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November 6, 2014

Keeping Warm this Winter with In-Floor Radiant Heating

There is nothing is more comforting than sitting in front of a roaring fire soaking up the radiating heat.  Unfortunately, when we are at work, most of us do not have the opportunity to sit by a fire, but we can still enjoy the comfort of radiant heating.  There are two types of radiant heating; electric and hydronic.  Radiant heating units can be mounted on the wall, in the ceiling, or installed within the floor.

Hydronic in-floor radiant heating is an efficient way to heat a space, as water has the capacity to carry for more energy than air.  The water temperature is reset based on the outdoor temperature.  The lower temperature or scheduled water is delivered to the infloor heating manifold.  Each manifold is served by a fractional horsepower pump and a 3-way mixing valve. There are several zones served from a manifold.  The water flows from the manifold through crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) piping through the floor.  The floor is the storage for the heat energy.  The heat radiates up from the floor, warming the occupants and the objects.  This is more effective than an air delivery as the warmer tends to stay at higher levels and needs to be forced down to the occupants.

There are several things to keep in mind when designing/installing in-floor heating:

  • The supply lines should be installed in the corridor or common areas, and not run through adjacent rooms/offices. The smaller rooms may over heat.
  • A zone should consist of a single room or office. Best not to try and serve more than one space.
  • The in-floor/radiation heating to be used for morning warmup, only turn on the air handling equipment when ventilation is required for occupancy.
  • To ensure the floor does not overheat, use slab temperature sensors in conjunction with space temperature sensors.
  • Accurate as-built documentation is a must to avoid damaging the piping in the future.

As discussed, the advantages of in-floor heating are energy efficiency through the use of lower temperature heating water.  Other advantages are that little maintenance is required, and once the system has been flushed, cleaned and started up, there is no further cleaning required.

As with most things, there are some disadvantages.  The system is slow to react: that is, when the zone valve is opened heat is not instantaneous and likewise once the zone is satisfied it can take time for the heat to dissipate.  The installation cost is higher than more traditional radiation heating systems.

In-floor heating creates a comfortable environment.  To ensure your all your HVAC equipment is running at its optimal efficiency please contact CFMS Consulting Inc. at info@cfms.ca.

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