Warm Up With In-Floor Heaters-In Floor Heating At Your Home
Having health problems because of dust and allergens? Or feeling stressed because of the unexplainable heat loss? If you do, try the radiant in floor heating system.
If you use a forced-air heating system, air is pulled out of the house, is heated and is blown back into your home. This causes the house to be pressurized, thus, making the air seep through small cracks and openings. This will not happen when you use in-floor heating system, since the radiant heat released is not under pressure. And so, the air and heat stays inside the confines of your house. Warm air escaping while you open the door should be the least of your worries. Expect that air currents from the outside will still be felt but this heating system quickly recovers to give your family the warmth you deserve.
Other than the air in the room, radiant in floor heaters warms the body and other objects in the room. So, even if you lower the temperature 2 or 3 degrees than the usual, you will still feel comfortable – something like standing under the sun on a freezing day!
Radiant heaters just provide heat. That’s it. No more, no less! In places with very warm climate, radiant in floor heaters are not advisable of course. Air conditioners will be of great help. But in these hot areas, radiant heating systems may still be helpful for heat pumps that supplies warm and soothing water.
When installing radiant in floor heating system, you have two options – electric or hydronic (water). You also have to decide whether the heater will be inserted in a concrete slab or lightweight concrete or fastened on top or beneath the subfloor or sandwiched between two layers of subflooring.
When deciding on the installation, you have to consider the following factors – construction, type of finish floor, energy costs and your own budget.
Some houses still have the “old school” radiant heating system – the hot water heating system. This includes a boiler and a system of pipes that transports heated water or steam to convectors or radiators. If you need tips or ideas on how to take good care or maintain this heating system, you may check out our section on “Repairing a Hot Water heating System”.