Hydronic Underfloor Heating

When you are looking for an innovative, energy efficient and sustainable underfloor heating solution, you would surely come across information on hydronic underfloor heating.  This popular heating option is, simply put, a water based heating system.  Though it may seem very complex, we will simplify hydronic heating for you, to enable you to make an educated choice when it comes to underfloor heating for your home.

Why choose hydronic underfloor heating

Regardless of your chosen floor covering, hydronic underfloor heating works extremely well under most floor surfaces and can be installed either during the building phase or when renovating your home.

Due to the sophisticated setup of your hydronic heating, you will have the option to heat specific rooms or areas individually, with the added option of setting different heating options for weekdays and weekends.  Using smart thermostats you can even turn on your heating remotely, as well as regulate your heating to ensure the highest efficiency of your system.

High-quality products and correct installation will make your hydronic underfloor heating a cost saving investment.  When you couple your hydronic underfloor heating products with energy saving heat sources like solar panels and heat pumps, you can rest assured that your cosy, radiantly warm home is also very environmentally friendly.

Hydronic heating is ideal for large, open areas and works very effectively under cold floor coverings meaning you don’t have to cover your tiles with slippery rugs in the winter.  This system is also very safe and hygienic, efficiently silent and wholly unobtrusive, making for a gentle heating solution.

How does hydronic underfloor heating work

Hydronic underfloor heating utilizes warm water, that has been heated to around 35 – 45 degrees Celcius by a heat pump, or alternative heat source, that gets circulated through a closed network of polyethylene oxygen resistant piping, at low pressure, under your floor, resulting in even heating throughout your entire living area.

Hydronic heating is comprised of a system of manifolds, pipes, and valves that work together with command units and thermostats to heat the selected areas optimally, as well as to your pre-programmed selections.

Flooring options for hydronic underfloor heating

Hydronic heating has the advantage of being usable under nearly any floor surface.  Some coverings like carpet and laminated floors have particular standards and temperature restrictions that must be met though, and it would be advisable to confirm these with the manufacturers.

Your hydronic underfloor heating can be used under any of these floor coverings:

• In-screed
• In-slab
• Under battened timber
• Laminated floors
• Marble
• Stone
• Slate
• Polished concrete
• Variety of tiles
• Carpet

Installation and maintenance of hydronic underfloor heating

Due to the complexity of the hydronic underfloor heating system, it is vital that you choose a hydronic installation specialist to do the job specification and installation for you.  In order to get an accurate job specification, complex blueprint draw-overs will be done to plan the cutting and laying of the underfloor pipes and placement of manifolds and thermostats in relation to pumps and command modules.

A certain level of maintenance would be involved during the lifetime of your hydronic underfloor heating system, however, this radiant heating system can exceed 30 years in lifespan.  Your initial cost outlay may be a little higher than electric underfloor heating, however, if you take the long life and extremely low daily running cost of this system into consideration, it is no wonder that hydronic underfloor heating is one of the more popular systems.

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#Warmupsa has partnered with renowned brands Viega Fonterra, OJ Electronics, Marmox, and Heatmiser, to bring you another sustainable heating solution.