Radiant Floor HeatingClean, Constant, Warm & Invisible!A heating system that you don't hear or see is the best one you could have in your home! This definitely describes radiant heat to a "T"! No noxious air filled with dust, bacteria, mold spores, animal hair, etc., blowing around to cause health problems. The air you breath will be CLEAN!
No noisy fans turning on and off or up and down temperatures to deal with. No floor vents to lose heat through and collect grim in. No filters to change or clean and no furnace repairs!
With radiant floor heat these issues are eliminated... Radiant heat may well be the "perfect" heating source/system for most consumers and for most situations, there are always exceptions...
PROS & CONSYet with all of it's advantages will it really be more efficient, and cost less to operate, compared to conventional heating systems? NOT always! For it to work as efficiently as possible, a house must be insulated differently for radiant floor heating. Depending on how well a house is insulated, a radiant system can be 30-40 percent more efficient than forced-air heating... Boilers and other expensive equipment are needed to operate hot-water radiant floor heating systems, and if you buy the wrong type it will shorten the life of the equipment and possibly damage your house, too! BUT, this is the way to go if costs aren't a concern. Most radiant floor heating systems are "custom built" or "retrofitted". They are built piece-by-piece to fit your specific needs. Radiant floors are affected by floor coverings! To overcome any problems on the heat output they may have, your system must be engineered to work with your floor coverings. More importantly, the effect the heating system will have on the flooring material must always be taken into consideration. Most flooring materials are compatible with floor heating systems, but some are NOT. ALWAYS check with the flooring manufacturer first before installing radiant heat underneath your floors.
How It WorksResidential radiant floor setups are either hot-water tubing or electric cables designed specifically for placing underneath your flooring. The tubings or cables supply the warmth that create invisible waves of thermal radiation that rise up and warm the objects it comes in contact with along the way (like floor tiles). These objects radiate the captured heat and fill the space with an even blanket of heat. Temperatures can reach up to 85 degrees with radiant heat. Although the warm air still rises, it is evenly distributed over the entire floor. The coolest air will stay up at the ceiling, and the warm air stays down below where you need it...
Types Of Radiant Heating SystemsHydronic systems (also called "hot-water") are the most popular, efficient and cost-effective radiant heating systems. From a boiler, heated water is pumped through a loop pattern of tubing put down underneath the floor. Zoning valves, thermostats or pumps are used to regulate the flow of hot water passing through the tubing, while controlling the temperature in the process... Electric radiant floors made of electric cables are quite efficient, especially in small areas like a bathroom. For larger areas it may be too expensive to operate unless your utility company offers special rates for different times of the day. Also available are pre-made mats of electrically conductive plastic. This type of system is practical in small areas, like a bathroom, or house additions if tying into an existing system is too costly. Air heated radiant floors are inefficient and not at all cost-effective in residential settings. The heat carrying agent is air, and air cannot hold large amounts of heat. Combining this type of system with another air-heating system is tedious and outrageously expensive, not to mention it would reduce the efficiency of radiant floor heat significantly...
CostsHot-water radiant is the most expensive to install... anywhere from $6-$15 sq/ft, it all depends on the method, where you live and if your retrofitting or starting from scratch. Electric radiant is substantially less to install... from $2-$6 sq/ft, and the same criteria as hot-water radiant applies, method, etc... but the cost to operate it may cost more, depending on the cost of electricity in your area. Air-heated radiant costs differ dramatically. Generally it is combined with another heating source such as solar. Because there are many variables with this kind of floor heat, concrete cost information is not available at this time. One thing is certain, once your radiant floor heating system is up and running you'll find there is no comparison when it comes to comfort! You can count on it!
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