• The In-Floor Radiant Heat Choice
• What is it?
• Benefits

In-floor radiant heat has become a much popular choice over the last few years – because of the wonderful way it feels, its high efficiency, and its unique health benefits. At City Wide, we have installed hundreds of in-floor radiant systems in all sizes of homes and rooms and in new executive homes throughout the area. Let us develop a quote for you!

The brand we install is called Heatlink. The Heatlink system eliminates chilly drafts and there's no need for fans to move air around.

In today's new home designs, hydronic radiant floor heating makes even more sense. Typically, rooms (bathrooms included) are larger, with higher ceilings and lots of tile and other cold surfaces. With forced-air and radiator heating, these spaces generally feel cold. That's not a problem with radiant floor heating; even the hard surfaces will feel warm to the touch.

The in-floor radiant heat system allows great flexibility when it comes to furniture arrangement, too. With forced-air or radiators, occupants must strategically place their furniture to accommodate grills or radiators. With radiant floor heating, furniture can go anywhere because there are no grills or radiators.

What Is In-floor Radiant Heat?

At its most basic, hydronic radiant floor heating involves heating a structure by pumping warm water though specially designed tubing laid under or within the floor. The heat in these tubes radiates to the surface and rises evenly throughout the room above. The surface itself stays comfortably warm to the touch. This tremendously efficient heat transfer results in even and consistent heating.

Warm air rises, of course, and collects near the ceiling. In a home heated by convection, ceilings are always warmer than floors. With radiant floor heat, the opposite is true. The floor is warm, and so is the air up to the height sensed by the occupants. Thus, people within the space feel much more comfortable at lower temperature settings because the heat is coming from the floor.

HeatLink PEX tubing which delivers the heat is laid on the subfloor and covered with a flowable lightweight concrete. It can also be installed in the lower level concrete floor, or underneath the joist space-which is called a 'dry' or 'staple-up' installation. The system allows any floor surface to be placed above it, including carpeting, ceramic tile, vinyl flooring, and wood.

Radiant heat is widely recognized as the most comfortable, healthiest, and most natural heating process available. People are warmed in the same way s they are warmed by sunshine on a cool day. Floor drafts, cold spots, and dry air are eliminated. Dust, air contaminants, bacteria, and low humidity levels – all problems associated with forced-air heating – are nonexistent in a properly designed radiant heat system.

Comfortable and Efficient
The surface temperature of the floor is designed to be no higher than 88 degrees F (31 degrees C), so it's always comfortable to walk on. HeatLink operates at the lowest possible water temperature to heat the structure. This level provides the most efficient transfer of energy. There are no wide temperature variations that you experience with forced air or radiator systems.

It's also quiet! There are no noisy fans or radiator expansion noises to contend with, just quiet comfort. Energy efficiency is one of the system's strong points because the system delivers heat where it's needed, with little waste. A thermostat can be put in every room of the house, and unoccupied rooms can be set back to save energy.
In addition to being a great choice for new home construction, in-floor radiant heat is also an excellent choice when you’re considering an addition. Many people use it to heat their garage and workshop floors. The same company that manufacturers the Heatlink system also carries a snow melting system that we can install in any new or re-built walkway or driveway.

Commercial applications include senior centers, day care centers, nursing homes, and hospitals. Call us today at (515) 274-9361 with any questions…We can come out and develop a quote for you or your business.