Everything You Wanted To Know About Hydronic Heating

Everything You Wanted To Know About Hydronic Heating

What Is Hydronic Heating?

Rather than heating and blowing hot air through your home, a hydronic heating system heats the liquid in its system, distributes it through tubes, and radiates the heat. Hydronic heating systems, or radiant heating, can be installed in floors or using baseboard hydronic heaters or radiators to distribute heat evenly. Radiant flooring can be installed in the concrete foundation for even thermal heating, on top of existing flooring, or using prefabricated panels.

The Benefits Of A Hydronic Heating System

Hydronic heating is an energy-efficient way to provide clean, warm, and comfortable heat through your home. If you’ve never had hydronic heating, you’ll be amazed by the even heating you get. There are no more warm or cold spots throughout your home.

Zones

One big benefit of hydronic heating systems vs forced air is that you can create multiple zones throughout your home to regulate the heat. Rather than one thermostat that controls the entire system, you can vary the temperature in specific areas or rooms. This can be a big benefit at bedtime so your room isn’t too hot or too cool because that’s the way someone in another room likes it. Because there isn’t a cycle of pushing warm air out and drawing air in, you don’t need to worry about temperature variations from keeping doors open or closed.

Humidity Levels

Radiant heat doesn’t dry out your home. Forced air systems will draw moisture out of the air as it heats it and can lead to unbalanced humidity levels. Because radiant heat uses liquid in a closed system, it doesn’t affect the humidity in your home.

Warm Floors

Radiant flooring keeps your floors warm. That’s especially nice on those crisp, cold morning when you get out of bed. Tubes underneath the floor spread the warmth and the floor itself acts as a conductor to keep things warm.

Quiet

Radiant heat systems are quiet. There’s no noise like when a furnace fires up or the creaks and groans made by warm air as it travels through cool air ducts. You also don’t hear that rush of air that forced-air systems push out.

No Ducts

Hydronic systems don’t require air ducts and return air systems. These can take up a fair amount of real estate in your walls and ceilings. If your home didn’t come equipped with air ducts already, retrofitted can be messy and expensive. Tubes for hydronic systems can be attached to floor joists or hidden in walls and routed around existing piping.

Dust, Pollen, And Allergens

Because hydronic heaters don’t use ducts, they’re quieter and cleaner. Forced-air systems push air through ducts and into rooms. This airflow can stir up dust, pollen, pet dander, and allergens. If the ducts are dirty, it can be even worse. That’s why forced-air systems require air filters to trap the larger particles – although they don’t catch all of them. Hydronic systems don’t require furnace filters.

Energy Efficiency

Hydronic heating systems are more efficient than other heating methods. Air is not particularly good as a heat conductor. As it travels through ducts, it can lose energy or leak through gaps or joints. Less energy is needed to heat the water and to transfer the heat throughout your home. Water also does a better job of retaining heat.

Radiant heat systems can save as much as 20-40% off your heating bills compared to other heating methods. Some of that savings comes from not having to turn your furnace on and off all day to manage temperature fluctuations.

Warmer at Lower Temperatures

Radiant flooring is warmest near the floor, so your feet stay warm. Baseboard heaters or radiators are also low to the ground, so the air is warm closest to where you spend the majority of your time – either sitting, standing, or laying down. Hydronic systems also do not push out air, so there are no drafts of breezes that make you feel cool.

How Does Hydronic Heat Work?

A boiler uses conduction to heat the water or liquid inside the unit. As the hot liquid is circulated through the pipes, it heats anything it touches. This is used for radiant flooring, for example, heating the floor by conduction. Not only will you have a warm room this way, but you can eliminate cold floors on chilly mornings. When the hot liquid reaches the radiator or hydronic baseboard heater, it then radiates the heat from the water throughout the room. Learn more about how hydronic heating systems work.

Types of Hydronic Radiant Heating Systems

There are seven basic components that work together to make your hydronic heater work. The central piece is the boiler that heats the water. There are several types of boilers and options for how water is heated as well as different types of heat exchangers to transfer the heat to your home. Learn more about the types of hydronic radiant heating systems and the available options.

How To Install Hydronic Heating

Hydronic heating systems are installed in several ways. What's called wet installation involved laying the pipes inside concrete while it's being poured or adding a thin layer of concrete over the top. Dry installation uses prefab panels to hold the tubes. Piping for hydronic radiators or baseboard heating can be hidden in walls or floor joists. The cost of installation can vary greatly based on installation methodology and your home's requirements. Learn more about the installation of hydronic heating systems and the cost.