|
December 15, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
Who isn’t a fan of saving energy,
especially if it’s easy? More than ever
before, homebuilders, househunters, and home renovators
alike are looking for energy-efficient heating
options for houses.We say they need look no
further than radiant
heaters for their ideal home heating solution.
Learn what many others are
learning every day: radiant
heaters are the most efficient form of heat
available in today’s market.
Significantly less operating time is required to attain
and maintain the desired warmth compared to
furnaces and other, traditional methods of
heating, which keeps operational costs to a minimum.
High efficiency boilers or
electric radiant floor systems makes radiant
heat one of your most efficient ways to heat your
home. Combined with a well-insulated home these
systems can quickly warm your home and then shut
down or wait idle for long periods of time before being
called upon by the thermostat to operate.
Radiant Heaters Tip:
It might take a little effort, but being
more environmentally friendly doesn’t have to
involve major renovations. Many people waste a lot of
energy by not sealing cracks, doors and windows.
Checking to make sure a home’s insulation
is in good shape and replacing it if it’s not is
another good surefire way to stop, prevent, and
reverse energy waste.
|
|
December 18, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
The home improvement world has seen many recent
developments in heating, making hydronic systems
more convenient and possible radiant
heater solutions for major home remodeling projects.
Today we’re going to discuss one form of
radiant
heaters: hydronic floor heating.
Hydronic floor heating is the
oldest and most popular type of radiant
floor heating. These systems are comprised of a
boiler or hot water heater, pumps, manifolds,
PEX tubing, thermostat, and either gypcrete (a
concrete-like material) or wood panels. Hydronic heating
is the most complex of all radiant heat systems.
These systems require trained professionals to
design and perform the installation. Your best
economies of scale are achieved for hydronic systems in
large areas or entire homes because of their
expensive components and operational costs.
Hydronic systems can be installed under any type of
flooring.
Most hydronic systems require
hot water tubing to be installed in a
2-4″ bed of light concrete and are best installed
during the initial construction because of its
weight load demands and adjustments to floor
height.
If you’re wanting to
heat smaller areas such as a bathroom or kitchen,
a hydronic floor radiant
heating system may not be the best value for your
project. The complexity and cost of installing
the system, along with the long-term maintenance
and up-keep required, might not be worth the small
amount you will save in operational costs.
Radiant Heaters Tip:
Radiant
heaters for your home or business come in a variety
of forms – all efficient and providing
reliable, cozy warmth
|
|
December 21, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
In today’s volatile and topsy-turvy
housing market, it’s not a bad idea to
add value to your home in new and innovative
ways.Don’t just think about renovating a
bathroom, consider using radiant
heaters to warm towel racks in the bathroom, or a
heated floor.Can you think of anything
cozier on a chilly winter morning than toasty
toes when you step out of the shower?
Not only is radiant heating is
one of the most comfortable ways to heat your
home, but radiant heaters also offer a surprisingly wide
diversity of applications. Radiant
heaters can be used in a number of applications,
including in tiled areas, hardwood flooring,
carpeted areas, cement floors, basements, and
garages.
Radiant
heaters are a type of heater that warms objects
instead of air. Radiant heat uses objects, such
as the floor, to heat a home. The air in the
room is warmed when it comes into contact with the
warmed objects. Heat loss is reduced and the
radiant heat remains in the lower part of the
room, warmer near feet level and slightly less so at
head level, creating the perfect climate for
comfort.
Radiant Heaters Tip:
The variety of high efficiency boilers or
electric radiant floor systems makes radiant
heat one of your most efficient ways to heat your home.
|
|
December 20, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
|
Not traditionally
used in heating homes, flat panel radiant
heaters are used to heat objects via radiant heat
transfer. These radiant heaters have traditionally
been used in a variety of industries and applications,
such as space heating, drying, curing, and water
evaporation. More recently, these heating systems are also
gaining popularity in home heating applications as well.
Radiant
heaters use different types of emitter surfaces. Choices
include: quartz, high-temperature glass, stainless
steel, and ceramic tiles. These are all materials that
are easily and efficiently used in home applications
such as flooring, countertops, and towel racks. Because
these items are easily turned into emitter surfaces for
radiant heat, they can easily and beautifully be
incorporated into home heating applications such as
heated floors, walls, and towel racks.
