Tag: hvac
Hydronic In Floor Radiant Heat: How It Works
by GrantS on Jan.10, 2009, under Home Improvement
So, you’re convinced radiant floor heating is the way to go. Of course the question is now “What sort of system do I get?” In floor radiant heat comes in several configurations: electric, hydronic (liquid), and air based systems. The hydronic system is the most popular, for reasons that will be revealed shortly.
The “how” of hydronic in floor radiant heatis fairly straightforward. Water is boiled, and moved 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. As it turns out, hydronic system dominate the in floor radiant heat market. Because of the efficiency of liquid in holding and storing heat, hydronic based systems are quite energy efficient compared to other options. 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. Something to think about.
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. If you don’t have a concrete slab, these systems work great, but aren’t as efficient. These can still be a good choice if they work for your situation.
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. Thank you for your interest.