By Kim Bliss
In the United States, radiant floor heating systems have been a niche specialty for residential and commercial contractors. However, as the building industry is learning more about radiant heating’s numerous benefits, including better indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and superior human thermal comfort, these systems are being utilized in more structures across the country.
For contractors interested in dipping their toe into the radiant floor heating market, there are some basic design factors that must be considered, including heat loss, flooring R-values, and boiler, pipe and pump sizing—to name a few.
Entrusting your project to a radiant design professional or taking a radiant training course from a respected radiant system manufacturer is highly recommended to ensure the system will function the way it was intended (and to keep your customers happy).
That said, knowing a little bit about the eight different installation methods for installing radiant floor heating will help guide you when you’re ready to begin the design process with a radiant design professional or after you have completed training.
With radiant floor heating systems offering greater occupant comfort and also contributing to improved IEQ, it makes sense to learn some installation basics, so you have the knowledge you need to help your customers who are interested in this application.
Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a radiant design professional do the design for you, or to undergo training by a reputable radiant manufacturer. It can be quite a challenge to fix a poorly designed system once installed. Start off right at the beginning with a proper design to help ensure a successful system for you and your customers.
For further information about design and layouts for radiant floor heating systems, be sure to visit radiantprofessionalsalliance.org, heatinghelp.com or healthyheating.com.
Kim Bliss is the content development manager at Uponor. She can be reached at [email protected].