Two Types of Heated Floors: Hydronic and Electric The warm air still rises, but it does so evenly over the entire floor, so the coolest air stays up at the ceiling. Those jarring ups and downs are absent with radiant floors, which may reach 85 degrees, tops, on a frigid day. The result is a phenomenon he calls “the cold 70,” which is what you feel right after the hot air stops pumping from the registers. “You turn on the furnace, it quickly takes you to 68 or 70, and then shuts off,” says Richard. The air in the room becomes uncomfortably stratified: Your head can be bathed in warmth while your toes lie in the frozen zone. Air blows out of the registers at a well-baked 120 degrees, rises to the top of the room where it quickly sheds heat, then drops back down as it cools. How does it differ from conventional heating?Ĭontrast that with what happens in a conventional forced-air heating system, the kind found in most American homes. Though the air temperature remains relatively constant, you stay comfortable because the surrounding surfaces aren’t stealing warmth from your body. As the invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below, they warm up any objects they strike, which radiate that captured heat in turn. In a radiant setup, the warmth is supplied by hot-water tubes or electric wires buried underneath the floor. It’s also a highly efficient way to heat a house, increasing comfort as it reduces energy costs. But a radiant heat system has more than just aesthetics going for it. That’s the appeal of radiant floor heating, says This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, who has long been a fan. This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey helps guide you through two types of heated floors in terms of cost, installation, and energy efficiency to select the right one for your house. Just an even blanket of heat, right where you want it. No dust-spewing ductwork to run up your allergists’ bills. No vents whooshing like a jet preparing for takeoff. Boilers can heat water to lower temperatures more efficiently than they can heat water to higher temperatures.The best heating system a house can have is the one you don’t realize is there. In effect, the entire floor is a radiator, so it doesn’t have to be as hot as conventional radiators. In addition, hydronic radiant heat is more efficient than other systems because it uses relatively low water temperatures to heat your home. Further savings can be realized because running a high-efficiency boiler at lower temperatures will increase its lifespan. Hydronic radiant floor systems save energy and lower fuel bills because radiant heat feels comfortable at lower air temperatures, enabling you to lower the thermostat. Any kind of finished flooring, including hardwood strip flooring, vinyl, or carpeting, can be installed above it. The tubing can be installed in several ways: embedded in a concrete slab, installed over an existing slab in cement, stapled under subflooring, or fitted inside the channels of specially designed subfloor panels. Water is heated to between 100 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit by a boiler and circulated through tubing under floors. Hydronic radiant floor heating systems are usually designed to heat an entire house.
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