Can I use large area rugs in rooms with radiant heat??
mjammjam
6 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (23)
JAN MOYER
6 years agomjammjam
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Icy Bathroom Floor - I Don't Think I Can Install Radiant Heat
Comments (17)Wow. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Bishop8 - it's a fire hazard to have towels too close to a baseboard heater. I believe the distance must be 8" between the top of the heater and the bottom of the towels, which should be fine, except for people and kids who fling the towel over the bar so that it slides down almost to the floor. Billl - yes, that's exactly what I want to do, heat the floor surface not so much the air. You said infrared heater. I think of those when I think of the old-fashioned bathroom ceiling heaters you still see occasionally in motels. Are you saying they make infrared baseboard or wall heaters? Do you know any brands you could point me to? Davidro - as I mentioned in my OP, I am not going to pull up floor tile, because I would never be able to re-do the marble floor tile to match the existing marble tub surround and shower walls. Also, this bathroom is an interior ensuite to the master bedroom - i.e. they share the floor structure, and there are no outside walls in the bathroom. But the bedroom floor feels fine, because it is not marble. It is the marble that is the issue, not the floor structure underneath the marble. Birdgardner - I thought of the attic too, which is actually little more than a crawl space above the bathroom. I checked up there again, and it is quite well-insulated. As I mentioned in my OP, you can feel the marble through slippers, and I should have mentioned they are the thick slippers which are normally warm! I am thinking of chucking the whole idea of a heater (and the cost) and getting a thick rug. Maybe I'll post a new thread on this Forum to ask for suggestions for bathroom rugs. Only problems with a rug is that it won't cover the entire standing area, and I am not a fan of rugs in bathrooms because they are dust/hair/powder/sprays traps. I guess there is no ideal solution, but I must weigh the pros and cons of all the solutions provided here. Thanks so much!...See MoreCan you 'feel' hydronic radiant heat under all flooring types?
Comments (15)There's a lot of good information in the healthyheating post, but unfortunately, some misleading/inaccurate info as well. The good - building a really efficient house is definitely the way to go. The better insulated and air sealed, the more stable the temperatures, and the less it will matter what type of heating system you use. As the poster noted: "Its not just about the flooring its about the system the building (affects heating load what you pay the utilities) the flooring affects resistance) the tube spacing (affects fluid temperature affects efficiency) .theyre all joined at the hip" I'm not sure what the comments about VOCs have to do with heating systems. I might be missing the author's point, but the implication I get from reading the posting is that somehow radiant heating helps reduce the VOCs in your home. I know that's not the poster's point, but the way it's mixed in with talk about radiant, it's quite misleading. To clarify, VOC levels are a function of materials used in the house and the fresh air ventilation rates. As for radiant heating efficiency. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the efficiency of radiant systems. The industry claim is that you can set your thermostats lower because the heat radiates up from the floor, resulting in greater psychological and physiological warmth. In actual practice, the studies have had conflicting results. While it is true that in a low-temperature radiant installation, you can operate water heating equipment at more efficient temperatures, it's not true that it's a slam-dunk savings in all situations. This is particularly true in basement radiant slab installations where a fraction of your heat is going downward to heat the earth or out the edge of the slab. This can easily result in a 10-30% efficiency penalty, or more depending on the installation. The comments about the emissivity of the floor material is a red herring. While the follow-up comment about the R-value of the floor material is valid. What matters is the ability of the system to transfer heat into the living space. Tubes in concrete, exposed, is most capable. Tubes hanging in the joist bay, under the wood floor under a carpet is a worst case scenario. It is simply not true that the floor material does not make a difference! Consider this - if you have a concrete floor and a carpet, both at 70F, which one will "feel" colder when you stand on it in bare feet? The feeling of "cold" that your feet pick up is due to the heat being more effectively transferred from your feet to the concrete floor than to the carpet. The thermal conductivity of the concrete is much higher than the carpet. The floor material makes a profound difference to the actual functioning of a radiant floor heating system. Also be aware of the flywheel effect. Large, heavy masses take a while to speed up and slow down. The