Radiant Made Simple

Radiant floor heat is tailor-made for kitchen and bath spaces. But the labor-intensive installation process has made it expensive for many jobs. A new generation of products makes the job faster and simpler, which should make it easier for builders to choose this comfortable heating solution. A few new products were showcased at ISH North America in Boston in October.

Pour-Free Thermal Mass

Radiant heating works best when the tubing is embedded in a thermal mass, which on many jobs consists of a poured layer of cement or liquid gypsum. It adds time to the job, requires you to schedule another subcontractor and can’t be done in very cold weather. EasyFloor™ solves all three problems by eliminating the pour without sacrificing the thermal mass.

EasyFloor consists of three components: plastic modular base modules to hold the tubing, aluminum heat fins to transfer heat to the floor above and cementitious HeatStones to provide the thermal mass. Simply snap the base modules together (no adhesives or fasteners required), lay the tubing and fins in the channels, and cover everything with the HeatStones. You can then install any type of flooring, from wood, to tile, to carpet. Learn more at www.florheat.com.

Fast In-Slab Tubing

Quip™ clips are a time-saving alternative to the zip ties used to secure radiant tubing to wire mesh for an in-slab installation. Installation couldn’t be easier: Just snap the Quip clips to the mesh and the tubing into the clips. If you need to change the tubing layout, the clips are easily removed and reattached. Their solid PVC construction is fully compatible with plastic tubing. Learn more at www.insulationsolutions.com.

Easy Foam Fasteners

Some in-slab radiant systems are installed over a layer of rigid foam insulation. Reddi-Strip™ staples let your installer secure staples for foam installations from a standing position. The staples come in strips of 50 that are easily loaded into a special staple gun. To drive a staple home, just place the gun over the tubing, press down on the handle and proceed to the next location. The staples will secure radiant heating tubes up to 5/8" thick. Learn more at www.petermangone.com.

Prefab Central Heating Control

Piping a radiant system used to mean piecing together a bunch of discrete components, but packaged systems such as Taco’s Radiant Mixing System are making the job easy. With only four pipe connections required, the Radiant Mixing System slashes installation time and uses less space. It combines a variable-speed injection-mixing control, injection circulator, system circulator and air elimination into a single easily installed unit. It can handle radiant loads up to 120,000 Btu and can be configured to include an outdoor reset control or a set-point control with no special piping or complex wiring. Learn more at www.taco-hvac.com.

Go-Anywhere Boiler

The Buderus GB142 is the perfect boiler for space-challenged retrofits. Because of its small size and minimal clearance requirements, this ultra-efficient condensing heater can be mounted on a wall. Its prefabricated manifold and integrated controls make for the fastest installation in the industry. It comes in four models, with inputs from 84,800 to 198,800 Btu per hour. Learn more at www.buderus.net.

Together, this new generation of products is making radiant floor heating an easier, faster option for both new installations and remodels.

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