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December 22, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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The number of types of radiant
heaters available for residences or businesses is
awfully mind-boggling. There’s really a
lot of selection for homeowners to choose from.
Today we’ll discuss the electric cable heating
system kind of radiant heaters.
Electric cable heating systems
are gaining popularity in as radiant
heaters and are ideal for heating smaller areas
(10-300 square feet) like bathrooms, kitchens,
and sun rooms. These systems are comprised of a
thermostat and a heating cable. On some systems, the
cable will be shipped to you as a large spool of cable.
These systems are oftentimes less expensive, and
give you the ability to space the cable how you
want and customize a layout that will heat every square
inch of your floor. Other systems have the cable
attached to a plastic mesh or tape to create a
mat to maintain its proper spacing.
Every available cable system
is equally effective, so when determining which
radiant
heater system to purchase, you should look at the
warranty of the product, along with the ease of
installation. Some cables must be embedded in a
separate layer of concrete or mortar, whereas other
systems can simply be installed in the thinset.
Radiant Heaters Tip: When heating
smaller areas with a radiant
heater, it is nearly impossible to beat the
simplicity and price of an electric cable
heating system.
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December 20, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Not traditionally
used in heating homes, flat panel radiant
heaters are used to heat objects via radiant heat
transfer. These radiant heaters have traditionally
been used in a variety of industries and applications,
such as space heating, drying, curing, and water
evaporation. More recently, these heating systems are also
gaining popularity in home heating applications as well.
Radiant
heaters use different types of emitter surfaces. Choices
include: quartz, high-temperature glass, stainless
steel, and ceramic tiles. These are all materials that
are easily and efficiently used in home applications
such as flooring, countertops, and towel racks. Because
these items are easily turned into emitter surfaces for
radiant heat, they can easily and beautifully be
incorporated into home heating applications such as
heated floors, walls, and towel racks.
To find out about radiant heaters for your home,
check with the folks at warmzone.com. They have a
complete product catalog of radiant heating solutions
that can accommodate almost any application or budget.
Radiant Heaters Tip: radiant heaters a great way
to efficiently heat a home, while maximizing your
home’s beauty, but they are very cost effective
and easy to install.
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December 28, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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If you are looking to warm your floors with radiant
heaters and are trying to research what kind of
radiant heaters to install you might find
yourself scratching your head at this point.
There are dozens of products available to purchase, and
there are even more companies telling you that
their product is the best.
So which product is the best?
Should you install a hydronic heating system
that pumps hot water through your floors, an electric
cable heating system, or a low-voltage screen
system? The answer lies in the type of project
you are doing. Not every system is ideal for every
project, but there is an ideal system for every project.
Hydronic Heating Systems
Hydronic floor heating is the
oldest and most popular type of radiant floor
heating. These systems are comprised of a boiler or hot
water heater, pumps, manifolds, PEX tubing,
thermostat, and either gypcrete (a concrete-like
material) or wood panels. Hydronic heating is the most
complex of all radiant heat systems. These systems
require trained professionals to design and
perform the installation. Your best economies of
scale are achieved for hydronic systems in large areas
or entire homes because of their expensive
components and operational costs.
Hydronic systems can be installed under any
type of flooring. Most hydronic systems require hot
water tubing to be installed in a 2-4″
bed of light concrete and are best installed during
the initial construction because of its weight load
demands and adjustments to floor height. Recent
low-mass products have been developed to avoid
these challenges by fitting the tubing into pre-cut
wood panels, making hydronic systems more convenient and
possible for most major remodeling projects.
If you want to heat smaller areas
like a bathroom or kitchen, a hydronic floor
heating system may not be the best value for
your project. The complexity and cost of installing the
system, along with the long-term maintenance and
up-keep required, is not worth the small amount
you will save in operational costs.
Electric Cable Heating
Electric cable heating
systems, often called line- or high-voltage
systems, are gaining popularity and are ideal for
heating smaller areas (10-300 square feet) like
bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These
systems are comprised of a thermostat and a heating
cable. On some systems, the cable will be
shipped to you as a large spool of cable. These
systems are oftentimes less expensive, and give you the
ability to space the cable how you want and
customize a layout that will heat every square
inch of your floor. Other systems have the cable
attached to a plastic mesh or tape to create a
mat to maintain its proper spacing.
