Heating & Cooling
Discover Electric Radiant Heat
By Faith Williams and Ron Treister
Feb 2, 2005, 16:58

Imagine – you have just enjoyed a nice, hot, relaxing shower and the stresses of the day have seemingly melted away – until you take your first step onto your beautiful ceramic tile floor, the unbelievably cold ceramic tile floor.

There has to be another way, you say to yourself, and thankfully, there is: in-floor warming systems. The popularity of these systems has grown greatly in recent years.

“Homeowners are becoming more aware of the availability of this product on the market,” said John O’Brien, of Radiant Floor Warming, a company that has been warming America’s feet for the last eight years. “This market is growing by over 80 percent per year and is expected to grow by over 140 percent by 2005.”

Chris Ellmore, a homeowner in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of those who have installed electric radiant heat in his master bath. “It keeps the bathroom nice and warm.” Ellmore said the in-floor warming system has been an added feature now that he is in the process of selling his home. “It was one of those little extras, like granite countertops or stainless steel appliances, but those cost 15 times more than the floor warming system.” Ellmore said the last time the prospective buyers were at the home, he walked into the master bath and found the mother and daughter feeling the floor. “They couldn’t believe how warm the floor was,” said Ellmore.

While in-floor warming systems have always been popular in colder regions like northern New England or the upper Mid West, two things have made the systems more widespread. As the use of tile has increased, so has the use of these systems. As people decided to use tile not only in their bathrooms, but also in their kitchens, foyers, sunrooms and other areas, they wanted to keep the tile warm. The other reason for the systems’ increase in popularity is the long way the manufacturers have come to make the system easier and faster to install, therefore reducing the cost for installation.

Another major selling point is the installation of the in-floor warming system does not require any special installation procedures. The sub floor should be prepared as for any conventional tile installation in accordance with all applicable standards. It should be clean of all debris and sharp edges or objects that might damage the element. Loose boards should be repaired and all gaps should be filled to assure the mat will be installed over a smooth and even surface.

A hydronic system, which has hot water running through flexible tubing, is a total home heating system. It requires a boiler to heat the water and plumbing and is typically used in new construction only.

“Electric floor heating is designed to be installed directly under the tile or stone flooring,” said O’Brien. “We thinset this material down to the substrate and it will add virtually no height to the floor – only 1/8” of an inch. This cannot be done with hydronic heating.”

“Radiant is for floor warming and does not replace the existing heat in your home. This material can be used in renovations or new construction, is UL approved and perfect for any room. We predict by 2007 40% of medium to high end tile or stone installations will have a warm floor associated with it.”

One common myth that exists is floor-warming systems are only popular in colder climates. This is not the case, O’Brien says. “Certainly, it is more evident in colder climates – yet a tremendous amount of material is sold in California and Florida as people typically have the A/C on and the tile is still ‘cold’. In fact, most people who buy heated floors in all climates use them throughout the summer as well.”

Basic Installation Instructions:

1. Measure and plan are to be covered.

2. Place unit and cut webbed mat (not wire heating element) to make turns and new runs. The flexible heating element bends as needed.

3. Connect wires to junction box/thermostat (to be done by licensed electrician). Test unit.

4. Spread the thinset mortar or self-leveling underlayment right over the mat. The thin profile makes for a smooth, flat finish.

5. Install Flooring product according to product and industry standards.

Electric radiant heat offers maintenance free comfort all year long, in any kind of climate. For further information, visit http://www.radiantfloorwarming.com or contact John O’Brien at Radiant Floor Warming, 888-FLR-WARM (357-9276).