or send a S.A.S.E. to P.O. Box 15, Mansfield, MA 02048.
We manufacture and distribute low-cost, high-value, air-leakage control energy conservation products for the three largest intentional openings in the house - the fireplace, the clothes dryer exhaust duct, and the pull-down attic stair.
Our customers are homeowners, weatherization firms and programs, municipals, utilities and contractors. We also sell our product at a wholesale discount to distributors.
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