Floor Heating Can Take The Surprise Out Of Mornings
Nothing is more startling than getting out of bed on a cold winter morning and having your bare feet hit an ice-cold floor. This sudden jolt can often set the tone for the entire day and there may be an instant thought of installing floor heating to make the mornings more comfortable. Additionally, families with children that like to play on the floor or lie on the floor watching television may think about floor heating to keep them from exposure to the otherwise cold surface.
Electric radiant heating is often used under ceramic flooring and can be utilized to heat specific spots of a floor, such as the tile floor around a bathtub. Typically, electric radiant floor heating is used under tile or ceramic but can be used under floors with a variety of floor coverings. In some applications, hydronic floor heating will work best, such as when the floor sits on top of a concrete slab or when exposed floor joists make installation possible without tearing up the floor.
When floor heating is installed during initial construction, the electric elements or water pipes can be easily placed where the floor heating will do the most good. In addition to having a warmer floor, it will also help heat the entire room and subsequently, the entire house.
Controlling Zones With Hydronic Floor Heating System
Not everyone is going to want to heat their floors all the time and every person is different when it comes to feeling the cold. While electric radian floor heating allows for controls in each area of the home in which it is installed, zone valves installed near the hot water boiler can offer separate controls for different sections of the house.
A hydronic whole-house heating system offers clean, quiet and efficient heat, separate pipes can be extended under the floors with different thermostats controlling when the hot water is diverted for floor heating, allowing more specific control with the heat. In some instances, the hydronic heating system is extended to the exterior of the home for keeping driveways and sidewalks heated and free of ice and snow.
Electric heating elements are designed similar to an electric blanket and can be installed during initial construction or when remodeling a home with new flooring. If the floor has to be removed to install floor heating, chances are it will also be replaced. However, even homes with crawl spaces can have floor heating installed to prevent those early morning and late night frozen feet.
