Adding a fireplace or more space heaters is not the only way to elevate the heating in your space. In the UK, where coats and mufflers are almost part of the fashion trends year in and year out, heating is considered a priority at home. Now, there is another innovative way to do it called Radiant Floor Heating. The way this heating method works is unusual but highly efficient. As opposed to forced air coming out of one small vent and trying to heat a huge area, Radiant floor heating is a brilliantly efficient heat-distribution system that makes use of the whole floor to heat your space.
Goodbye Old School Heating
How exactly does radiant floor heating work? This innovation in home heating provides warmth for a house from underneath the floors. With hydronics or water going through tubing in the floor – it’s an efficient but curious kind of method of heating. What makes this an efficient and cost-effective way to heat a house is that the water in the tubing radiates the heat into the structure. What is making Hydronics popular fast in residential homes is the flexible plastic tubing called PEX (polyurethane), which is durable tubing that has a lifespan of more than 100 years. It serpentines underneath the floor and uses the whole floor as a heat-distribution system.
The two reasons why new homeowners like this radiant heating system are comfort and efficiency. It’s an extremely effective method because the whole floor is used. Another reason why some homeowners prefer it is the aesthetic quality. The heating system remains hidden beneath the floor, meaning there are no vents or radiators in sight. Thus it has become a huge advantage when it comes to interior design.
What can be typically applied are three types of Radiant Flooring Systems. Radiant Air Floors, to begin with, do not hold a large amount of heat, and for this reason they are used mainly in commercial buildings. Secondly, the electrical Radiant Floors, on the other hand, do a great job of heating any kind of home, but they’re extremely expensive. Lastly, the Hydronic or Liquid Floors, often cost less and are therefore used more often in residential construction.
Heating It Like the Jetsons
When installing a radiant floor heating system, consider always that it is different from a traditional centralized heating system; thus, you may need to hire experts with experience in this area.
Wet or dry are the two main categories, which it can be broken down into, when deciding which one is best for your needs. Five steps of wet installations exist on the ground level and this installation is most commonly used in ground floor:
1. The area to be heated needs to be excavated. It will be the sub-base.
2. The base over which the rest of the floor system will lay, is created by adding a layer of insulation.
3. Rebar needs to be added to the space. Adding strength to the floor system is what it will do.
4. After adding it, tie the plastic tubing to the rebar for support.
5. Use concrete to create a slab foundation for the floor.
Dry installation, on the other hand, is most often used when installing a radiant floor heating system on the upper floors, or already laid concrete surfaces. Suspending the tubing or a mat with the tubes already in place, underneath the subfloor, between the joists, is the way this is usually done. Author is an expert on Heating and Heating Systems.
Tags: