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Are Your Floors Freezing? Try a Floor Heating SystemBy Jim Sulski Summary: Wouldn't you love your bathroom floor to be nice and toasty on those cold winter mornings? Jim explains your options when in comes to in floor heating systems. Got cold floors? In-floor radiant heating systems - which are either small
pipes or electrical wiring elements that carry heat through the floor - can
often be a wise and more importantly, efficient heating option. But there are a number of factors to consider first before investing into one, say energy experts. For example, what type of flooring would you like for the space that will house the in-floor system? If it's ceramic tile or stone, then an in-floor system makes perfect sense. If it's wood or carpet, then you're probably better off staying with the forced-air system that you have (although there are a limited amount of wood floor and carpeting products now sold for in-floor heating systems). Ceramic tile is most conducive material to a radiant floor heating system. It is the material that most efficiently passes along the heat from the in-floor system. Here's another factor: what shape is your existing forced-air heating system in? If it is fairly new and can handle the extra capacity needed for the new space, you may be better off sticking with it cost-wise. While a more-efficient in-floor system may be less expensive to run month-by-month than forced air, it would take years - if not decades - to recoup the additional costs that would go into the installation of a new in-floor system. Also consider your air conditioning needs. If you want the new space cooled, you may need to extend the existing system to do that (another option would be to use window air conditioners). If your existing heating system can't take the additional weight, and you choose an in-floor heating system, there are several benefits. The main benefit is that the heat is uniform. It's a more even heat that is spread across the room. That's versus the warm-cold feeling that often comes with a forced air system. An in-floor radiant heating system also produces a less dry heat. In addition, the floor, usually a cold spot in a home if it's made from a material such as ceramic tile, feels warm with an in-floor system. In-floor system manufacturers brag that you can walk across their heated floors barefoot in the middle of winter. Also, being buried in the floor, you don't see the system - versus vents or baseboard heaters or radiators.A final benefit is you'll have more usable floor and wall space available. If you're interested, keep in mind there are two types of in-floor heating systems. The first is a system in which hot water is pumped through serpentine tubing buried in the floor. This water needs to be heated by a boiler or a hot water heater. Tile or stone is then placed on top of the tubing and the heat radiates upward from the tubing. The second is an electrical web system, in which heating elements resembling a thick wire are also buried in the floor. There are a number of heating contractors that specialize in both systems.
Get referrals. Also, check the Internet for more information. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 15, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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