All About Concrete Floor Heating
All About Concrete Floor Heating
Concrete floor heating involves radiant heating, which is really the kind of heat produced by something like a stove top or an oven. Other words for this kind of heating, when it is placed in the floor or concrete, is radiant floor heating or just floor heating – although the latter can be a little confusing due to another technology known as under floor mat heating. In this article we will discuss concrete floor heating.
The advantages of this type of heating is that it is very efficient compared to using heaters around the home or using air-heating or baseboard heating. The fact that it simply radiates heat off the unit(s) involved is great for people with allergies as well, because there is no air flowing, generally, except in certain of these kinds of heating.
Within this class of heating there are also hydronic heating systems. These are liquid-based and very efficient and economical when it comes to energy consumption. Homeowners who create their own electricity (through solar or hydro means) will find these especially beneficial. This heating works with a wide variety of liquids, such as gas, oil or water, plus others or a combination.
This kind of heating also relies on creating convection in a room, which revolves around how the heat travels and circulates in a room. There are ultimately three types of floor heating with this class. These are air floors, where air is used to carry the heat; electric floors; and hydronic floors.
The floor heating can be placed between two layers of plywood, for instance, which is known as a dry installation. However, when it comes to concrete heating, these are known as wet installations. These are also the oldest types of installations.
With regards to the types of heating mentioned above, air floors are not beneficial to home owners because air does not have the ability to 'hold' heat very well. Plus, as also mentioned above, allergies are something to consider.
Electric floors require electric cables to be run through the floor. It works very well with thick concrete because they have great thermal mass. A high enough thermal mass could store heat for anything from eight to ten hours, meaning that you would only need to put the heating on at select times to keep it hot. This saves a great deal in electricity, especially if your energy company offers discounted rates at specific times.
Then, of course, is liquid heating which are by far the most popular due to their ability to be the most cost effective. Water (or a liquid of some form) is pumped from a boiler through tubing that is installed in the floor. By simply adjusting the flow of water, the temperature can be adjusted. There are, of course, other liquid heating methods as well.
The heating mentioned in this article works with all kinds of surfaces, because the heating would be placed in the sub-floor (concrete) and tiles or vinyl placed ontop of the concrete. Therefore, it is a great method when looking at underfloor heating especially when you're intending to build a home or renovate a room completely, such as the basement. Once concrete floor heating is installed it will give you a lifetime of warmth.
