Rentmeister Total Home Service Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Radiant Heating’

Can My Boiler Installation Include Radiant Heating?

Monday, January 19th, 2015

**Rentmeister Total Home Service No Longer Services Boilers Or Radiant Heating Systems, We Apologize If This Is An Inconvenience**

This is a rather odd question, and the answer will take a bit of explaining. Short answer: yes, your boiler installation can include radiant heating. The reason that it can do that, however, is because all boilers are radiant heaters. Radiant heating is not a separate kind of heating that requires a different kind of boiler. Let’s examine how radiant heating actually works, and why you are always installing a radiant heating system when you install a boiler.

What “Radiant Heating” Means

Radiant heating is any system that works by transferring thermal energy directly or between objects, as opposed to using a medium like air or water. Sunlight is radiant heating, transferring thermal energy directly to whatever it touches. Boiler systems are radiant heaters because, while they use hot water to carry heat, the thermal energy is transferred into the room by radiating through other objects.

Boilers and Radiant Heating

A boiler heating system involves the installation of a network of water pipes in every room of the house that requires heating. The pipes can be installed in the walls or subfloor of each room, depending on the needs of the homeowner. These pipes are then connected to the boiler. Occasionally, the pipe network may terminate in a terminal heater, like an iron radiator or baseboard heater. These are also radiant heating systems, because they are still transmitting thermal energy directly into the room.

When the heat is turned on, the boiler warms and distributes water through the pipe network in the house. As the water rushes through the pipes, it transfers its thermal energy through the pipes, the walls or floor, and into the room. If there is a terminal heater attached to the system, it serves as the point of origin for most of the thermal energy entering the room.

So, all boilers are radiant heaters, because all boilers rely on transmitting thermal energy through solid objects instead of through direct interaction with the water.

If you are interested in installing a radiant heating system, call Rentmeister Total Home Service.

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Best Floor Types for Radiant Heating Systems

Friday, January 9th, 2015

**Rentmeister Total Home Service No Longer Services Boilers Or Radiant Heating Systems, We Apologize If This Is An Inconvenience**

One of the great benefits of radiant heating is the nice, toasty floors you get, but if you have a floor covering that isn’t very conducive to radiant floor heating, you may lose this benefit. Radiant heating works by heat objects, which is why it’s important to plan for a floor covering that will heat well and radiate that heat to your home. To help you get an idea of the types of floor coverings that will work best with your radiant heating, the installation experts at Rentmeister Total Home Service have put together a list of floor covering types to consider:

Tiles (Stone, Porcelain and Ceramic)

Tiles floors are some of the best around for radiant heating. If you have ever put a rock in or near a fire, or have seen a brick oven stove, you’ll be able to understand why tile is some of the best kind of flooring to use with radiant heating. Tile conducts heat very well and is highly resistant to the heating process.

Laminates

Laminate floors are very popular for a lot of reasons, and can be a good option for radiant heating. However, there are some precautions to take with laminate flooring to ensure the best results. First, it’s important to make sure that your underlying floor structure and/or concrete (if you used it) is completely dry; this helps minimize changes that can develop due to heat and moisture as well as reduces warping and cracking. It is also important to use the correct adhesive. Most laminate flooring comes with manufacturer instructions and recommendations that your technician will follow as part of the installation.

Hardwood

Natural wood floors will contract and expand with changes in temperature and humidity, so if you want to use natural wood with your radiant heating system, it’s best to consider hardwood that is quarter-sawn, kiln-dried wood. You may also want to consider engineered hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is comprised of hardwood and fiberboard, placed together into several layers. The multiple layers and combination of woods make engineered hardwood very stable.

As you can see, you have a lot of choices when it comes to floor coverings for your radiant heating. Have question? Call Rentmeister today!

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Types of Radiant Floor Heating

Friday, November 7th, 2014

**Rentmeister Total Home Service No Longer Services Boilers Or Radiant Heating Systems, We Apologize If This Is An Inconvenience**

Radiant floor heating has become a popular choice among homeowners. There are two main types of floor heating, as we’ll describe in more detail below. Choosing a type will depend largely on your needs and your preferences, and working with an expert can go a long way toward ensuring you select the type that best fits you and your home. Rentmeister Total Home Service has been providing professional heating services in Salt Lake City since 1953, so if you are ready for a new heating installation, call us today.

Electric Radiant Heating

Electric radiant heating relies on electric cables that generate heat when electrified. The cables can be embedded in wet cement to create a radiant slab, laid out in a serpentine pattern directly onto sub-flooring, or be part of a mat which has electrically-conductive plastic. Laying electrical cable into wet cement is known as a “wet” installation; mats can be installed directly onto subflooring just like straight electric cable.

Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating

A hydronic system is one that uses hot water or steam to heat your home. With radiant heating, flexible, durable PEX tubing is installed beneath your flooring; a boiler heats the water, and once the correct temperature is achieved, circulating pumps push the water through the tubing. If your boiler generates steam, the steam will flow under its own pressure. Once the water cools, it returns to the boiler for another heating cycle.

Which Type Is Best?

Determining which system is best for you depends in part on your preferences and your current heating situation. If you have a boiler in your home already, a hydronic radiant floor system may make more sense than an electric one. If you don’t have a boiler system, it may be better to use electric radiant heating instead of installing a new boiler. Working with a trained professional will help you determine the best option when it comes to heating your home with a radiant system.

Each type of radiant heating system has a lot to offer you. Call Rentmeister Total Home Service today and schedule an appointment with one of our installation specialists.

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Do I Need a Boiler for Radiant Heating?

Friday, October 31st, 2014

**Rentmeister Total Home Service No Longer Services Boilers Or Radiant Heating Systems, We Apologize If This Is An Inconvenience**

With the advent of new radiant heating products, such as improved tubing, radiant systems have become very popular with homeowners. When choosing a radiant system, you have a choice between the types of radiant heating you’d like to use: electric or hydronic, and with a hydronic system, you do need to use a boiler. Each type works a little differently, but both offer the comfort and warmth you need from your heating system. Radiant systems require knowledge and expertise for installation, maintenance and repair, so call the people you can trust: Rentmeister Total Home Service.

Electric Radiant Flooring

With electric radiant flooring, thin cables are electrified to produce heat. There are two ways electric radiant floor heating can be installed: wet installation and mat installation. In a wet installation, the electric cables are laid into wet cement. When the cement dries and the cables are activated, the cement acts as a radiant slab, heating from below the floor. Electric mats consist of electrical wire and electrically conductive plastic, and can be installed directly to subflooring.

Hydronic Radiant Flooring

Hydronic heating is heating via hot water, and this is the type of radiant floor heating for which you need a boiler. With hydronic floor heating, hot water from the boiler is pumped through durable PEX tubing that is installed underneath your flooring. When the water cools, it returns back to the boiler for the next heating cycle.

Benefits of Radiant Heating

There are several benefits of radiant heating worth considering:

  • No circulating dust – there is no blowing air with a radiant heating system, which can help the allergy sufferers in your home.
  • Gentle heating – the heating from a radiant system is gradual, which can feel more comfortable to some people as compared to a forced air system.
  • Easy zoning – the piping used with hydronic radiant flooring can be easily zoned for better heating customization.
  • Quiet operation – radiant systems deliver heat making little-to-no noise.

Radiant flooring is energy efficient, comfortable and durable, and it isn’t necessary to have a boiler to install it. If you think radiant floor heating is an option for your home, call Rentmeister Total Home Service today and schedule your heating appointment in Salt Lake City with one of our HVAC experts.

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