radiant floor heating Archives - Ontario Home Builders

There is no doubt that radiant floor heat is a healthier and more cost efficient way to heat your home.

An energy-efficient in floor heating system should lower your energy bills and save you money. And since radiant heat floor maintains a surface temperature of 85-90 degrees, most people set their thermostat lower (68 degrees) instead of the average 72 degrees with forced air. Plus, with more moderate heat, air doesn’t become as dry or as statically charged.

Not to mention, you also get the added advantage of a quiet heating system that doesn’t ping or hiss, and you never have to look at those eyesores like heating registers, vents or baseboard heaters.

Yes, a radiant heat flooring system is certainly one of the most natural ways to create a cozy environment with a stable and efficient heat source.

1. What is radiant floor heating?

Radiant floor heating is a comfortable and efficient form of heating where warm water circulates through flexible, specially designed tubing (PEX) installed under the floor. The heat radiates evenly up through the floor, warming people and objects in the room and providing more comfort for less money.

2. What are the major components of a radiant floor heating system?

Radiant floor heating systems will vary depending upon the needs of the client. However, there are similarities in most systems. All radiant floor heating systems have a heat source to heat the water. Most systems use either a natural gas or a propane boiler. The water is then circulated to the floors in the building through piping or tubing.

The flow of the water is managed through a variety of mechanisms such as circulating pumps and zone valves which are directed by the thermostat to send the hot water to the zones that are cold.

3. Can other types of hot water driven equipment be used with a radiant floor?

Yes. Hydronic heating encompasses much more than radiant floors. ICFhome.ca can also design, provide and install hot water baseboards, hot water radiators, hot water towel racks, and fan convectors. These devices may be used for a number of reasons, including aesthetics, increased comfort, or lower cost.

4. How does the building construction affect the design and performance of the heating system?

Naturally, the construction of a building significantly affects the performance of the heating system. For example, a poorly insulated home will require a heating system to provide a much greater output of heat to maintain comfortable living temperatures. Similarly, a home that has a large number of windows with southern exposure may require less heat in rooms that receive a great deal of passive solar heat.

It is important for the ICFhome.ca sales representative to know all of your building plans to design a custom heating system according to your needs and desires.

5. Can hydronic heating be used for ice removal and snow melting?

Yes. However, you must understand what is involved in melting snow and ice. First of all, it requires a lot of energy to do the job (around 110 -150 BTu’s/sq. ft. vs. 25-30 to heat a typical house).

Second, it takes quite some time to bring the surface temperature high enough to melt snow and ice, from a cold slab. If you have the time to wait, fine, but in critical areas, the slab must be held in an idle condition, closer to 30 deg. F., until melting is needed. This is usually done with a snow and ice sensor to turn the system on. Again, there is an energy cost to hold this idle condition.

6. Can I put a radiant floor on the top floor in my house?

Yes. You can put a radiant floor on the upper floors of any building using a couple of different methods. You can pour a lightweight concrete over the tubing on the upper floors. This adds to the weight of the upper floors and may need to be compensated for in construction. You can also put radiant floor pipe between joists on the top floor.

7. What makes radiant floor heating so comfortable?

Unlike traditional heating systems that just warm the air, radiant heat warms the floor and the objects in contact with the floor. The entire floor distributes a consistent, even, and quiet heating. There are no drafts, and radiant floor heating takes the chill out of cold tile, marble, and wood floors.

8. Can the floor get too hot?

No. A properly designed Radiant Floor Heating system will deliver comfortable warmth that’s a pleasure to walk on – especially in bare feet! If additional heat is needed to satisfy the heat load, extra warmth can easily be added by installing radiant walls and ceilings.

9. If I have radiant floor heating, can I still have air conditioning?

Sure you can. In fact, separate heating and cooling systems make the most sense. Radiant floor heating keeps the heat near the floor where it does the most good; and air conditioning ductwork is usually placed high up the wall where it is needed to cool your home. The result is optimal comfort and efficiency all year ’round.

10. Is radiant floor heating more expensive than the alternatives?

Yes. It will cost more to install; however it’s important to remember that radiant floor heating can save 20 to 40 percent on your heating bills and significantly increase the resale value of your home. That, plus the increased comfort, makes it worth the extra dollars for initial installation.

11. We’ve got allergies. Can a Radiant Floor System help?

For many, this is a resounding “Yes!” Our radiant heat system has no drafts, fans or blowers to circulate dust, dirt, and other allergens throughout your home. Warm Radiant Floors can eliminate the need for carpeting that is a breeding ground for dust mites, a very common cause of allergic respiratory disease. The result is a clean, healthy environment—a must for people with allergies.

