Floor Heater Old House
They re relatively simple to install in retrofit situations and in new construction because there are no bulky ducts to run.
Floor heater old house. Most familiar are hydronic systems that heat your entire house. Hydronic floor heating systems use hot water pumped through plastic tubing laid out in a serpentine pattern to heat the floor. The heat distribution is spotty with areas closer becoming too hot and more distant rooms left too cold. Baseboard heaters are popular in old and new homes alike and here s why.
The floor radiates heat to your feet warming you all over. Ducted hot air systems appeared in some upscale homes and buildings were warmed with heat generated by huge brick furnaces in the cellar which vented into rooms through floor and baseboard registers usually with decorative rotating vanes to. They re ideal for whole house heating but professionals suggest installing them during the home s construction because they can be difficult to retrofit if the home isn t already outfitted with the proper equipment. Radiant heat is a method of heating the floor by using electrical wiring or heated water with the heat then transferred upward thorough the floor and into the rest of the home.
The furnaces take up extra space on the ground floor. They produce wonderful heat but they require serpentine runs of plastic tubing water heaters or boilers pumps and manifolds. This in depth information from energy govcan help you choose the type of radiant heating that will work best to keep your home toasty warm. Old house heating improvements the 19th century brought improved heating and ventilating systems.
But i really wanted to know how to t. It s one of the most space effective options for your old house. It s also a highly efficient way to heat a house increasing comfort as it reduces energy costs. That s the appeal of radiant floor heating says this old house plumbing and heating expert richard trethewey who has long been a fan.
Fortunately dry radiant systems can add heat to your floor while sacrificing only about an inch of height in the room. It s truly invisible he says. A service technician from socal gas came to turn off my old floor heater pilot and inspect my gas appliances for safety. But a radiant heat system has more than just aesthetics going for it.
The principle is simple. Richard trethewey toh s plumbing and heating expert pulls another length of tubing from a decoiler on the basement floor and feeds it to heating contractor john perry who snakes it along a joist bay over his.