Every available cable system is equally effective, so when
determining which system to purchase, you should look
at the warranty of the product, along with the ease of
installation. Some cables must be embedded in a
separate layer of concrete or mortar, whereas other systems
can simply be installed in the thinset. Most cable
systems can only be installed under tile. However, on
others, if the cable is embedded in mortar or concrete,
any flooring can be installed on top of the concrete. When
heating smaller areas, it is nearly impossible to beat
the simplicity and price of an electric cable heating
system.
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December 25, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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As demands for
lower energy costs increase, homebuilders, househunters,
and home renovators alike are looking for energy-efficient
heating options for houses. We say they need
look no further than radiant
heaters for their ideal home heating solution.
In a nutshell, radiant
heating is among the most efficient forms of heat
available in today’s market. Significantly less
operating time is required to attain and maintain the
desired warmth compared to furnaces and other,
traditional methods of heating, which keeps operational
costs to a minimum.
High efficiency boilers or electric radiant
floor systems makes radiant heat one of your most
efficient ways to heat your home. Combined with a
well-insulated home, these radiant heater systems can
quickly warm your home and then shut down or wait idle
for long periods of time before being called upon by
the thermostat to operate.
Radiant Heaters
Tip: Being more environmentally friendly
doesn’t have to involve major renovations. Many
people waste a lot of energy by not sealing cracks, doors
and windows. Checking to make sure a home’s
insulation is in good shape and replacing it if
it’s not is another good surefire way to stop,
prevent, and reverse energy waste.
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October 26, 2008 00:10 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Winter weather is on the way. Start thinking
about heating
system solutions for the coming winter months or
spend the season shivering and wishing
you’d planned ahead. Leaving decisions like this
to the last moment (for example, when your furnace up
and dies in the middle of a brutal
Nor’easter) causes unnecessary stress, expense,
and, most obviously, a freezing cold house.
Whether you are building a new home from the
ground up, preparing to replace your heating
systems are using electricity instead of natural gas
or heating oil. Not only does this cut down on
heating costs, but it is also more efficient and
eco-friendly as well. Radiant heating
systems are quickly replacing traditional furnaces.
Heating Systems Tip: Choosing the best
heating
systems for a new home or to add supplemental heat
to a cold spot in your home now takes a little
homework. The radiant consultants and designers
at Warmzone have been trained in all of the latest
heating systems to properly assess your project
and prescribe a system that will add value to
your home within your budget.
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November 03, 2008 00:11 AM  BY RILEY PETERSON
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Danfoss offers a
myriad of cables for all kinds of projects, but figuring
out the differences can be pretty tricky. I won’t go
into technical details here, rather go over some basic
differences that will help you choose which cable to
use for which project.
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Danfoss LX Cable
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Interior Cable, best for
tile, marble, and slate flooring |
A thin 3/16-inch diameter
electric radiant heating cable made
specifically for tile installations. Because of the
thinness of the cable, it can go directly
into the tile thin-set (thin-set must not
be more than ¼” thick or else it will
crack the tile). |
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Danfoss TX Cable
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Interior Cable, tile, marble,
hardwood, slate |
A thicker ¼-inch
diameter radiant heating cable, made to be installed
directly into concrete slab. The thickness of the
cable makes it more durable to withstand
heavier concrete pours. |
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Danfoss GX Cable
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Outdoor Cable, concrete,
asphalt, brick pavers |
A thick ¼-inch diameter
radiant heating cable, made for use in
outdoor driveway, walkway, and sidewalk snow
melting. Heavy cable built to withstand
concrete pours and hot asphalt. |
All of the
Danfoss products give you the option of choosing between
individual cable in lengths (it comes on a roll) or in
woven mats, which has the cable rows pre-spaced and
makes installation much quicker and easier. The only
difficulty with the radiant mats is that it works best
with rectangular areas; however, the mat can be cut to
accommodate corners and custom layouts. (Just don't
cut the heat cable!) If you have a
complicated, odd shaped area to heat, you may
be better off with installing the individual
heating cable.
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December 18, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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The home improvement world has seen many recent
developments in heating, making hydronic systems
more convenient and possible radiant
heater solutions for major home remodeling projects.
Today we’re going to discuss one form of
radiant
heaters: hydronic floor heating.
