Radiant Floor Heating Installation

In places where there are extreme temperature, you always cannot have room heaters and air conditioners and the likes. So the solution for that is radiant floor heating installation. Radiant floor heating, to begin with, involves a floor based heating system which is set up under the tile or the floorboards for radiating the heat upward. This system can be installed in any room of the house, but they are most common in rooms where there are tiled floors or uncomfortably cold services. Radiant floor heating installation can be used for walls and ceilings as well. Here is a brief overview of how does the radiant floor heating installation work.

Radiant Floor Heating Process

For spreading warmth, radiant floor heating system use heat. Fundamentally, this heat is infrared light waves which carry energy in their photons. As these pass through solid objects, they pass their energy, thereby creating warmth. So this would not change the air temperature, but the floor or the surface having this system will be heated first, and the heat will be passed on to the objects around it. This perhaps explains why they are more eco-friendly than other central heating systems.

There are 2 types of radiant floor heating systems:

Electric: The electric radiant floor heating system has a grid of wires installed beneath the floor to help spread heat. An electrical current passes through these heat waves, transferred by surrounding substances into heat waves. These are better suited for installation in a single room and or a section of the floor. This system is the most flexible version and can be installed under wood and carpet, and a few other material.

Hydronic: As the name suggests, hydronic radiant floor heating systems use water for producing radiant floor heat. In this, a system of tubes is set and built in the floor and hot water is passed through the tubes. The movement of the hot water releases the energy and that energy travels up through the floor and in the house. Generally, these systems are set in concrete during the preparation of the foundation of the floor. They require a boiler for heating the floor as well as pump for circulating the water. For whole-house projects, hydronic radiant floor heating installation is best suited. In such houses they acquire the role of and replace the traditional furnaces.

Incase you are giving a thought to installing a radiant floor heating system, here is enumerating the steps for it:

Radiant Floor Heating Installation

• To start off, assessment of whether the electrical circuit, of your home, can handle the additional load of the radiant floor heating system. Normally for each square foot of heated floor, you would need around 8 to 12 watts.
• Check if your floor is compatible with the radiant heating installation system. Some of these radiant floor heating systems are suited for specific building insulation and climatic systems.
• Check out the two wires running the length of the mat. The wires would be attached to those ends. Once the mat is rolled into place, you would need to remove the insulation from the ends of these two wires. Remember that these 2 ends should be the closest to wires transferring electricity to the mat.
• Measure the floor area and cut the mat to fit the length of the floor. Unroll the material and staple it into place. Avoid stapling down the end with 2 wires which will be attached to the input point. Leave around 2 feet on that end, unstapled.
• Depending on the type of installation you have chosen, you would be stapling the mat into its place above or below the floor.
• As mentioned in one of the earlier steps, remove the insulation from the ends of the 2 wires.
• Now join the wire ends of the mat which are not insulated to the wire provided for power. Out of the 2 wires, black and white, attach each, to the two wire ends which are not insulated. Use a crimper and a tinned copper sleeve for doing this. Slip the sleeve over the wire and the crimper to compress the sleeve over the wires. Using an electrical tape, cover the ends.
• If the mats are under the floor, install insulation over the mats. But keep the joints away from the insulation. Incase the insulation is above the floor, apply a layer of concrete over the mats, taking a guideline from the manufacturer's instructions.

Radiant floor heating installation is a good option for those who are averse to the noise circulation of forced air systems. Both, hydronic and radiant, floor heating installation have their advantages and disadvantages, you need to see which is the best bet that suits you.