Radiant Floor Heat Proffers Tippy-Toe Comfort

Your partner got up in the middle of the night and like a shot those cold toes are invading your territory with the persistency of a heat-seeking projectile. Good for you, the new house will be sporting radiant floor heat - a sure cure for encounters with icy feet at 2 a.m. or a midwinter chill that gets hold of your bone marrow.

Under-floor heat has been used since the Roman Empire when it existed in its prime in state-supported buildings and the villas of the well-heeled. Hot air was distributed beneath tile or brick, providing a radiant warmth - energy that channeled heat through the flooring and along to cooler furniture like Roman reclining chairs, statues, marble-topped tables and frosty centurions.

With the advent of elastic PEX piping to the United States in the 80’s, application has skyrocketed as new products have been created for the construction industry - among which have been hydro arrangements to supply radiant floor heat. Unlike forced-air furnaces, modern hydronic floor arrangements utilizing PEX plumbing products supply more consistent warmth to a room, are less drying, more efficient and a whole lot quieter than past furnaces or metal steam pipes.

PEX tubing is constructed of cross-linked polyethylene, which grants these high tech pipes endurance, chemical resistance, high mobility, a cost-effective installation profile and larger temperature adaptability. This polyethylene tubing can be exposed to water as high as 200° Fahrenheit in heat arrangements.

There are various methods of setting up radiant floor heating. Many use electrical line voltage systems, but easy-to-use PEX piping products have made hydronic under-floor heating fashionable with both house builders and house owners. Because the hosing is so resilient, its rolls can be used in a straight length, eliminating the need for multiple junctions and fittings.

Numerous radiant floor heat schemes use oxygen-barrier PEX radiant tubing utilized in gypsum concrete. Others comprise low-mass underlay - wood boards with sunken niches for flexible piping.

Every remodeling or new-construction project is better accommodated by one method or another, so investigate your hydronic floor heating choices fully. Do your preparation!