How Does a Radiant Water Home Heating System Work?

Traditional home heating systems blast hot air through a ventilation system distributed through the house. It is possible to heat a house using radiant water heating instead, but most of us have never seen this kind of system, although water-heated radiators once were common in homes and buildings. Radiant water home heating systems are quite simple.

Power source

• Radiant water home heating systems use hot water to distribute heat. The water heater can be fueled by electricity, natural gas or fuel oil. Fuel oil and natural gas are more efficient than electricity.

Placement

• Water pipes are placed in the subfloor, usually concrete, in a folded S pattern across the whole area to be heated.

Heating

• Radiant water systems heat the rooms from the floor up. Water is heated by the fuel, then pumped through the pipes in the subfloor. This hot water transfers heat to the concrete floor around it and up through the floor. The concrete also retains some heat to maintain more consistent temperatures.

Adjusting

• When a higher (lower) temperature is demanded, the water is heated (cooled) further and then the hotter (cooler) water is pumped through the pipes. Unlike traditional ventilation systems, radiant water heating systems take a while to adjust.