Radiant Heating 101: Everything You Need to Know

Hello and thank you for joining us for our live webinar. I'm your host, Scott Rosenbaum, and this webinar is called Radiant Heating 101. That means you're back to school today, but this time it's free and there's no homework. Our goal is to give you an overview of how radiant floor heating works. That way, you'll feel confident answering any general questions a customer might have about floor heating. You don't have to be an expert in radiant floor heating to benefit from including it in your floor product catalog. We know that some of the terms used to describe heating systems can seem a little daunting, but that's a valid concern. Radiant heating probably isn't the main focus of your business, and you have plenty of other things to worry about.

Today, you'll see that radiant heating is not only easy to understand but also easy to implement into your business. The good news is that you'll be learning directly from the radiant heating experts. WarmlyYours has been in the floor heating industry for nearly 20 years, which means we've learned almost everything there is to know about radiant heating. During the next 10 minutes, all you have to do is listen and send in your questions. Remember, the goal today is to learn about radiant floor heating. It'll be easier than you think, we promise. You don't need to take notes right now; we will send you the pre-recorded session tomorrow. What's important right now is paying attention and sending in questions. Don't worry if you think your question sounds silly or too general.

We know that the secret to a great learning experience is to answer as many questions as possible. If you want to submit any questions during this webinar, please click on the Q&A button located in the top left corner of your screen. We will answer these questions, along with those we received during the registration process, at the end of the webinar. Now, let's start with a quick poll for all you live watchers. Which one of these options is an example of radiant heating? A, air; B, gas; or C, the sun? If you chose C as your answer, you hit the spot. The heat provided by the sun is the most powerful example of radiant energy.

Imagine that you're walking in the woods and you check your phone. It's 51 degrees, and you're not wearing a jacket. You decide to go back home, but when you step out of the forest, you don't think you'll need a jacket anymore. So you check your phone again, thinking the temperature has suddenly changed, but it hasn't. The air is as cold as it was inside the woods, but now you're in the sunlight, and the sun is what makes you feel warmer. That's radiant heat. The air temperature doesn't have to change for you to feel comfortable. Your body absorbs the heat from the sun's rays, and that's all you need to feel good.

Can one of the attendees name another example of radiant heat? For you live watchers, send us your thoughts using the Q&A in the top left corner of your screen. Here we have another example: Have you ever sat next to a roaring bonfire? What happens when you move closer to the fire? You get hotter. What happens when somebody stands between you and the fire? You get colder; they get hotter. The distance between your body and the heat source has decreased, which means your body is absorbing more rays of heat with greater frequency as you get closer to the fire.

Now, how does radiant floor heating work? Well, now that we have an understanding of radiant heating, let's apply that to the floor. At WarmlyYours, we have a variety of heating elements designed for nearly every type of floor. Regardless of your floor type or floor heating system, they all work in a very similar and simple way. A heating element turns the entire surface of your floor into a heat source. So now that you have an evenly heated floor functioning as a heat source, what happens? The infrared heat warms all of the solid objects in the room, which means all the solid objects will absorb the radiant heat coming from the floor and pass that heat on to the air in the room.

If it helps, imagine the floor heating system as Oprah. She's pointing at all the things and people in the room, shouting, "You get some heat, and you get some heat, and you get some heat!" until everyone and everything has been heated. Now, how is radiant floor heating different from convection heating? Almost everyone is familiar with convection heating. Hot air is forced through a system of air ducts and enters a room through air vents. However, convection heating isn't very efficient at transferring heat because it relies on air, and as soon as it leaves the heat exchanger, it starts cooling off.

Think about when your hands get cold in the winter. You blow hot air from your lungs onto your fingers, and they feel warmer, but only for a little while. The air doesn't have enough mass and dissipates too quickly to transfer enough heat to your hands to significantly raise their temperature. Radiant heating, like a bonfire, delivers consistent and even heat to a solid surface, ensuring a high level of efficiency when it comes to heat transfer. Another important benefit of radiant heating is that it doesn't rely on a vortex of hot air, which means you can significantly cut down on the spread of allergens like pet hair or dust by eliminating the fans.

