Floor Heating
Effective Floor Heating
Radiant heating is the most popular in floor heating. It feels just great to step out of your bath on to a room with floor heat. The radiant floor heating systems work silently and effectively. Radiant floor heating is said to save up to 40 % off your heating bills.
In floor heating systems, the radiant floor heating system is unique because, unlike forced air heating, it does not raise dust and minimizes heat loss. Every time you open a door, there wont be a big difference in floor heat. Even if there is a little bit of a draft, you wont feel it. Electric radiant floor heating systems are also available and these work just like hydronic floor heat, warming you and the various objects in the room. They work with an adjustable thermostat to regulate the temperature to a comfortable level.
Radiant heating systems are of two types – electric and hydronic. You also have a choice of installation – which can be wet, where the concrete floor heating system is installed or dry, where the heating system is attached between two layers of sub flooring.
If you live in a very cold climate, you will need to supplement radiant heating with other equipment that can provide zone heating, unless your radiant heating system uses water heated by a heat pump, which could prove sufficient. Your choice will depend on whether your home is a new construction or an existing one and what kind of floor you plan to install. Electric floor heating is convenient when you have a tile or stone floor, as these are very easy to install. Fiberglass mesh backed matting with electric resistance cables provides electric floor heat. It is better to consult with an electrical contractor to know your electrical requirements since you may need a dedicated circuit and protection.
Hydronic radiant floor heat is an energy efficient way to heat your home. With dry radiant floor systems you can evenly heat the entire floor. This kind of radiant floor heating has rubber piping or PEX tubes that carry the heated water to warm the floor. Earlier, copper tubing was used for concrete floor radiant heat systems but the main problem was with corrosion. The present day PEX tubing is placed in loops under the floor, usually installed under a finished floor. It looks a lot better than other types of floor heating since you wont have any other equipment like heat registers and radiators in sight that could interfere with your décor.
