Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating – To Heat Your Home

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Radiant floor heating usually comes in two types: electric and hydronic. Now a days most new homes don’t have this kind of heat anymore because it is more expensive to install than forced air. In the long run, radiant heat floors are less expensive. Usually, homeowners choose to install electric radiant heat in the rooms of their house which have cold floors such as the bathroom and kitchen. This type of heating is nice when you get up in the morning and everything is cold.

The second kind of radiant heating is hydronic radiant floor heating, which is the heating of water. The heated water goes back and forth in strong tubing that is placed underneath the floor. This type of radiant floor heat is often installed in new homes as these pipes need to be set in some form of cement. This factor makes hydronic heat floors more complicated to install and more expensive than their electric counterparts.

Hydronic floor heating is the oldest and most popular form of radiant floor heating. These systems are comprised of a boiler or hot water heater, pumps, manifolds, pex tubing, thermostat, and either gypcrete or wood panels. This heating is the most complex of all radiant heat systems. These systems usually require trained professionals to design and perform the installation.

Hydronic radiant floor heating uses a hot fluid for space-heating. The fluid is typically heated by a boiler, then circulated by pumps through pipes installed in floors, distributing heat as it goes. Depending on the system used, this liquid may be water, steam, or some other fluid designed to carry heat efficiently and help prevent corrosion.

It can be used under any flooring material. But it is ideal under tile or hardwood and in areas difficult to heat with forced air, such as those with high ceilings and lots of glass. In hydronic radiant floor heating, the floor acts like a radiator. Water circulates in flexible tubes below the floor covering, warming the floor, and spreads heat throughout the room. The components of a hydronic radiant floor heating are a heat source to heat the water, such as a boiler, controls and a distribution system.

Hydronic heated floors stay warmer longer than electric ones since water carries the heat longer than electricity. Another advantage is that you can heat the water in a variety of ways such as gas, electricity, solar, or a wood boiler and this gives you a little more versatility than with electric radiant heat.

Most hydronic radiant floor heating systems require hot water tubing to be installed in a 2 to 4 inch bed of light concrete and are best installed during the initial construction because of its weight load demands and adjustments to floor height. Recently low-mass products have been developed to avoid these challenges by fitting the tubing into pre-cut wood panels making hydronic systems more convenient and possible for most major remodeling projects. For more tips on radiant heat flooring visit www.RadiantHeatFloorIdeas.com.