Radiant Floor Heating - A Very Comfortable and Cost Saving Alternative
It is no surprise that radiant floor heating is a great way of heating your home. Its popularity is steadily growing as people learn that not only is it the most comfortable way of heating, but is the most efficient way to save money. The warm flooring on a cold winter morning is more than likely enough to convince the majority of people that radiant floor heating is the best thing since sliced bread. However, once they learn how much can be saved in cost, most of the time there is no going back.
While comfort and cost are a pair of major advantages with this heating system, they are not the only ones. It makes no noise, none of the humming and whistling you get with some forced air systems. It’s also hardly noticeable, with no conspicuous vents. The house is better health-wise, since it doesn’t scatter dust particles or pollen or bacteria. Heating is equal and noiseless throughout the area no matter what the flooring. Then too, radiant heat usually doesn’t dry out your pores and your nasal passages.
In a radiant floor heating system warm water circulates through tubing beneath the floor. This turns the flooring into an efficient, low temperature radiator. Radiant floor heating concentrates the heat in the lower half of a room where it is most needed. Since heat is evenly distributed in the floor, the thermostat can be set 2 - 4 degrees lower than a forced air heating system which can reduce energy costs by 10 to 30%. Homes and building with high ceilings will save even more in heating expense as heat generated by forced air systems quickly rises to the top of these structures, where it is of little use. A radiant floor heating system radiates heat from the floor and delivers the heat evenly throughout the rooms.
Radiant floor heating is not very complex but there are some important pieces that anyone owning a system should be aware of: The Heating Source, The Boiler, The Pump and the Tubing. There are a number of possible heating sources that range from electricity to natural gas, propane, wood, oil, solar and many other heating sources. The boiler is the component that holds the water that will be heated. The boiler can be used for heating a hot tub, a pool, or the water in a home. The pump is used to move the water through tubing that is placed beneath the floor. Tubing is commonly placed directly in concrete, below wooden sub floors or on an actual sub floor of wood. The tubing may also be placed in pre-cast concrete or concrete slab-on-grade. Once the tubing is placed it is then covered with gypsum.
Once a homeowner makes a final decision to put in radiant floor heating system, choosing the correct installer is necessary. A few companies who design radiant floor heating system may also put in the system. A professional system designer and a professional system installer will work side by side and will know which components go good together, the capacities of different systems, special considerations for installations in your area, and manufacturers’ reliability and warranties. Every designer should do a room-by-room heat loss check of your home or building and also a step-by-step system sizing process.
Low cost and comfort are the two most attractive features of Radiant Floor Heating but there are other advantages. InFloor Heating is also quiet and clean.
- Dan Carter