What To Consider Before Installing An Underfloor Heating System In The House?

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In most climates, heated floors provide comfort and savings in energy costs. But installing them can be costly, disruptive, and often impractical because they require specialized wiring and construction techniques. You cannot install them in mobile homes or homes with basement crawl spaces because they need a concrete slab foundation large enough to accommodate the flooring system’s components.

If you are considering installing a heated floor in your home, there is more to it than choosing an appropriate underfloor heating adelaide system. There are some other things to consider before embarking on this project and below are those illustrated.

1. Determine the heat source:

In most heated floors, the heat source is below the flooring system’s immediate area. For example, a drop-in flooring system uses electricity, while radiant heating systems are usually installed in a concrete slab foundation. In most cases, you will likely want to ensure your home’s electrical system can deliver enough power to heat your room.

For example, some small homes may not require an electric underfloor heating system. However, you will still need to assess how much power your house can handle before deciding to install an underfloor heating system.

2. Determine the heating mode:

This is another important aspect you must consider before installing an underfloor heating system. Most underfloor heating systems are designed to heat the whole room, while some are designed to heat only a specific appliance.

For example, an electric radiant floor heating system installed in a concrete slab foundation can warm and soften your bathroom tiles and provide warmth for your toes at night when you step on the flooring surface. Other heated floors use hot water or steam and can therefore be used to warm your bathroom tiles, bathroom tub, and shower areas.

3. Calculate the heat loss:

Some heat loss can occur from your underfloor heating system from Eckermann Plumbing, but the magnitude of this loss will depend on the size of the house and its insulation quality. First, you need to calculate if there is enough heat produced by your underfloor heating system to compensate for this loss. If you need more, look for a more effective underfloor heating system.

4. Assess the radiators:

Hot water and steam-heated floors are good at distributing heat throughout a room and providing year-round comfort. They can also be very expensive to install, especially electric-powered systems.

5. Consider the floor type:

Most houses with radiant-heated floors have tile or stone flooring in their bathrooms and porches, and the radiant heat helps keep these surfaces warm during winter. For example, a radiant heated wooden floor can easily transmit heat to a bathroom wall and help warm up your tiles and bathtub.

6. Choose the design of your underfloor heating system:

Some heated floors are designed to be installed over an existing floor. In contrast, others are designed to be installed on top of an underlayment or directly on an existing concrete slab foundation. Some underfloor heating systems can work well on any flooring surface, while others focus on specific surfaces like marble, hardwood, or composite surfaces.

Summary

In this article, we discussed how to choose an underfloor heating system. You need to see if your house can support the system and determine if you want the flooring system to be a primary or just a secondary source of heat.