To find out about radiant heaters for your home,
check with the folks at warmzone.com. They have a
complete product catalog of radiant heating solutions
that can accommodate almost any application or budget.
Radiant Heaters Tip: radiant heaters a great way
to efficiently heat a home, while maximizing your
home’s beauty, but they are very cost effective
and easy to install.
|
|
December 29, 2008 00:12 AM  BY ROBERT COHEN
|
|
The Mystery
Warranty
How much
do you really know about the warranties offered
by manufacturers? Sure it may say “25 Year
Warranty” on the package, but what exactly does that
mean? Most manufacturers of radiant heating systems
offer a warranty, but a 25 year warranty isn’t
always better than a 10 year warranty and this is why:
I chose the
Danfoss GX electric radiant heat cables to build an asphalt
heated driveway at my residence. The heat of the asphalt
combined with heavy weight, caused me to wonder how
the GX cables were going to hold up, and what would
happen if a problem occurred. I was pleased to
discover that Danfoss products have a 10 year warranty, that
covers up to 5 times the cost of original
installation. Why is this exciting? Because the
failure of a radiant heating system isn’t like a
vacuum cleaner breaking down, you can’t throw
it in your car and bring it back to the store for a
refund. Fixing a severed cable requires tearing up the
surface of the driveway – or in the case of indoor
radiant heating, tearing up your brand new tiles or
wood flooring. The process of tearing up a floor or
driveway is time consuming and costly, not to mention
annoying. Many manufacturers will replace the bad product,
but you still have to pay out of your own pocket to
tear up the floor and hire someone to fix the problem.
Danfoss is so
sure that you won’t have any problems, their warranty
is the best offered by radiant heat manufacturers. Not
only do you get brand new Danfoss product, but they
will cover the cost of floor removal, and
reinstallation (up to 5 times the cost of the original
installation). So when you install your radiant floor
or driveway, you can rest easy knowing that unexpected
problems are already covered.
|
|
November 14, 2008 00:11 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
|
If you’ve
been researching home
heating systems, chances are your head is
spinning right about now. It’s no wonder!
The number of types of radiant heaters available for
residences or businesses could make anyone dizzy in no time
at all. There’s really a lot of selection for
homeowners to choose from. Today we’ll discuss
the electric cable heating system kind of radiant
heaters. Electric cable heating systems are gaining
popularity in as radiant heaters and are ideal for
heating smaller areas (10-300 square feet) like
bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These systems are
comprised of a thermostat and a heating cable. On some
systems, the cable is be shipped as a large spool of
cable. These systems are oftentimes less expensive,
and give you the ability to space the cable how you want
and customize a layout that will heat every square inch of
your floor. Other systems have the cable attached to a
plastic mesh or tape to create a mat to maintain its
proper spacing.
Every available cable system is equally
effective, so when determining which radiant heater
system to purchase, you should look at the warranty of
the product, along with the ease of installation. Some
cables must be embedded in a separate layer of
concrete or mortar, whereas other systems can simply
be installed in the thinset.
Radiant Heaters Tip: When heating smaller
areas with a radiant heater, it is next to impossible
to beat the simplicity and price of an electric cable
heating system.
|
|
December 19, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
|
Sometimes can be
hard to narrow down what kind of radiant
heaters to install. There are dozens of products
available to purchase, and there are even more
companies telling you that their product is the best.
For many homeowners, electric cable heating systems,
often called line- or high-voltage systems, are
gaining popularity and are ideal for heating smaller
areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These systems
are comprised of a thermostat and a heating cable.
These radiant
heater systems are oftentimes less expensive,
and give the ability to customize a layout that will
heat every square inch of your floor.
Every available radiant heater cable system is
equally effective, so when determining which system to
purchase, you should look at the warranty of the
product, along with the ease of installation. Some cables
must be embedded in a separate layer of concrete or
mortar, whereas other systems can simply be installed
in the thinset. Most radiant heater cable systems can
only be installed under tile. However, on others, if the
cable is embedded in mortar or concrete, any flooring
can be installed on top of the concrete.
