Let's Talk About The Types Of Radiant Floor Heating Products

Principally we now have three types of radiant floor heating systems: electric radiant floor systems; hot water or hydronics radiant floor heating systems, and radiant air floor systems (the heat is carried by an air medium).

Each one of these three types may very well be broken into smaller groups based on the type of installation: the ones that utilize the large thermal mass of a concrete slab floor or gypcrete concrete on a wooden sub-floor (these are called “wet installations”); and the ones wherein the installer installs the radiant floor tubing in between two layers of plywood or attaches the tubing underneath the finished floor or sub-floor (“dry installations”).

When it comes to this informative article we will target the hot water or hydronic radiant floor heating system.

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Hydronic Radiant Floors
Hydronic (liquid) products include the most desired and cost-effective radiant heating systems for areas with extended heating seasons. Hydronic radiant floor heating systems push heated water from a boiler through tubing laid within a pattern under the floor. In some systems, the temperature in each room is controlled by regulating the flow of hot water through each tubing loop. This is accomplished through a system of zoning valves or pumps and thermostats. The cost of installing a hydronic radiant floor varies by location and moreover is dependent upon the size of the home, the sort of installation, the floor covering, remoteness of the site, and also the cost of labor.

So-called “wet” installations embed the cables or tubing within the solid floor and are the oldest type of modern radiant floor systems. The tubing or cable may be set in a thick concrete foundation slab generally associated with slab style homes without any basement or basement and garage floors or in a thin layer of concrete, gypcrete, or another material placed on surface of a sub-floor. If concrete is used while the new floor is not on solid earth, additional floor support could possibly be necessary because of the added weight. This can be a strong recommendation that you ought to consult an established engineer to ascertain the floor’s carrying capacity.

Thick concrete slab systems have high heat capacity and so are great for storing heat from solar energy systems, which have a fluctuating heat output in addition to geothermal heating sources or on demand tank-less boilers. The down-side with the thick slabs is their slow thermal response time, which makes strategies like night or daytime setbacks difficult or even impossible. Many experts recommend maintaining a constant temperature in homes using these heating systems.

As a result of recent innovations in floor technology, so-called “dry” floors, in which the cables or tubing run within an air space under the floor, happen to be becoming more popular, mainly because a dry floor is faster and less expensive to construct. Bear in mind that since dry floors involve heating an air space, the radiant heating system has to operate within a higher temperature.

Some dry installations involve suspending the tubing or cables beneath the sub-floor in between the joists. This process usually requires drilling across the floor joists so that you can install the tubing. Reflective insulation also must be installed beneath the tubes to direct the heat upward. Tubing or cables may perhaps be installed from above the floor, between two layers of sub-floor. In such cases, liquid tubing is normally installed in aluminum diffusers that spread the water’s heat along the floor to be able to heat a floor more evenly. The tubing and also heat diffusers are secured between furring strips (sleepers), which carry the extra weight on the new sub-floor and finished floor surface.

At least one company Warmboard has improved using this idea by making a plywood sub-floor material manufactured with tubing grooves and aluminum heat diffuser plates constructed into them. The producer claims that this product produces a radiant floor system for new construction or remodeling projects considerably less expensive to install and faster to respond to room temperature changes. The Warmboard products also enable the use of half as much tubing considering that the heat transfer on the floor is greatly improved over more common dry or wet floors. You can learn more by going to my website where I do have installation videos on Warmboard and all sorts of other types of PEX radiant floor heating systems.

By: JJ Patrick

Watch this video for more information about Radiant Floor Heating: