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THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE INSTALLING AN UNDERFLOOR HEATING SYSTEM

Whether undertaking renovation or building a new home, picking out the heating system plays a crucial role. The system should be efficient and evenly heat the home. Floor heating systems have become an increasingly popular choice. This heating system is installed underneath the flooring. It heats up the space by radiating heat, which heats up the floor and the entire room. When using this method to heat your home, you can be sure that there will be no cold or hot spots and that the room would be heated evenly. However, before you make this considerable financial decision to install a radiant heating system, the following are some of the points you should keep in mind.

Type of System to Install

There are two types of radiant heating systems – electric and hydronic. The type of heating system to install is dependent on whether you want to heat up the entire house or just a small area. If looking to heat smaller and individual rooms, an electric in-floor heating system is a great choice. Whereas, when you want to heat the entire house a complex system like the hydronic one would be a great decision.

Age of the house

When it comes to installing a radiant heating system, the age of the house needs to be taken into account. In the case of new houses, there is some extra flexibility that is available as the flooring hasn’t been installed yet. You don’t need to worry about ripping up the flooring. Installing a floor heating system is much easier when it comes to newer buildings as compared to existing homes. In the case of existing houses, the entire flooring needs to be undone for the system to be installed. If you aren’t planning to do a complete renovation, you need to find a way to make the heating system work along with the flooring.

Installing in the main house or vacation home

Installing the system in the vacation home is not always the best idea as you won’t be spending much time here. The radiant floor heating system doesn’t work that quickly. It takes time for it to heat up and radiate the heat throughout the room. Hence, often one is asked to set the temperature and let the heating system do its job.

Location of the installation

Mostly the radiant heating system is installed under the floor. When undertaking installation, the floor needs to be torn up. Only after that will the system be installed. If you don’t want to do that, you can choose to install it on the walls or ceiling. However, it works best when it has been installed underneath the flooring.

Type of Flooring Material 

The material of the flooring installed above the system plays a crucial role in how the system works. Radiant floor heating will work the best when the flooring material is a good conductor of heat like tile or laminate flooring. You can also opt for carpet flooring.