During the registration process, we received several questions about how electric floor heating is different from hydronic systems. Both electric and hydronic systems are installed below the floor. Hydronic systems work with hot water, while electric radiant heating works with electric cables. Electric floor heating typically heats up faster than hydronic systems and allows for spot heating, which is a practical and affordable way to incorporate floor heating into your project. With electric floor heating products like the WarmlyYours TempZone, you can choose to heat the parts of your floor that you use the most.

Maybe you just need to heat the area in front of your shower because, as we all know, the worst thing ever is a cold floor after a warm shower. Electric cables are more durable after installation and less likely to deteriorate. Electric floor heating saves you time and money on installation, as hydronic systems usually require a boiler, manifolds, a pump, gas lines, and a more complex and pricey installation process. Because electric heat does not require these expensive components, you can enjoy the same comfort without the invasive and costly demands of hydronic systems. Depending on where your electricity comes from, electric floor heating can run completely independent of fossil fuels, while many water heaters used by hydronic systems rely on gas.

Are there any questions? If you want to submit a question, you can do it now by clicking on the Q&A button located in the top left corner of your screen. We received some questions during the registration process, and one of them was from Peter, who asked how much it costs to run and whether 120 or 220 volts is better. The truth is that 220 is no better than 110; it's an old wives' tale that 220 is more efficient than 110 in this application. The average cost to run a 35 square foot space is 22 cents per day, whether you use 120 or 240 volts. There's no operating cost difference between the two.

Remember that your customers can set the thermostat to activate the systems only when they're home, making the system even more cost-effective. If you want a precise operating cost for a particular project, you can use our free operating cost calculator tool on our website. By providing some details about your project, the tool will give you an accurate operating cost estimate. Make sure to check out the recording of our last webinar, where we talked more about this tool.

Peter also asked if the types of tile and thinset affect performance. Tile thickness and the R-value of the flooring will affect heat radiation to some extent. However, there shouldn't be any noticeable effect on the performance of your heating system as long as you keep the top of the tile within 1 to 1.5 inches of the top of the wire and avoid floor coverings with a high R-value, which is anything over 1. The higher the R-value of the flooring, the less heat gets through it to the top.

Edward asked how large of an area can actually be heated with electric radiant heat. With WarmlyYours radiant heating, you can heat the area that your customers want; there are no space limitations. For installations using more than 240 square feet of floor heating product operating on a 240-volt circuit, you can add up to 10-15 amp power modules to your master thermostat. This is the same as operating a floor heating system on a 120-volt circuit with more than 120 square feet of floor heating product.

We have another question here from Chris, who asked how to avoid WarmlyYours failure after the floor is down. The best way to avoid failure is to ensure the project is installed correctly. We always recommend using a digital ohmmeter and circuit check during the installation process to prevent any damage in the future. However, we also have tools to locate any problems if they arise after the floor has been installed. Just give us a call, and we'll help you.

Don't forget that our products come with a WarmlyYours no-nonsense warranty, which is the most comprehensive warranty in the industry. We guarantee your TempZone warming roll to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a full 25 years from the date of purchase. The controls used to regulate the system have their own warranty, so please see our website for details. If you want to request more information about any of our products, please contact your account manager. If you don't know who your account manager is, you can easily find out by checking your online account or by contacting us at 800-875-5285. We'll be happy to direct you to the right person.

If you need on-site installation assistance, no matter what time of the day or night, you can always reach out to our tech support team at 800-875-5285, and we will be happy to assist you 24/7. Join us for our next webinar, which will be on Thursday, October 13th, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. We sincerely appreciate your time and hope to be in touch with you soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us at 800-875-5285 or info@warmlyyours.com, and we'll be happy to assist you. You can also reach us by using the live chat tool on our website. Until we see you again, stay warm and be radiant.