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Warming your home using radiant heating is not a new concept. Hypocausts were invented by chilly Romans to keep their public baths and villas of the privileged warm and comfortable.
by JohnKrellwww.krelldistributing.com
Warming your home using radiant heating is not a new concept. Hypocausts were invented by chilly Romans to keep their public baths and villas of the privileged warm and comfortable.
Although the modern version of in-floor heating is far easier to install and run than the hypocaust systems of ancient Rome, the principles of this method of using radiant heat to warm a home remain the same.
Heated water is pumped through tubing laid in a grid pattern under the floor of the designated room. The radiant heat rises gently to warm the air, and ensures that no matter what floor covering you have, carpet, tiles, wood or even just concrete, the floor will always feel warm and inviting on bare feet.
The necessary hot water can be supplied by an existing boiler connected to the in-floor heating system, or if preferred, a separate boiler can be installed dedicated solely to the task.
Free hot water is available if you choose the increasingly popular option of solar panels as a heating method. Although this may increase installation costs somewhat, the extra cost is soon overhauled because as long as the sun continues to shine then hot water is limitless.
If you have an existing tile or concrete floor, then retro-fitting a radiant heat in-floor heating system is an excellent choice. It will only increase the depth of your floor by 20 cm by the time you have laid a new floor covering over the installed system.
Most hot water radiant heating systems are installed by laying a grid formation of tubing which is then embedded in a thin concrete layer. Heat diffusing aluminum is laid on top of this followed by your chosen floor covering.
The most effective floor covering for radiant heating is ceramic tile as it has good thermal heat storage abilities and conducts heat well. Radiant heat will also work well with wood, vinyl, linoleum or carpet, although in the case of the latter be sure to choose the thinnest carpet you can.
Another form of radiant heating for your home is the wall or ceiling mounted panel. These work in the same way as the in-floor heating system, using heated electric cables or piped hot water to generate radiant heat.
Ceiling panels may not take up valuable wall space, but some people are a little uncomfortable feeling the radiated heat on the top of their heads. The slight drawback with the wall panels can be that you need to be in reasonably close proximity or line-of-sight to them, to feel the radiant heat directly.
The reason that in-floor heating remains the most popular form of radiant heating apart from its efficiency and low running costs is the fact there are no radiators or panels taking up wall space.
Being able to generate and store heat when power companies offer their off-peak low rates, and then release it via thermostatic control for anything up to 12 hours afterwards would perhaps make our ancient Roman friends a little envious of this wonderful modern form of radiant heating.
About the Author:
John Krell and KrellDistributing.com can steer you in the right direction to install a radiant heating system in your home or business. Complete floor heat look no further than www.krelldistributing.com. |
