Hydronic radiant heating is the process of sending hot water through zigzagging polyurethane tubes installed just under your flooring. The heat rises from the floor and warms the entire house in comfortable even temperatures. The process can give your home a feeling of cozy luxury while also saving you money on your heating bills and minimizing your environmental impact. But how safe is radiant heating compared to other heating systems? And what steps can you take to ensure your family’s continued safety? Let’s look at those questions now.
Is Radiant Heating Safe?
Radiant heating is actually one of the safest and least intrusive installations you can add during your remodel or new build. Installing radiant heating involves running a series of tubes from a boiler to various rooms in your home. Most of the time, the tubing is put in just under your flooring finish or under the floorboards. The installation process is so quick and easy it can usually be completed in under a week, depending on the number of rooms.
Since everything in the radiant heating system is covered or enclosed, there are no hot metal objects that your family might stumble upon. Traditional radiators and baseboard heaters often have sharp metal corners that become very hot. A child of any age can easily bump into them and receive a nasty burn. There are also no vents blowing dirty air from outside to various rooms in your house. This means the air quality inside remains pure.
How Do I Make Sure The System Stays Safe?
Yearly maintenance is highly encouraged for any kind of home heating apparatus, and radiant floor heating is no different. The tubing in your floors probably won’t ever require maintenance, and if they do, it will be minimal. The important thing to remember is always to keep your boiler or water heater in peak condition. A yearly inspection can identify any calcium buildups or rust deposits that may wear down your system over time. This inspection will also confirm that the system is not becoming inefficient, eventually leading to higher heating costs. As long as the preventative maintenance schedule is kept, radiant floor heating will continue to provide excellent service for generations to come.
If you have questions about the installation or maintenance of radiant floor heating, call The Earth Heating at (503) 788-7777.