Hydronic floor heating is the
oldest and most popular type of radiant
floor heating. These systems are comprised of a
boiler or hot water heater, pumps, manifolds,
PEX tubing, thermostat, and either gypcrete (a
concrete-like material) or wood panels. Hydronic heating
is the most complex of all radiant heat systems.
These systems require trained professionals to
design and perform the installation. Your best
economies of scale are achieved for hydronic systems in
large areas or entire homes because of their
expensive components and operational costs.
Hydronic systems can be installed under any type of
flooring.
Most hydronic systems require
hot water tubing to be installed in a
2-4″ bed of light concrete and are best installed
during the initial construction because of its
weight load demands and adjustments to floor
height.
If you’re wanting to
heat smaller areas such as a bathroom or kitchen,
a hydronic floor radiant
heating system may not be the best value for your
project. The complexity and cost of installing
the system, along with the long-term maintenance
and up-keep required, might not be worth the small
amount you will save in operational costs.
Radiant Heaters Tip:
Radiant
heaters for your home or business come in a variety
of forms – all efficient and providing
reliable, cozy warmth
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December 03, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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When replacing a
home heating system, there are a lot of questions that
people have in regards to new home heating
systems. Here is a questions that was recently
asked.
Q: My 1,200
square foot home used to be heated by a furnace from 1949
that ran at 25,000 BTU. Recently I changed the system to a
newer, 7,000 BTU system. I thought this newer heater
would be more efficient, but I find that it takes much
longer to heat the house than the older system did. Is
there something wrong with my furnace or do I need one that
has a higher BTU?
A: It’s a good idea to replace old heating
systems with newer, more efficient models. These new
models can work just as well or better than old
systems, but they do work differently. Where old
furnaces could be turned on and heat the house within a
matter of minutes, new heating systems can take
longer. If you want your home to be warm at a certain
time, set the heat to go on about 45 minutes prior to that.
Another important factor is whether your home is
“weather-tight.” Make sure all doors and
windows are properly sealed. If not, you may be losing
heat at the same rate your heating system is producing it.
Check with a heating contractor who can tell you
whether the new unit is sized correctly for your
home’s square footage.
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December 25, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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For anyone who is looking for a great way to
save energy, and maximize comfort, then radiant
heaters may be the ideal solution. Installing radiant
heaters in a home under construction or in an
existing home is proven to cut heating costs. It
works by putting water lines in the
home’s concrete floors or under existing floors
and running hot water through them. Radiant
heaters help to keep the whole house at a more
constant temperature. In this way, our regular heaters
don’t have to do as much to keep things
warm and toasty during the winter.
You’ll find that
switching to Radiant
heaters will not only help save energy and lower
heating costs, but it will certainly add to
comfort as well. That is because it put the heat
at our feet, which are generally cold, and offers cooler
air near head level, where we are generally a
little warmer.
Many times, what first springs
to mind when people think of eco-friendly energy
and heating is solar power. While solar panels are
expensive, there are other eco-friendly ways to cut your
power bill. In fact, energy savings can be found
right beneath your feet:
radiant
heaters.
Radiant Heaters Tip: It is reported that
many people waste a lot of energy by not sealing
cracks, doors and windows; checking to make sure a
home’s insulation is in good shape and replacing it
if it’s not is another good way to stop energy
waste.
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December 18, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Quite simply put, radiant
heaters are the most efficient form of heat
available in today’s market.
Significantly less operating time is required to attain
and maintain the desired warmth compared to
furnaces and other, traditional methods of
heating, which keeps operational costs to a minimum.
High efficiency boilers or
electric radiant floor systems makes radiant
heat one of your most efficient ways to heat your
home. Combined with a well-insulated home these
systems can quickly warm your home and then shut
down or wait idle for long periods of time before being
called upon by the thermostat to operate.
More than ever before, homebuilders,
househunters, and home renovators alike are
looking for energy-efficient heating options for houses.
We say they need look no further than radiant
heaters for their ideal home heating solution.
Radiant Heaters Tip: It might take a
little effort, but being more environmentally
friendly doesn’t have to involve major
renovations. Many people waste a lot of energy by not
sealing cracks, doors and windows. Checking to
make sure a home’s insulation is in good
shape and replacing it if it’s not is another
good surefire way to stop, prevent, and reverse
energy waste.
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