Underfloor Heating Glossary
What is Under floor Heating?
Under floor Heating systems are installed under the floor -
meaning most usually between the "real" concrete or wooden floor and
tiling (or carpets using heatpad's). Under floor heating warms air
by convection and also creates warm tiles which produce radiant
heating with the result that under floor heating produces a more
comfortable warming.
What are Floor Heating Systems?
Floor Heating Systems are usually either electric or hydronic. In
hydronic systems water is heated and pumped through pipes installed
under floor. Electric floor heating systems most usually use
conductive wiring installed under tile to create warm tiles.
What is Under Tile Heating?
Under Tile Heating refers to radiant heating methods that are
installed between the floor and the tiles. The radiant heating
system, typically hydronic or electric, is installed in between the
firm base of the house flooring and the tiles laid onto the floor.
Most typically the in-floor heating system will be within the
cementing between a concrete or wooden base and a tiled floor.
What is Radiant Floor Heat?
Radiant floor heat relies on a system of heating that warms the
floor directly with the floor generating convection and radiant heat
that is transmitted into the room.
A typical hydronic heating system consists of a series of pipes set
in a bed of lightweight concrete or other similar material and
covered by any standard floor covering. Hot water is circulated
through the piping that warms the flooring and radiates heat into
the room.
A typical electric heating system consists of a heating element laid
geometrically in a bed of adhesive onto which tiles are laid. An
electric current warms the heating element that warms the tiles and
a thermostat controls the room temperature as normal.
Radiant floor heat is a more natural heat and there are no radiators
to restrict the placement of furniture and window coverings. There
are reduced air currents minimising draughts and hot spots. Radiant
floor heat is silent and warms your toes.
Types of Home Heating Systems
There are really only three practical types of Home Heating Systems:
Conventional central heating systems
Forced air ducting
Radiant heating systems
Conventional central heating systems rely on a series of radiators
placed throughout the house usually one or more per room. These
radiators can be powered by electricity, gas or oil and are designed
to have large surface areas that heat the air causing convection
currents that travel through the room. As heat rises the effect of
these convection currents is that the ceiling is warmer than the
floor and there are hotspots by the radiators. The radiators
themselves take up space are usually an eyesore.
Forced air heating gets around the problem of radiators by heating
air drawn in from outside the house and circulating this air
throughout the house by a series of ducting. This still produces
warm ceilings and cool floors.
Radiant home heating systems are installed under, or within, the
floor and act by warming the floor directly giving comfortable feet.
Because the whole floor area is warmed this produces a lot of
radiant heat which warms the body directly without needing to create
convection air currents
The most comfortable home heating systems are radiant. They are
silent in operation, don't require radiators to be installed on the
walls, and are efficient.
What is Electric Floor Heating?
Heated Flooring is considered to be the most comfortable form of
home heating for a number of reasons:
The whole of the floor is heated spreading the heating across a
large surface area and avoiding radiator hotspots
Around 50% of the heat is radiant heat that warms the body
directly like the sun on a warm summers day
The warming is more natural, from the toes up, and reduced air
circulation brings reduced draughts
Electric Floor Heating utilises an electric conductor installed
under the floor to heat the flooring that heats the room and is
controlled by a thermostat to deliver the desired room temperature.
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What
is Underfloor Heating?