Radiant floor heating is an effective, heat-distribution system that uses the floor to heat your home. Sounds crazy, right? The concept might be strange, but it is actually a great way to heat your home instead of using a standard ventilation system. With radiant floor heating systems, you don’t have to worry about trying to heat a large room with just one vent anymore.

In our most recent blog, the heating and cooling experts at Chapman discuss the basics of radiant floor heating. If you’re interested in learning more about this energy-efficient heating alternative, contact us today.

How Does Radiant Floor Heating Work?

Radiant floor heating provides warmth for your home from underneath the floors. But how is it possible to have a heating system underneath your floor? Electric and hydronic floor heating are the two most common types of radiant floor heating systems.

Electric

Electric radiant floor heating systems use electric wiring to produce heat. If you want to heat a smaller space, you will want to consider electric radiant floor heating. Electric radiant floor systems are more cost-effective to install, but more expensive to operate.

Hydronic

Hydronic radiant floor heating systems make use of hot water tubes to produce heat. Hydronic floor heating systems are more cost-effective to operate and are ideal for much bigger houses or larger floor areas. These hydronic floor heating systems are more expensive to install because they are very sophisticated and require heated water from a water heater. Though they are more expensive to install upfront, you’ll notice increased savings in bigger properties with a hydronic heating system.

To install heated floors in your home or business, get in touch with the professionals at Chapman today.

Why Should You Choose Radiant Floor Heating?

Increased Comfort

Whether you choose electric or hydronic radiant floor heating systems, your space is going to be comfortable. A conventional forced-air system causes radiant heat to rise to the ceiling, and then it comes back down as cool air. Radiant heating systems use heat that comes from the ground to provide the entire room with comfortable heat. A radiant floor heating system will allow you to have gorgeous tile, marble or slate floors without having to worry about cold feet. You get the best of both worlds; beautiful flooring and comfort.

Even Heating

Radiant heating distributes warm air evenly across your home so you never need to worry about cold spots or uneven temperatures from room to room. Traditional forced-air heating systems, meanwhile, use vents to distribute heat, which causes areas around the vents to feel warmer than other areas in the room.

No Ductwork

Radiant heating doesn’t require ductwork to heat your home, which is one less thing you’ll have to maintain during the year.

Energy Efficient

You’ll potentially save hundreds of dollars per year on your energy bills with a radiant heating system. With traditional, forced-air heating systems, heat rises to the ceiling before dissipating. Radiant heat provides radiant heat from the ground up to prevent heat loss and to keep those bare feet warm even on the coldest days of winter! Radiant heating is up to 25% more efficient than traditional forced-air systems, allowing you to use less energy.

Improved Indoor Air Quality

Do any of your family members suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory illnesses? If so, you should consider a radiant floor heating system. Because radiant heating doesn’t use blowers or fans, no allergens are circulated in the home’s air supply, such as dust mites and pet dander. Improve your family’s health with the installation of a radiant heating system.

No Noise

Traditional furnaces make noise when they start or stop a heating cycle, and older heaters can be loud throughout their cycle. With the installation of a radiant heating system, you’ll hear virtually no noise as the system heats your home from under your very toes.

Contact Chapman for Question about Radiant Floor Heating

The installation of radiant heating systems creates a comfortable space while saving on your energy bill. It’s also great for warehouses, factories and commercial buildings. For more information about radiant floor heating, visit our website to schedule an appointment, or give us a call at 317-207-9378 today.

The residents of Indianapolis are used to braving the harsh winter conditions in Central Indiana, so we know how to protect ourselves from winter’s frigid temperatures. We bundle up in sweaters, gloves and scarves before we head outside. Indoors, we adjust the thermostat, drink warm beverages, and maybe snuggle up in a blanket.

Unfortunately, too many of our customers here in Central Indiana forget about their plumbing until it’s too late. When you neglect your plumbing during the winter, you run the risk of icy morning showers, cracked or frozen pipes, and even flooding and leaks on the coldest days of the year.

Frozen pipes are one of the worst plumbing disasters a homeowner can experience because they can cause significant damage to your home’s ceiling, interior and exterior walls, floors and furniture, making your home uninhabitable. A one-eighth inch crack in a pipe has the potential to leak as much as 250 gallons of water per day! That can be catastrophic if you’re out of town for business or vacation.

Prevent pipes from freezing this winter by reading the following tips from the licensed plumbers at Chapman. For all of your plumbing repair, maintenance and installation needs, contact Chapman today.

Simple Steps to Avoid Frozen Pipes

Thankfully, there are steps that you can take to prevent pipes from freezing. Just taking a few extra minutes to take these simple steps to avoid frozen pipes will help prevent these potential problems.

Leave Water Running

If the Indiana winter forecast calls for temperatures below zero even if there is no snow or freezing rain predicted, it is time to take steps to prevent pipes from freezing. Leave the faucet in all your sinks (bathroom, kitchen and even mudroom) dripping slightly to reduce water pressure in the pipes and keep the pipes from freezing. It only needs to be a slow trickle, not a stream. This is especially important for any pipes that are located on exterior walls, rather than on interior walls.

Let Warm Air Circulate

Leave cabinet doors under the sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms open so warm air will circulate around the pipes. Just like you bundle up when you go outdoors, bundle up your pipes. You can also use foam padding sleeves to guard your pipes during the cold weather months to help keep exposed plumbing warm.

Remember those pipes in the basement or unused areas of your home, too. Don’t let frost accumulate or cracks develop, which can lead to so many other problems.

Don’t Forget the Outdoors

When freezing temperatures hit, you want to make sure to disconnect water hoses from faucets, cutting off the water supply. Drain the hose and bring it indoors if you can. You also need to close the shut-off valve on the pipes that lead to your outdoor spigots. When spring finally arrives, roll the hose back out to bring back the water supply.

In addition, you can use insulating faucet covers, rags or trash bags around your outdoor faucets for extra protection.

Caulking and Sealing

According to the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, sealing, caulking and weather stripping can improve the energy efficiency of your home and help decrease the risk of a frozen pipe. Make sure to seal basements and crawl spaces as tightly as you can to try and prevent cold air from coming in.

Are You Heading to a Warmer Climate?

When you leave town you probably ask one of your neighbors to get your mail, feed your cat, and watch the house. Add one more thing to their to-do list. If the weather gets cold, you want them to turn on the faucets for you. This will help to prevent freezing pipes in your home.

What to Do if Your Pipes Freeze

Obviously, you should prevent pipes from freezing whenever possible. However, life happens. Even if you’re prepared for the worst, there’s always a chance something could go wrong. If your pipes do freeze and cause damage to your home, follow these guidelines.

• Turn off the water immediately. Leaking water from thawing pipes could cause an electrical shortage.
• Call Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning for help.
• Do not use heat lamps or electrical appliances to thaw your pipes.
• Contact your insurance agency if severe property damage has occurred.
• Take as many photos of the damage as possible before repairs are made.

Contact Chapman for Plumbing Emergencies

For more tips on how to keep your pipes from freezing, get in touch with the plumbing professionals at Chapman. If you already have a pipe that has frozen, call us today to get an inspection from a professional and learn how to best limit the damage.

Call Chapman Heating and Air Conditioning at 317-207-9378 or schedule an appointment today. 

Chapman Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, carries a full line of plumbing services, including leak detection and freezing pipe repair. Contact us to recommend the best services for your home.