Radiant Heaters Tip: When heating smaller
areas, it is nearly impossible to beat the simplicity
and price of an electric cable radiant heating
system.
|
|
December 23, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
|
For homeowners or
renovators, it’s worth taking a look at several kinds
of radiant heaters for residences or
businesses. Today we’ll discuss the electric
cable heating system kind of radiant heaters.
Electric cable heating systems, often called
line- or high-voltage systems, are gaining popularity
and are ideal for heating smaller areas like
bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These systems are
comprised of a thermostat and a heating cable. On some
radiant
heater systems, the cable will be shipped to
you as a large spool of cable. These systems are
oftentimes less expensive, and give you the ability to
space the cable how you want and customize a layout that
will heat every square inch of your floor. Other
systems have the cable attached to a plastic mesh or
tape to create a mat to maintain its proper spacing.
Every available radiant heater cable system is
equally effective, so when determining which system to
purchase, you should look at the warranty of the
product, along with the ease of installation. Some cables
must be embedded in a separate layer of concrete or
mortar, whereas other systems can simply be installed
in the thinset.
Most cable systems can only be installed under
tile; on others, if the cable is embedded in mortar or
concrete, any flooring can be installed on top of the concrete.
Radiant Heaters
Tip: When heating smaller areas with a radiant
heater, it is nearly impossible to beat the simplicity
and price of an electric cable heating system.
|
|
November 03, 2008 00:11 AM  BY RILEY PETERSON
|
|
|
Danfoss offers a
myriad of cables for all kinds of projects, but figuring
out the differences can be pretty tricky. I won’t go
into technical details here, rather go over some basic
differences that will help you choose which cable to
use for which project.
|
Danfoss LX Cable
|
Interior Cable, best for
tile, marble, and slate flooring |
A thin 3/16-inch diameter
electric radiant heating cable made
specifically for tile installations. Because of the
thinness of the cable, it can go directly
into the tile thin-set (thin-set must not
be more than ¼” thick or else it will
crack the tile). |
|
Danfoss TX Cable
|
Interior Cable, tile, marble,
hardwood, slate |
A thicker ¼-inch
diameter radiant heating cable, made to be installed
directly into concrete slab. The thickness of the
cable makes it more durable to withstand
heavier concrete pours. |
|
Danfoss GX Cable
|
Outdoor Cable, concrete,
asphalt, brick pavers |
A thick ¼-inch diameter
radiant heating cable, made for use in
outdoor driveway, walkway, and sidewalk snow
melting. Heavy cable built to withstand
concrete pours and hot asphalt. |
All of the
Danfoss products give you the option of choosing between
individual cable in lengths (it comes on a roll) or in
woven mats, which has the cable rows pre-spaced and
makes installation much quicker and easier. The only
difficulty with the radiant mats is that it works best
with rectangular areas; however, the mat can be cut to
accommodate corners and custom layouts. (Just don't
cut the heat cable!) If you have a
complicated, odd shaped area to heat, you may
be better off with installing the individual
heating cable.
|
|
December 25, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
|
|
|
As demands for
lower energy costs increase, homebuilders, househunters,
and home renovators alike are looking for energy-efficient
heating options for houses. We say they need
look no further than radiant
heaters for their ideal home heating solution.
In a nutshell, radiant
heating is among the most efficient forms of heat
available in today’s market. Significantly less
operating time is required to attain and maintain the
desired warmth compared to furnaces and other,
traditional methods of heating, which keeps operational
costs to a minimum.
High efficiency boilers or electric radiant
floor systems makes radiant heat one of your most
efficient ways to heat your home. Combined with a
well-insulated home, these radiant heater systems can
quickly warm your home and then shut down or wait idle
for long periods of time before being called upon by
the thermostat to operate.
Radiant Heaters
Tip: Being more environmentally friendly
doesn’t have to involve major renovations. Many
people waste a lot of energy by not sealing cracks, doors
and windows. Checking to make sure a home’s
insulation is in good shape and replacing it if
it’s not is another good surefire way to stop,
prevent, and reverse energy waste.
|
|
|