Everything You Need to Know About Heated Floors | Kitchener ON

When the winter season arrives, all homeowners make it their top priority to ensure their home is completely heated.

While most homes are equipped with heating systems that warm the air, it’s not the most efficient method of guarding your house against the biting cold. After only a couple of years, traditional heating systems begin to make noise and blow dust and allergens with the warm air.

The concept of heated flooring has been around for centuries, albeit the system we use today has been significantly upgraded.

Instead of heating the room’s perimeter and then having the warm air drift to the ceiling, subfloor heating warms everything in the room, including surfaces, furniture, and most importantly, you.

Radiant floor heating has become one of the best heating systems a house can have, eliminating the vents’ annoying whooshing sounds and dust spewing.

What is Radiant Floor Heating and How Does it Work?

From wood-burning fires beneath marble floors to electric wires running through a home’s subfloor, radiant heating has evolved greatly over the years.

Radiant floor heating involves installing either electric heating coils or water-heated tubing underneath your home’s floors. This system directly warms the floor, allowing the heat to rise and radiate through the entire room and creating a toasty warm space with no cold spots.

There are two main types of heated floors: electric and hydronic. If you’re only looking to heat one room, using an electric radiant system is the way to go. Zigzagging loops of resistance wires are carefully laid throughout the room and secured with a thin layer of mortar.

Hydronic radiant heating systems are usually designed to heat the entire home. Special tubing is installed, either embedded in or above concrete slabs or stapled under the subflooring.

Water is heated using a boiler or a powerful heater and circulated through the tubes, warming the home in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Once the system is installed, you can cover it with most types of floor finishes, including hardwood and tile.

Benefits of Having Heated Floors

Similar to how conventional heating systems are turned on, radiant floor heating can be controlled from a thermostat. Temperature and time can be easily adjusted with a click of a button.

Unlike furnaces, they require little to no maintenance and will last you decades with virtually no hiccups. The best part? The system can be controlled with smart Wifi thermostats, increasing their ease of use.

Traditional heaters typically need to be running at 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit and usually take longer to heat a house due to duct loss. Floor heating systems only need to be heated to 84 degrees Fahrenheit to be effective, requiring less energy and decreasing energy bills.

Since radiating heating systems are installed beneath the floor, they can easily deliver warmth to every square inch of the house. No matter where you go in your home, you’ll always be met with a warm and cozy environment.

Efficiently Heat Your Ottawa Home with Advanced HVAC

There’s nothing worse than coming home after a long day to find that your heater hasn’t been working properly.

Many people avoid installing heated floors because of the misconception that their homes need to be a new build. In fact, radiant floors can be added to existing older homes, often without needing to remove the current flooring.

Our expert contractors at Advanced HVAC have the training and experience necessary to provide you with the best results possible. With your brand new radiant floor heating system, you won’t have to worry about the risk of burns from radiators or tripping over insufficient space heaters.

Reach out to us to learn more about heated flooring and get a free, no-obligation quote today.