Radiant Floor Warming

Collage image of radiant floor heating.

Imagine enjoying the warmth and comfort of an energy efficient system that radiates warm, even heat throughout your home.

Radiant floor warming systems work by circulating warm water through a network of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes placed in the floor. The surface area of the floor gently radiates heat throughout the room.

Radiant floor warming can be installed in a single room, or throughout your home, and can be used with a variety of heat sources and floor coverings. For the ultimate in comfort and economy, room temperatures can be individually controlled using multiple thermostats. It works great with today's open floor plans, especially in areas with high ceilings.

Features:

  • Warms everything in the room with a consistent, uniform heat, preventing cold drafts
  • It's invisible - no heaters, radiators, registers or vents that restrict furniture placement
  • Economical - reduces operating costs by up to 30%
  • Quiet and clean - no noisy fans or dry blown air to distribute dust, allergens, or odour throughout your home
  • Room-by-room temperature control

 

How radiant floor warming works

Traditional heating systems simply heat the air. This air is then blown into the room, creating draft and temperature fluctuations. Warm air rises, so to maintain a comfortable temperature level the air must be heated to temperatures of 120°F or higher.

Radiant floor warming quietly and continuously warms the room by constantly circulating warm water through pipes located beneath the floor. By warming the entire floor, it efficiently raises the temperature of everything in the room. You can actually lower your thermostat setting while enjoying the same level of comfort and reducing your heating bills by up to 30%.

There are two common methods used to install radiant floor warming:

"Wet" installations are most common in new homes and consist of pouring gypsum-based concrete over PEX pipes installed in the floor space. When the system is operating, the warm water circulates through the pipes and distributes it evenly throughout the floor and to everything in the room.

A "dry" installation is commonly used when a poured floor just isn't practical. In this case, PEX pipes are placed in the joist space or underneath a suspended wood floor. Warm water circulates through the pipes and warms the floor above it. In the absence of the concrete used in the "wet" installation method above, heat transfer plates may be used with PEX pipes to help distribute heat evenly.

 

Choosing floor coverings

Radiant floor warming systems can function effectively with any floor covering. However, because the heat is radiated from the floor, flooring materials can affect the system's heating performance. Thick floor coverings, such as carpets, have more insulating properties than other floors, such as tile or wood.

It's important to talk to us about what type of floor covering you plan on installing so that you can get the maximum benefit from your radiant system.