If you are a homeowner who is considering a renovation or someone looking to build a new place, one of the aspects you may be considering is heating. Radiant floor heating is the wave of the future and provides safe and efficient heat for an entire home or just one room at a time. The experts at Foundation Plumbing & Heating want you to know about this technology and the options available to keep your home environment comfortable. When it comes to radiant heat installation and repair, our highly trained technicians will get it down right the first time.
Sticking with a traditional heating system? Be sure your boiler is ready for winter with routine boiler maintenance today!
Benefits of Radiant Heating
Have you ever stepped into a bathroom in the winter and shivered at the cold sensation that shot through your toes? With radiant underfloor heating, this experience can be a thing of the past. This type of heating system is actually installed directly underneath the floor and is typically done during new builds or renovation.
Radiant in-floor heat uses either electrically powered heat or hot water run through pipes to heat an entire home. Electrical underfloor heating is the more common and slightly cheaper option. There are many benefits of deciding to use electrical radiant heating. Here are just a few:
- Energy efficient
- Space Saving
- Heats all areas evenly
- Safe
- Low Maintenance
Since the heat is coming directly from the floor and heat naturally moves up this eliminates the problem of cold spots that tend to happen with using space heaters or radiators within a room. This ingenious form of heating provides a consistent temperature using less energy and uses basic physics to its advantage.
Common Issues and Repair with Radiant Heating
While radiant heating systems are durable and low maintenance, problems do occasionally pop up. There are three main issues that will come up with these unique systems.
- Insufficient Heat: This can be a problem that has several different causes. It could be a problem with the thermostat or that the water(in the case of hydro heating) is not getting hot enough.
- Leaks: These are exclusively an issue for the hydro or water heating systems. Typically this is an easy fix because leaks tend not to happen in the floor because the pipes are a bit more protected.
- Electrical Issues: This can range from throwing the breaker to a high utility bill.
Any of these issues need to be dealt with by a trained professional because of the complexity of the system.
For homeowners looking to install a hydro radiant heating system, good water quality is important. Be sure to ask about our water filtration systems for help!
Radiant Heating Installation
Installation of a radiant underfloor heating system can be a time-consuming and somewhat complex process. Because of this the initial cost is higher and is the reason people sometimes avoid installing this type of system. With an electric radiant heating system, special mats lined with heating coils are laid down and connected to cover the entire floor. After this is completed, the flooring (almost any type can be used) is laid down. Similarly, a series of pipes are laid out in a hydro system, and the floor is overlaid.
Both of these systems are safe to use with almost every flooring type: tile, vinyl, carpet, wood, or laminate flooring. Consult our heating professionals for their advice on the best type of flooring for your system.
If you are looking for professional quality plumbing or heating work, then look no further than Foundation Plumbing & Heating. We have highly trained, trustworthy technicians who are ready to do the job right the first time. We are a local, family-owned company that understands what it is like to live through a Pennsylvania winter.