How Radiant Floor Heating Can Keep You Warm And Cozy
February 15th, 2011You may have heard about radiant floor heating as a price effective method of heat your house. It is a viable alternative to forced air or electric heat and can offer you many advantages that you need to know about. If you like the idea of an economical and effective heat method for your abode, you need to read more.
Radiant floor heating uses wires or pex tubing which travel below the flooring. The heat from this source radiates to the flooring and from there, heats the room where the flooring has been put in. There are many different methods of providing this heat and advantages to employing this method instead of other, more conventional heat methods.
This heating method is more economical than conventional methods. It furnishes a more even heat dispersion throughout the room and this means that you can often feel warmer at a lower temp than you can with other heat methods. The savings that you get through turning down your thermostat can often help you recover the installation price fairly rapidly.
The main difference between types of radiant heat is the source of the heating. The first schemes utilized a pex tube which was infused with heated water. These are still very common and are used in many houses. As the heated water passes under the flooring, the heat radiates 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.
Many people may consider that you can only use radiant floor heating below cement or tile flooring but this is not the case. There are now methods to use tubes or wires with wood flooring as well which can give you a lot of versatility when decorating your home.
There are advantages to this heat method that go over and above a reduction in your heating bill. You may find that with this heating 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 house as it can with forced air heat methods.
Radiant heat can be put in by professionals who specialize in this sort of home improvement. You can also put it in 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 selected the best arrangement for your abode and lifestyle can mean you wind up with a comfortable abode when the temps outside begin to dip.
