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Warming Your Home Through the Floor

Posted on 05-01-2010 | By: admin

Category : Home Improvement

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Underfloor heating is the latest technology which heats a home through its floor. Also known as radiant floor heating, this technology is most commonly employed to warm up the floors of bathrooms and kitchens.

How It Works

The basic principle on which underfloor heating works is heat radiation. As a general concept, heat always flows from a warmer place to a cooler place, and the process is known as radiation. By warming the floors using pipes and wires underneath them, heat is radiated to the overlying floor and the air close to the floor. Anything that comes in contact with the floor- feet, mats, walls and furniture are also warmed by this.

There are two ways by which this mechanism is incorporated in homes- through hot water and hot water tank pumping water through pipes laid underneath the floor, or by means of electric underfloor heating.

Water Radiant Heating

Pipes are laid under the floor, and once installed; hot water is pumped by an electric hot water pump which pushes water into the pipes through a hot water tank. This method of warming floors requires professional help in installation. The sub floor needs to be readied before the pipes can be laid. You would also require a separate area in the house to store the various controls for this system.

Electric Underfloor Heating

This type of heating uses electricity to heat coils which are laid out all across underneath the floor. The coils are most commonly arranged in the form of roll out mats, and these mats are further fitted to each other to aid the laying out procedure over the heating area. Though, installation of this heating system requires careful planning and execution, some of these projects can be done on one's own as a DIY project.

Water or Electric Underfloor Heating The heating system based on hot water is more complicated and less efficient in comparison to the electric heating. The water system involves many types of equipment to be installed, and even the generation of heat takes place in more than one step. Servicing and routine care requirement for hot water heating system is, therefore, huge.

Electric heating systems, on the other hand, are less complicated to install and use. The simplicity of installation greatly reduces the cost you will pay to the installation professional. The electrical as well as the water floor heating systems sometimes incorporate environment-friendly technologies by way of solar water heating and solar electric panels.

However, if you are planning to install an underfloor heat system without solar technology, your best bet would be the electric device. This is because; electric heating system can provide you with a more foolproof and convenient way to warm the floors of your home.

Thus, whichever floor heating you choose to install, do conduct a thorough research beforehand on which is a better system for your home. With your floors warm- day or night, this winter is sure going to be a cozy one for you!


A Quick Guide to Underfloor Heating

Posted on 28-12-2009 | By: admin

Category : Business

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Installing a heating system under the floors is increasingly becoming a popular method of warming the home, and provides its owners not only comfort, but also an affordable way to keep their homes warm.

Whether it is the bathroom, kitchen, or the whole home, placing a heating system under the floor provides an invisible warmth right underneath our feet. This system of heating does away with the need of radiators which occupy space ion the house, leaving little room for designing the layout.

There are two main types of floor heating mechanisms- hydronic and electric, and one can choose the one that best suits your home requirements.

Hydronic UNDERFLOOR HEATING System

A continuous water pipe is embedded in a concrete slab under the floor covering. Hot water flows through this system of pipes from a common source- it could be water heaters, heat pumps, wood boilers and even solar water heaters.

The hydronic or wet floor heating system will have a low running cost, mostly due to the lesser amount of energy wasted as compared to the heat generated by a traditional radiator. However, the temperature of the floor reached as a result of these water pipes is a little lower than that from a conventional radiator, wherein the heat quickly rises to the ceiling.

This method of floor heating, however, distributes heat more evenly across the floor, providing comforting warmth. The type of floor that can be used with this heating mechanism also plays a role in determining its effectiveness. A concrete floor is the best choice to complement floor heating.

Electric Underfloor Heat System

The electric heating system is believed to be more advanced over the water pipe method as there are no chances of leaking , and the overall fitting under the floor is a mere 3.5 mm in thickness!

The electric floor warming can also be refitted easily into older floors, and once fitted, are quite maintenance free and much more efficient than the conventional radiator systems. The temperature of the floor can be modulated to suit the comfort of the home owners.

This method of warming floors is ideal for placing under tiled floors or solid stone surfaces. Being compactly and efficiently fitted under the floors, there is no space lost on the walls, leaving the home owners enough options to design their home aesthetically without having to worry about hanging radiators or wires.

Things to Look Out for

The cost is the biggest concern when installing floor heating. Though, the above two mechanisms are more expensive at the time of installation, it does help save money in the long run. Also, before you actually go out to the market, measure your floor area. It becomes an important consideration when you plan to install your floor heating as a DIY project.

Of course, following the installation guidelines correctly will ensure the process goes ahead smoothly.