Simply radiant

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/03/2002 (8808 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a heating system found in only about five per cent of Winnipeg homes, but proponents say radiant floor heat may actually be the most ideal way of heating today’s new homes with their open floor plans and tall ceilings.

“There’s no comparison between the heat,” says Tom Wackerman, a computer certified designer with EMCO Distribution Ltd., wholesalers for plumbing and heating equipment.

“Especially with today’s vaulted ceilings, the system keeps the heat where it belongs at floor level. In most homes, the heat rises to the top and the floor stays at about 55 degrees. Some builders use ceiling fans to recirculate the air,” says Wackerman. “With radiant heat, we try to keep the heat close to body temperature.

“The taller the ceiling, the more efficient the heat.”

Add to that the sheer comfort factor when tootsies land on warm terra floora, and proponents are lavish in praise of the system.

“You can appreciate it most when you step out of the shower,” said Tom Beggs, of Tom Beggs Agencies Ltd., a dealer for the Wirsbo system and an unabashed supporter.

John Friesen, of Dynasty Homes, said the company built a home using radiant heat on two floors and another with heated garage and basement. He said the benefits are especially noticeable in cold concrete floors like garages and basements. Friesen said a growing number of people are asking for the hydronic (hot water) heating system.

Radiant heat at its most basic is heat generated by hot water forced through pex pipes. The flexible pex pipes look like plastic but are specially manufactured for strength. They are typically laid under the floor surface (but can be put in the walls) through various methods and the water is generally heated by a boiler. A pump keeps the hot water circulating through the tubing or pex pipes.

It’s the cost related to construction and materials that is most often cited as the reason why builders and renovators don’t use radiant heat.

Marlon Tripp, of A & B Mechanical Ltd., said cost falls in the range of $4 to $6 per square foot, (for renovated or new houses) depending on a wide variety of variables such as installation method, size of area to be done, amount of insulation in the home and heat loss factors. This would include cost of the boiler.

Friesen said it cost homebuyers from $8,000 to $9,000 more for radiant heat when they purchased their new homes from Dynasty Homes. Again, he said costs can vary depending on a number of factors including house size, area to be heated, etc.

Rob Swan, of Huntington Homes, custom homebuilders, said his company doesn’t use radiant heat because the system is missing the air ventilation element, an integral part of HRV systems in most homes that use natural gas-forced air.

A ventilation system could be built into a home along with the radiant floor heat, “But what would be the point of it?” he wonders. “It would add to the cost of a new home. In a climate that isn’t as severe as ours, I think it would be a great system.”

Swan said they have used electrical radiant heat for small areas such as bathrooms.

Most installation contractors and dealers warn that putting in radiant heat requires some expertise and should not be tackled by renovators who are not knowledgeable.

Single control

For example, coils are generally placed 12 inches apart, unless they are near the outer walls, in which case they can be placed six inches apart to provide more heat at the edges, says Tripp. Also crucial is whether the coils are close enough to the boiler source to keep the water hot.

Controls are also an issue. There can be a single control or individual thermostats for specific areas.

“The biggest problem is people come in thinking they can do this cheap when they don’t have the knowledge or experience,” said Stephen Lamb, of B A Robinson Co. Ltd., heating contractors that sells the Rehau system.

“There are some very clear guidelines on how the system has to be installed.”

He recalls the time a homeowner came in to purchase the components for his own house, put in the heating coils, then discovered that the system did not work because the coils he laid down were too long. As such, the water in the coils could not stay hot.

Lamb doesn’t know how the story turned out, because he never heard from the homeowner after that. Lamb said his company’s system would also fall in the $4 to $6 per square foot range but could vary in more involved renovations or in unusual circumstances.

Don Campbell, of Mikkelsen-Coward & Co. Ltd., heating contractors, said, “If you don’t install it properly, there will be a big mess with leaks and it costs a lot of money to rip up the system.”

But, like other businesses, the company cannot differentiate between industry workers and do-it-yourselfers when it comes to selling parts for the system, so the responsibility rests with buyers.

Before radiant floor heat can be installed, Wackerman and Tripp say the system must be designed specifically for the house. Part of that design process is a heat loss assessment.

The pex pipes can be stapled up under existing floors or be buried in concrete or gypcrete on the lower level, among other methods. To understand the coils, imagine giant paper clips placed side by side.

Wackerman and some other companies with in-house designers will also design radiant heat systems for homeowners willing to pay for the service. The services are generally provided to installation contractors or new home builders, but could be of use to knowledgeable renovators, says Wackerman.

“We’ll design systems using different methods and different costs.”

Beggs said there are also misconceptions about hydronic radiant heat caused by improper design or workmanship. “I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘Radiant heat doesn’t work.’ In 99 per cent of the cases, the reason it doesn’t work is because of poor design or poor controls,” he maintains.

People who want to see a home with the hydronic system can do so at 1 Harvest Way at Eagle Creek Drive in Pritchard Farm Properties. K. Streu Homes Ltd. has a pre-fab concrete show home in the development featuring the system, said Kurt Streu.

An alternative to the hydronic system is electrical radiant heat. NUHEAT, a B.C. company, distributes its own system under the company name that is ideally suited to heating small areas, said Mike Fitzsimmons, of NUHEAT.

“We don’t market our system as a primary heating system,” said Fitzsimmons, “But we have done large areas.” The system, distributed through four local Winnipeg dealers as part of an international network, is designed so electric heat warms thin mats placed beneath top flooring.

A thermostat controls the amount of heat generated by the mats that conduct the heat. The thermostat regulates itself by taking a temperature reading of the floor surface.

Thin mats operate much like an electric blanket and are placed beneath ceramic tile or natural stone floors. See www.nuheat.com. A tile installer puts in the tiles, while an electrican must hook up the system to the home’s electrical supply.

Fitzsimmons said an average small bathroom of 50 square feet of floor surface will cost in the neighbourhood of $600, including thermostat, for installation and materials.