You'd like a little more heat in your bathroom or the office addition you recently made to your house. You don't need those spaces heated all of the time and don't want to crank up the whole house furnace just to be comfortable in those rooms. Under floor radiant heat may be an option for these rooms. You'll have heat when you need it and can control it independently from the rest of the house. Here is how this form of heat will keep you comfortable in those rooms.

Your Get Even Heat from Radiant Heat

Your home furnace heats the air and blows it out into the rooms through vents in the floor or wall. This creates warm and cold spots in the room, the warmest being nearest the vent and the coldest on the other side of the room. Furniture and other obstacles also keep the warm air from circulating evenly throughout the room.

Radiant heat under the floor warms the layer of air on the floor evenly in the room. The warm air rises slowly, warming the middle of the room. By the time the air gets to the ceiling, it has cooled off sufficiently to sink back down to the floor. There it is warmed again, repeating the cycle. Regardless of the shape or furniture in the room, the room is evenly heated by radiant heat.

Three Types of Under Floor Heating Systems

One system uses water to heat the room and the other two rely on electrical heat. A plumbing services company that offers heating services can show you these products and do the professional installation.

Hydronic Heating Systems - This uses tubes that carry water under the floor. The water can be heated by your home water heater or an independent heating unit just for the radiant floor heat. This system works best in rooms with tile, laminate or hardwood floors.

Heat Cables - Electrical cables are laid out on the sub-floor, then covered by tile or stone flooring. The installer determines the optimum spacing of the cables to give you the best coverage. These systems are available as 120 volt or 240 volt, depending on how much heat you need in the space.

Heat Mats - These mats have electric wires imbedded in them and can be rolled onto an existing sub-floor. The mats allow this type of radiant heat to work with tile, wood, vinyl and carpet flooring. These systems are lower voltage and take longer to warm up than the heat cable system.

You don't have to shiver in the bathroom or office space with these radiant under-floor systems available. They are easier to install than additional furnace ductwork and you'll have better control of the temperature in those spaces when you need it most. HVAC technicians or plumbing services that also offer radiant heat can answer any questions.