Types Of Heat Radiant

Seeking relief from hot days and hotter nights?

You know the big blue sign in Kittery that greets drivers coming up the highway? It reads without a trace of irony: “Maine: the way life should be.” I’ve heard plenty of grumbling asides over the years about how off that line is – five months of winter and black-fly season are usually mentioned as often taxes and summer road construction. It’s hard to dispute, though, just how pleasant a bright summer day in Maine can be, especially when the air is crisp and dry. Weeks of cold and snow fade into memory as warmth you’d almost given up on suffuses through you.

If only it ended there. Warm weather can be a boon for our personal comfort by day, but it creates discomfort by night. You’re ready for slumber, but that attic above you has been warming up all day. The sauna you never wanted in your home is just a few feet above your head, and every summer night you feel it.

Add humidity to the scenario described above and your night will certainly be less than restful. No wonder so many of us rush to the store and snap up the air conditioners and window fans at the first sign of humid tropical air coming up from the south. No wonder our electrical bills spike in the summer months. No wonder we sometimes lie awake at night, feverishly pining for autumn’s return.

Life doesn’t have to be this way, even in Maine. Maybe you’ve considered rolling out some more pink stuff in the attic; no one can blame you for thinking that will solve all of your problems, though it won’t help as much as you thought it would. The truth is, you have two, perhaps even three, problems, and insulation will only solve one of them.

The first, and smaller, problem is radiant heat. Suffice it to say that sunlight does indeed warm up your house. Daytime temperatures on your roof deck alone can exceed 140ºF, especially if your shingles are dark. At night, when temperatures usually drop, that absorbed heat is released. If your attic insulation is ineffective, you’ve got a giant low-grade radiator hanging over your head, providing you with all the heat you never wanted in the summertime. If you live in a Cape-style home, chances are your sloping sidewalls and knee-wall attics are also uninsulated, which provides a few more radiant surfaces for your enjoyment.

As I mentioned, there are two, possibly three, problems at work here, and the second – airflow - is trickier. The old adage says that heat rises, but the truth is that heat will flow anywhere it’s enticed to go by a difference in air pressure. In winter, cold air (which is denser) wants to push in through tiny leaks and cracks in the lower parts of your heated home, which drives the warm air up and out through similar holes and seams in the upper sections of your house. In the summer, this “stack effect” reverses: cool air in your home seeks to get outside through leaks in the basement and rim joists, which pulls that hot attic air inside any way it can - through cracks in the ceiling, ventilated recessed lights, even the joints in your attic where wall studs and beams meet sheetrock or plaster. These little highways of hot air are delivering carloads of unwanted visitors to the inside of your home, and they’re dancing on that hot ceiling you’re staring at.

Diy Radiant Heat | Radiant Heat Diy | DIY Home Remodeling

Radiant heat save thousands Do it yourself

If you’re tired of stepping out of the shower onto a freezing cold tile floor, maybe it’s time for you to inquire into radiant floor heat–particularly if you’re building a new bathroom or doing major remodeling (most types can be challenging to retrofit). DIY Radiant heat is warm and cozy underfoot–it warms you with radiant energy instead of by blowing warmed air into the room the way a more typical forced-air heating system does. DIY Radiant heat floor systems are either hydronic (hot water) or electric. Hydronic systems utilize a system of tubes that wind beneath the floor, transferring warmth from the hot water that circulates within them. They require a special water heater. Electric radiant systems incorporate special electric-resistance panels, coils, or foil to radiate heat. Because these are essentially like the innards of a large toaster, they can draw substantial electric energy when turned on. The first big question is: Which type of system is better for your DIY Radiant heat project, hydronic or electric?In the case of building a new home, a hydronic system will likely be the best choice for use as a sole source of heat throughout the house. If you are building a new home and you want to use DIY radiant heat at the hot spot of the house, hot water can still be your best bet, but the final decision may depend on the cost difference. Compare prices for both types of products and explore the different market before putting down any money. Electrical systems can be your best bet for remodeling. For one thing, hydronic floor systems can elevate the floors by a couple of inches, which can be a problem when remodeling. Some thin electric systems only elevate the floor by about 1/8 inch. Also, the concrete slab of hydronic systems can take a few hours to heat up once they’ve been turned on. Electric systems usually take between 30 minutes and an hour to heat up. In most cases, electric systems are governed by a timer and a thermostat that homeowners preset with on/off cycles.

While the electricity cost of generating 1,000 Btu’s may be cheaper with a hydronic system than with an electric system, the way the systems function plays quite a role in energy costs. Hydronic systems are generally left on for a period of months to accommodate the lengthy heat-up time of the systems. Electrical systems are usually timed to switch on and off according to when the homeowners will be at their house. The many off sessions cut down the cost of electricity. So consider your lifestyle and how you will be using the heating system. As mentioned earlier, the tubing in hydronic systems is usually embedded in a concrete slab or a 1 1/2-inch-thick concrete overlay on top of a wood floor. This is usually referred to as a wet installation. The tubing can also be suspended in the space below wooden floors or stapled on top of subfloors, which is commonly called a dry installation. But a concrete or wet installation provides better soundproofing and fireproofing, as well as adds stability and protection to the tubing for a sturdier floor. Almost all tubing for hydronic systems is guaranteed for 25 years, with a lifetime expectancy of 100 years. If you’re absolutely determined to tackle a DIY Radiant heat projects yourself, you can take advantage krell distributing’s technical support and design services.

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