How Radiant Floor Heating Can Keep You Warm And Cosy
January 1st, 2011If you are looking for an alternative heating source for your home, one method that is getting a great deal 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 put it in may show you why so many people are making the change in their places.
The difference between this and most other heating methods is that it does not use heated air to moderate the temperature in your home. Heat is channeled through a matrix of pex tubing or electric wires in the flooring. This has a number of advantages, the main one being that it helps promote a higher level of air quality than other types of heat can offer.
This heating method is more cost-efficient than conventional systems. It supplies a more even heat distribution throughout the room and this means that you can often feel warmer at a lower temp than you can with other heating systems. The savings that you realize through turning down your thermostat can often help you recoup the installation cost fairly rapidly.
There are a few different ways that this heat can be furnished and the method you opt will depend on whether you use a water-filled pex pipe or a wire to bring the heat under the flooring. Water can be heated using a boiler and wires can be heated using electricity that is supplied through conventional hydro sources or through electricity generated from solar panels.
There have been advancements in radiant flooring engineering. Now, you are no longer limited with the type of flooring you can use over the heat source. Whether you prefer the look of cement flooring, hardwood flooring or tiles there are radiant flooring products that can be utilised.
If you detest the dry air that comes with forced air arrangements or electric baseboards, you may wish to think carefully about radiant flooring. The air is not as dry and the heat does not shoot up to the top of the room. You can avoid having to set up duct work out and vents with radiant flooring and it can be installed when you replace your existing flooring. Allergy sufferers may also enjoy the fact that dust and mold do not pass around as easily as with forced air central heating systems.
You can opt to set up radiant heating yourself but unless you are exceedingly experienced with home renovations you may find it difficult. You may wish to look for an expert who can advise you on the most cost-efficient scheme for your home and install the products in order to make sure they work out well. You can find experts on the web as well as in the phone directory.