12. What rooms will benefit the most from a radiant heating system?

The main living areas: dining rooms, family rooms, living rooms, kitchens, and baths. These are the rooms that we spend the most time in, either sitting or standing in one spot, for extended periods of time.

13. How much fuel will a radiant heated building use compared to other types of heating systems?

Depending on the type of heat you are comparing it to, it can cost approximately 30% less to heat a building with a radiant floor heating system. And of course, the other benefit being that you will be much more comfortable while spending less on your heating bill.

14. What happens if radiant floor freezes?

One potential drawback to using water in a heating system is the potential for damage due to freezing. This could occur if the heating system failed or was switched off during extremely inclement weather. The heating system would need to be off for several days for most houses to freeze.

Portions of a hydronic heating system may freeze should it be poorly designed or installed in a manner that it is not sufficiently protected from the elements. However, it is common practice to add antifreeze and corrosion inhibitors to the heating system to prevent any problems of this sort.

ICFhome.ca provides heat transfer fluid. It is a non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze, formulated with corrosion inhibitors specifically for heating systems. When mixed with water in concentrations of 50% by volume, propylene glycol will provide freeze protection down to -35° Celsius.

15. What kinds of floor treatments can I use over a radiant floor?

You can use any floor treatment you want. Radiant floor heat is compatible with tile, linoleum, carpeting, hardwood floors, etc. The only concern is that you are careful when nailing anything into the floor, so you do not puncture the tubes that circulate the water.

16. How long will a radiant floor last?

A radiant floor will easily last the life of the building or longer when properly designed and installed.

Invisible, Clean, Quiet, Efficient and Dependable – Living With Radiant Floor Heating is One of Life’s Simple Pleasures

In Ontario, forced air heat is still the most popular because of its low installation costs. However, it is the most expensive type of heat to operate and the least comfortable.

When a forced air furnace comes on, a blast of warm air blows into the room for a short time, spreads through the room, carrying dust, pollen, and other air-born pollutants with it.

It continues until the thermostat is satisfied. The warmer air rises to the ceiling, leaving cooler air below. As the room cools, the thermostat calls for the cycle to repeat.

Living in a house with radiant floor heating can almost make you forget that it’s winter outside.

There is no other heating system as comfortable. Heated floors deliver warmth to the skin and clothing without overheating and drying out the surrounding air.

Radiant floor heating heats objects, not air, to provide superior comfort. People are surrounded by radiant warmth, and the air temperature is uniform from floor to ceiling.

Many radiant heating systems operate by heating up a mass, commonly the floor. By pumping heated water through tubing or pipes in, or attached to the floor, heat is conducted from the tubing to the floor.

The floor then becomes a heated mass, which radiates its heat to warm all bodies and objects above it. These objects, in turn, re-radiate the heat, heating other bodies in the room.

Since radiant floor heating warms bodies first; less energy is needed than with heating systems that heat the air to warm the bodies.

The temperature of the floor, in most cases, is dictated by the outdoor temperature. If you wanted to maintain a room temperature of 70 degrees F, the floor surfaces temperature can range from 72 degrees F on a mild day to 85 degrees F on a cold day. The colder it gets outside, the warmer the floor will become.

The floor should never feel hot. When a lot of heat is not needed the floor will feel “neutral” – neither cold nor warm. On cold days, the floors will feel warmer, the colder it gets outside.

With radiant floor heat, you can put the heavy socks and slippers away in the middle of winter. However, the floor never becomes so warm, that it would be uncomfortable to wear shoes.

History – Even Old Romans Knew What Was Good For Them:

During the days of the Roman Empire, a sophisticated system of fires were built under the great stone floors of their bathhouses. This kept the floors and the rooms warm so the patrons could lounge in luxury beside the pool.

The Koreans have done the same for thousands of years with their homes. They have a fire pit under one end of the house and direct the heated air and smoke under the floor of the house and up a chimney on the other side.

Great stones placed under the house in the path of the heated air retain the heat and continue to keep the floor warm throughout the night after the fire has gone out.

In North America radiant floor systems have continued to be used over the years on a limited basis, it was not until the advent of synthetic rubber and plastic tubing suitable for the job that there began a renewed interest in radiant floor heating.

Since the interest was rekindled in the late seventies and early eighties, a new industry has grown up around radiant floor heating. People are rediscovering the extreme comfort and energy efficiency of this type of heat.

When Does it Make Sense?

