Why Radiant Floor Heating Can Be A Fantastic Choice For Your House
February 7th, 2011If you are looking for an alternative heating source for your house, one method that is obtaining a lot of attention is radiant floor heating. It is a viable and effective alternative to forced air and electrical heat sources. Knowing a bit more about it and how to install it may show you why so many people are making the change in their places.
If you have never heard about this heating method, it really is quite unique. Instead of heated air providing warmth, a heat source in your flooring using pex tubing or electric wires channels heat up and into the room. This ends up with a very different feel to the temperature and air quality in your house and is one reason why this heating method is so popular.
If you hate the fact that your room may suffer from awful airflow and have cold spots throughout it, you may be very interested in radiant heat. The heat is run through the flooring and since the heat source can be distributed through the whole room you may discover that cold spots are a thing of the past. Because your rooms feel warmer than with other forms of heating, you can actually often set your thermostat lower and end up saving money on your heat bills.
The main difference between types of radiant heat is the source of the heat. The first schemes utilized a pex pipe which was filled with heated water. These are still very popular and are used in many places. As the heated water passes below the flooring, the heat transfers up through the floor and into the room. Another source of heat is a wire or cable which also passes below the floor. The power to heat the wire can even come from solar panels or other green sources of energy.
One of the nicest improvements in radiant heating technology has been the ability to use different flooring materials over the heat source. Tiling and cement flooring were, at one point, the most popular types of floors for radiant heat. Now you can still have cement flooring but you can also have wood flooring as well.
There are advantages to this heating method that go over and above a reduction in your heating bill. You may find that with this heat method your skin and hair are not as dry as they would be with forced air heat. This method also tends to keep dust and mold from dispersing through your abode as it can with forced air heat methods.
Radiant heat can be set up by professionals who specialize in this variety of home improvement. You can also install it yourself although you may want to consider carefully and ask a lot of questions before you begin. Taking the time to make sure you have chosen the best system for your dwelling and lifestyle can mean you wind up with a comfortable dwelling when the temps outside begin to decrease.