Radiant Floor Heat: What Is It?

By Richard Evans

If you've been looking at options for heating your house, you might have come across radiant floor heating. However, you might not have known what is is, how it functions, or what advantages it has. The purpose of this article is to help you understand how this type of heat works, and why it is becoming more and more popular.

Firstly, let's talk about how radiant floor heating actually works. A heating element is installed underneath your floor. The heat from this element radiates upwards through the floor, rather than being hot air coming from a duct somewhere in the room.

Using a radiant in floor heating system has some nice advantages. If you suffer from allergies, you'll love the fact that radiant systems do not agitate dusty air, which can really help relieve a lot of allergy symptoms. Another advantage is that the heat provided is very smooth and even, with no "cold spots" like one often gets with forced air systems.

Radiant floor heating systems work in several different ways. The most popular system is the hydronic system which works with hot water. The water is heated in a boiler and then pump through your house. A maze of pipes is installed underneath your floor, and the heat rises up from these.

This system has the advantage of being quite efficient and quiet. However, because of the requirement of having a boiler, it is hard to install after the house has been built. If you're remodeling or adding an addition, this might not be practical. Still, this is probably the most popular system.

If you aren't building a brand new house, an electric radiant floor heating system might be more appropriate. This system places a series of electric heating elements underneath your floor, much like a giant electric blanket. These can be turned on and off at will, provided easy radiant heat.

Unfortunately, these electric systems tend not to be as efficient. However, the ease of installation and the flexibility of the system might just make them worth it for you.

Now you should have a basic idea of what a radiant floor heating system is and why you might want to look into getting one installed. Good luck in your search for the perfect heating system. - 20607

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