How do radiant floors work?

What are radiant floors and how do they work?

The Expert Answer:

Have you ever been in an old house that had radiators? Hot water or steam circulated through the radiator and heated the room in two ways: First, a radiator heats a room by “convection” this means that cold air (near the floor) is drawn past the radiator. As the air is heated by the radiator, it rises and slowly flows out in to the room. As this happens, more cold air is drawn past the radiator. Picture the air in the room moving around in a circle like a Ferris wheel. This is the way a radiator heats the air in your room which, in turn, keeps you, the occupant, warm. But radiators also kept you warm by “radiant heat”. If you stood in front of a radiator, it would instantly make you feel warm, just as the sun makes you feel warm when you are outside on a cold day. It is this second method of heat transfer that is used with radiant floor heat. Radiant floor heating uses hot water pipes or electric elements embedded in your floor to make your entire floor into a radiator. The radiator in your grandmother’s house had to be very hot, because a small radiator had to heat a whole room. But a radiant floor system heats your whole floor to just 70-80 degrees. Radiant floor heating provides very even heat throughout a room, with minimal movement of air.

February 29, 2008 at 5:55 pm :: Comments to date: 0