Radiant VS Forced Air

Mike T., Swampeast MO

I both work and sleep in two different homes. One has forced air gas heat, the other extremely oversized cast iron radiators under proportional control--most of them most of the time are within the temps of radiant floors!

In all honesty and for the same level of comfort doing the same type of activity, I can always keep the "radiant" house at least 3° cooler. I now find forced air heat above 72° to be stifling, but somehow not always warm...

But, not all people are "wired" the same way. The 22-year-old student who is staying here on weekends says he's perfectly comfortable with the TRVs in his suite set for about 64°. He'll be in the NW facing sleeping porch (LOTS of windows) in his skivvies studying.

The person (about 35) I had do some routine work for me this winter during a business trip had the TRV in my office set for 75°. I thought I had walked into an old boiler room, but he said he was comfortable.

That's what I LOVE about TRVs. To each their own!

Nick_16

Radiant VS Forced Air

I know about all of the benifits that you are supposted to see with radiant floor heat. But, is there anyone out there who has had a home with forced air heat and switched to radiant floor? Can you really set your thermostat lower than with your forced air. It all sounds great but is it all really true. Please let me know of any experiences!

Thanks!

Steve_35

We had FHA

in our house and converted to HW BB. I can say the house is more comfortable and the fuel usage has gone down.

We put up a shop this past year and installed an EXTREMELY basic radiant system. Sealed combustion water heater with a t-stat that turns a circ on and off. This is NOT the way I would install a system in a customer's home but, hey, it's my shop. I've turned the water temp down as low as it can go and still maintain on a -20ºF day. The water temp out of the water heater varies from around 105º to 118º.

The t-stat is set 7º lower than our house and frankly my shop is more comfotable than my home which is still more comfortable than it was with FHA. I would turn it lower but I'm not sure how our daughter's snake would fare at the lower temp.

Doug Wagoner

Living a duel life

Nick, The main part of my home has a heat pump. It serves the upstairs also. We bought the house because we could convert the 524 sq. ft. garage into a master bed and bath and live on one level. We also added a sun room with a bed rm above. The sun room, the extra bed rm and the master bed and bath are radiant floor heated. These are the only rooms we occupy during the winter. Our two dogs enjoy the warm floors also. The stat setting in the master bed room is 69* in winter and 73* in summer. The sun room is kept at 70* in winter (because of the east glass) and 73* in summer. Comfort is the difference. My wife was very skeptical that a hardwood and tile floor would be warm. But I notice she keeps her slippers in the bath room instead of under the bed; not so in the other house we lived in. Guests frequently ask us why there is such a difference in the floors temperatures. I could sell this stuff if I were still in the business by using my current home as a test/display site. But I have a comfortable job and am too old to start over. Spent the money with a competent, experienced radiant heating installer and enjoy your old age in comfort instead of in drafts. You will not regret it. The operational cost of my boiler is less than the heat pump for about the same area and the boiler does the domestic hot water too. I am exploring the best way to get heating pipes to the rest of the house and eliminate the winter time use of the heat pump. A hydro coil in the duct work would be an easy install but it would not eliminate the drafts although it would lower my costs. I want to eliminate the movement of air and raise the comfort level at the same time. Still thinking and saving.

Weezbo

well,......

radiant is quite a deal closer to actual comfort it must be also mentioned that a erv or hrv is going to move a bit of air around however it will be fresh air and the cfms are only replacing stale air as it were...it has an operational cost of maybe 20% of the fuel ticket however it might better be looked at as extending your life than costing fuel.and off is always an option in particularily cold times... comfort is seldom looked at as somehow part of the relashionship to ones health ...you go radiant and fresh outside air exchanges that are controled within your environment coupled with outside weather conditions and yah buddy its a way better deal..enjoy and long life to you.

hr

It's not an easy either or question anymore

certainly radiant wins the comfort contest in the heating mode. But in most areas of the country cooling and IAQ is becoming a bigger piece of the puzzle.

A tight home without a means of air movment humidity control and filtration and/ or outside air intake, just doesn't work anymore.

More and more we are building foamblocks to live in, don't want to breath the exact same air over and over

As such you really need to look at the total picture.

I highly recommend Robert Beans e-book "Home Owners Guide to Indoor Comfort Quality".

Buy it at www.healthyheating.com

It will, and should, open your eyes to the bigger picture. Thanks Robert.

hot rod

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

hr

It's not an easy either or question anymore

certainly radiant wins the comfort contest in the heating mode. But in most areas of the country cooling and IAQ is becoming a bigger piece of the puzzle.

A tight home without a means of air movment humidity control and filtration and/ or outside air intake, just doesn't work anymore.

More and more we are building foamblocks to live in, don't want to breath the exact same air over and over

As such you really need to look at the total picture.

I highly recommend Robert Beans e-book "Home Owners Guide to Indoor Comfort Quality".

Buy it at www.healthyheating.com

It will, and should, open your eyes to the bigger picture. Thanks Robert.

hot rod

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

jeff_51

just another point of veiw

everything already stated is correct. Out here in the midwest where most everything is forced air, its a little tougher sale. One of the things done very often is to install radiant loops in a primarily forced air home. Loops in the basement floor and maybe bathroom floor. The radiant isn't used for space heating so much as for comfort. If you already have a forced air unit, you certainly don,t have to remove it, use radiant as a complimant

Dean_7

radiant heat

I've lived in 2 different homes and two apartments over the years. the apartments and one home had forced hot air heat. One home had baseboard hot water heat and the home I live in now has a restored one pipe steam heat system. In both of the homes with radiant heat I have been able to set the thermostat lower than I was able to in the forced hot air places and still stay comfortable. The forced air systems were always noiser than either radiant system. But my wife who always had forced air heat now runs around the house in t shirts, shorts, and bare feet in the winter. Before she said she always wore sweaters, sweat shirts and slippers to stay comfortable. in my opinion you can't beat radiant heat in whatever version for comfort.