The cost-effectiveness of new technologies and construction techniques has made the comfort of radiant heating affordable and adaptable to almost any situation.

It especially makes sense in houses and small commercial buildings with conventional levels of insulation and standard insulated glass windows—especially those in climates with minimal cooling loads—where the extra comfort of radiant heat is desired, and the budget allows.
In buildings with large open spaces and tall ceilings.
In buildings where air-flushing is common, such as garages, fire stations, airplane hangars, and industrial areas (because the large-area radiant floor allows quick recovery).
When cost is not an issue and satisfying most or all of the heating load with solar energy is a high priority.
When building occupants have an acute chemical sensitivity or allergies—in which case there may be concern that dust could be distributed through a forced-air system or that high surface temperatures from a gas burner or electric heating element will burn dust particles and cause health problems.

Comfort – You Will Find Yourself Laying On the Floor More Often:

By far, the biggest selling point for radiant-floor heating is the comfort. The large radiant surface means that most of the heat will be delivered by radiation—heating occupants directly—rather than by convection.

Warmer surfaces in a living space result in a higher mean radiant temperature (a measure of surface temperatures in an area that influences the rate of radiant heat loss from occupants). With higher mean radiant temperatures, most people are comfortable even at lower air temperatures.

Studies conducted by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) indicate that with radiant heating systems people can be comfortable at temperatures 2Â°C to 4Â°C lower than with convective systems.

Energy savings – Money in the Bank:

There is potential for saving energy with radiant-floor heating through several mechanisms, including lower thermostat settings, lower-temperature boiler configuration, and reduced infiltration.

Homeowners with radiant-floor heating are likely to be comfortable at lower air temperatures because of the elevated mean radiant temperature in such homes, the lack of significant airflow, and the delivery of heat at floor level.

The second opportunity for energy savings with radiant-floor heating is through keeping the boiler temperature lower than is necessary with conventional baseboard hot water distribution.

The third opportunity for energy savings (over forced-air heat) is that radiant-floor systems do not increase the rate of air infiltration.

Standard forced-air heating systems can significantly increase or decrease the air pressure in different parts of a building, which in turn can increase air infiltration/exfiltration rates—at least in a conventional, leaky building. With radiant floor heating, as with hydronic baseboard heating, this will not happen.

Potential for use of solar energy.

The relatively low temperature required for circulation water in a radiant-floor heating system provides an opportunity to utilize solar hot water.

This approach works best with concrete-slab systems; higher-temperature water is required when the tubing is attached to the underside of wooden floors.

While such systems are somewhat complex and expensive, radiant slabs offer one of the best ways to make use of solar energy for heating portions of a building without direct access to sunlight.

Backup heat is still required and can be provided with a wood stove, through-the-wall-vented gas heater, electric resistance heat, or backup heating element in the solar storage tank.

Quiet Operation – You Can Hear Yourself Think:

Radiant hydronic floor heating is soundless. Unlike forced-air heat, there is no noise from a fan or airflow through ducts; and unlike hydronic baseboard heat, there is usually no gurgle of water through baseboard radiators or creaking from expansion and contraction.

The primary noise will be the sound of circulating pumps and the fan used in power-venting the boiler. With radiant-floor systems that have tubing attached to the underside of wood flooring, there may also be some creaking from expansion and contraction.

Humidification is unnecessary with a radiant system because radiant heat does not alter residential air moisture content, which is adequate if the air isn’t dried out by combustion or by increased infiltration of cold, dry outside air.

Flexible Room Layout – Put Your Furniture Anywhere You Please

Because there are no baseboard radiators or air registers with radiant-floor heating, there is much greater freedom as to where furniture can be placed. Radiant-floor heating systems are “invisible.”

Improved Air Quality:

Houses with radiant-floor heat boast improved air quality. Compared with a conventional forced-air distribution system, there is likely to be less dust circulating the room.

And unlike electric baseboard or forced-air heat, there will be no surfaces hot enough to burn dust particles—which could introduce volatile chemicals or toxic particulates into house air (even passing through filters).

This concern would be greatest for people with allergies and acute chemical sensitivities.

It’s hard to express doubts about something that’s popular. Like ground-source heat pumps, radiant floor heating has a loyal and zealous following of builders, designers, and homeowners who consider it to be the best heating option around—and appropriate in almost any situation.

Until you’ve lived with this form of heat, it’s hard to judge how comfortable it is. However, once lived in radiant floor heated home most people report they would never go back to living in a house without it.

Tag: radiant floor heating

16 Things You Must Know About Radiant Floor Heating