Radiant Heating

Hold your hand over a hot cup of coffee and feel the heat. The logical conclusion is that heat rises. Logical maybe, but incorrect! "Hot air" rises but "heat" can travel in any direction. That is why you can feel the heat of the cup when you place your hand to the side of it. Radiant energy transfer is caused by a warm surface giving up its heat to a cooler surface.

Whenever there is a temperature difference between two surfaces, both surfaces will attempt to equalize. Radiant energy travels through space without heating the space itself. It only turns into heat when it contacts a cooler surface. Our human comfort relies just as much on radiant heat transfer as it does on air temperature, yet the majority of heating and air-conditioning professionals think only in terms of air temperature. As a result, Americans are missing out on a truly

It’s common knowledge that hot air rises, but heat can actually travel in any direction. When you hold your hand over a cup of hot coffee, you can feel the heat and most people believe the heat is rising to your hand. While logical, this is incorrect. You can also feel the heat of the cup when you place your hand on the side of it. This is because radiant energy transfer causes a warm surface to give up it’s heat to a cooler surface.

When there’s a temperature difference between two surfaces, both will try to equalize. Radiant energy travels through the atmosphere without heating the space itself and only turns into heat when it comes into contact with a cooler surface. When it comes to temperature, our comfort level relies just as much on radiant heat transfer as it does on air temperature, but many heating and air-conditioning professionals only take air temperature into consideration. This results in many Americans missing out on a truly comfortable environment at home and at work. When you control both the air temperature and the radiant transfer, radiant panel systems deliver an ideal temperature for every room.

comfortable living environment in their own homes or places of business. By controlling both the air temperature and the radiant transfer, radiant panel systems deliver a comfort that is unsurpassed.

Floor, wall and ceiling panels are heated in one of three ways: via water pipes, electric elements or air channels that are embedded in the panel. Air is seldom used, so electric circuits and water pipes (also known as channels) are the most prevalent. 

Electric panels utilize electricity as their sole utility, have a simple construction and usually have a lower upfront cost. On the other hand, water can be heated by natural gas, propane, oil, wood, solar or electricity, which makes it extremely versatile.

Generally, a simple wall thermostat is all that is required. A weather sensitive control may work in the background to adjust the panel temperature based on the temperature outside for increased comfort and economy. This gives the advantage of having a thermostat available in every room for additional comfort and energy savings since you can raise the temperature in rooms that aren’t occupied and lower it in rooms that are. Additional features like these increase the cost in the same way adding power windows can increase the price of purchasing a car. However, unlike car options, these added comfort features will have an ROI in the form of energy savings.

Thermal Mass is a material’s ability to retain heat. For example, a heated stone stays warm longer than a block of wood because of its higher density, which equates to more mass. The Earth’s mass can be used as a flywheel when heated under a radiant concrete slab. This heat storage can provide heat to an entire building even when energy isn’t available. Where off-peak electrical rates are available, utilizing a radiant floor along with the thermal storage from the Earth beneath the slab can produce much lower electricity bills. 

Thermal mass in a heated shop or hangar floor responds rapidly to the change of air temperature when a big overhead door is opened. All the heat that has been "trickled" into the slab over time is released quickly to combat the cold air rolling in over the floor. This happens because of the sudden, dramatic increase in temperature difference between the slab and the air. Once the door is closed, the building returns to its normal comfort setting almost immediately.

The key to any radiant panel system is to provide an even surface temperature so some mass is required to spread the heat across the panel. This mass may be in the form of a gypsum or other cementitious material or metal plates in the panel construction.

Some underfloor systems simply rely on air currents within the joist space and the mass of the wood subfloor to spread the heat. When properly designed, these systems are a good alternative for retrofitting an existing building.

Radiant floor heating involves warm water circulating through flexible tubing, specially designed tubing (known as PEX) that is installed in the floor. The heat radiates evenly through the floor to provide comfortable temperature levels in the room for less money. 

Traditional heating systems just warm the air whereas radiant heating warms the floor and objects that come into contact with the floor. As a result, the entire floor distributes an even and quiet heating. The outcome is no drafts of cold air as well as tile, marble and wood that isn’t cold to the touch. 

Compared to other heating methods, radiant heat warms the floor’s surface and surrounding objects instead of warming the air. Radiant heat allows every object in the room to warm up and this heat is transferred to cooler objects (like people) to maintain an even, comfortable warmth with no air currents. 

Radiant heat also enables you to feel comfortable at a lower thermostat setting, so your fuel bills will be lower. The system is also quiet, requires very little maintenance and operates more efficiently than any other heating system while offering superior comfort.

No. A properly designed and installed radiant floor heating system will deliver warmth that’s safe and comfortable to walk on (even with bare feet). If more heat is needed, additional warmth can easily be added with radiant walls and/or ceilings. 

Radiantmax systems are designed to be used with low water temperatures, which results in floor temperatures that are slightly warmer than room temperature. The radiant temperatures from sunlight hitting the floor on a summer day are actually warmer the temperature of our radiant floor systems. Moreover, since floor temperatures are kept more uniform during all the seasons of the year, the expansion and contraction of the hardwood is minimized.

Definitely. Radiantmax floor systems allow you to choose which rooms you want to heat. For example, the bathroom is a common room to heat since people don't like to step onto cold tiles while guest rooms that aren’t occupied don’t need extra warmth. 

Of course! Our Radiant Ready option is ideal. The PEX tubing can be installed directly into the concrete slab during construction and you can complete the system process at a later date. This adds little to the cost of a poured floor, but can add great value to your home later. 

PEX (known as cross-linked polyethylene) tubing is a specially designed and distinctive plastic tubing with properties that are ideal for radiant floor heating and plumbing systems. Several billion feet of PEX tubing are in service worldwide along with ongoing product testing and monitoring, further proving its dependability.

When a PEX system is properly installed, leaks are not a concern. With a life expectancy of more than 100 years, PEX tubing has withstood the most extensive tests in the industry for more than 30 years.