same with thermal masses, like concrete slabs. They have a capacity of holding lots of energy. Because of this, they take a lot of energy to bring up to temperature. With a forced air heating system or conventional baseboard heaters, you can set the temperature back at night or when you leave for the day, saving considerable energy. With a high mass radiant system, it takes a lot more heating energy to get the slab up to temperature, so it is slower to respond. This applies to the time it takes to cool down also. Quoting from the EERE website: "Thick concrete slab systems have high heat capacity and are ideal for storing heat from solar energy systems, which have a fluctuating heat output. The downside of the thick slabs is their slow thermal response time, which makes strategies such as night or daytime setbacks difficult if not impossible. Most experts recommend maintaining a constant temperature in homes with these heating systems." This is particularly problematic in the spring and fall, when it may be in the 40's at night but sunny and in the 60's during the day. Ask people with radiant systems about their comfort in these situations and you'll find a fair number who are dissatisfied with the comfort. This is a good reason to keep a forced air system for heating as well as the radiant. Use the forced air for primary heating during mild weather and radiant when it's colder. The healthyheating describes this on their website under "myths". Unfortunately, the way it's discussed is highly misleading. Radiant heating systems do NOT act like heat lamps. Heat lamps operate at very high temperatures and have essentially zero heatup time. Heat lamps do work by radiant heating. In floor systems do not. They operate at very low temperatures and can take considerable time to warm up and cool down. Depending on the design, this can be many hours. Quoting from the EERE website: "Despite their name, radiant floor heating systems also depend heavily on convection, the natural circulation of heat within a room, caused by heat rising from the floor. Radiant floor heating systems are significantly different than the radiant panels used in walls and ceilings." I don't want to seem negative on in-floor heating systems. I like them and use them in my own tiled bathroom floors. But you need to know that it is not "child's play", even for a competent installer, due to complicating factors....See MoreNeed advice for area rug in Large Living Room
Comments (28)Thanks for those layout options artistsharonva. I am going with option 1. Or perhaps option 2 if I can’t find a large enough rug. Good advice! :)...See MoreCan mice live in a radiant heat floor system?
Comments (5)jup Really sorry you are experiencing all the angst and other w an inferior plumber. I would get things inspected ASAP and all your lines pressure tested. Have you paid the guy fully? if not, you have some bartering chips - not sure where you are and how the law works there, but it might be best to get a qualified plumber in there to redo things correctly...you don't want problems popping up over time. I live in city but have had a country house/ranch and 11 utility sheds and barns..I know the drill. Mice and rats look for 2 things: shelter and food. take either one of them away and they leave. Plug anything dime size and bigger. build storage facilities [and homes] that does not allow access to insulation, clothes, or anything they can make a nest. Put out taps before you even think you have a problem. I like the spring traps bc you can see what you catch., Bait them w tootsie rolls - rats/mice have a huge sweet tooth and you can squeeze on the tootsie roll where they cannot get it off unless the trap is spring. I'm not a cat person, but they do the gig well. Also, I always put snakes [non poisonous] under my house or direct them that way. Anyway, hope you get your retirement house fixed soon and obtain peace of mind..good luck...See MorePatricia Colwell Consulting
6 years agoJAN MOYER
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agomjammjam
6 years agomjammjam
6 years agoCancork Floor Inc.
6 years agopicturebug
4 years agoSJ McCarthy
4 years agoziecheck
3 years agoHU-246687564
3 years agoSJ McCarthy
3 years agoHU-246687564
3 years agoSJ McCarthy
3 years agoHU-573783758
2 years agoJAN MOYER
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoHU-573783758
2 years agoSJ McCarthy
2 years agoHU-573783758
2 years agoSJ McCarthy
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoJAN MOYER
2 years ago
Related Stories
DECORATING GUIDESSize Up the Right Area Rug for Your Room
The size of a rug can make an important difference to the feel of a room. Here are some tips to help you make the right choice
Full StoryLAUNDRY ROOMSWhere Can I Hide My Laundry Area?
It’s a case of now you see it, now you don’t with these 10 clever ways of fitting in a laundry zone
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSIdeabook 911: How Can I Make My Living Room Seem Bigger?
10 Ways to Make a Small Space Live Large
Full StoryRUGSA Rug Can Make a Room — but What Kind to Choose?
The perfect rug may be all you need to complete your decor with color, texture and coziness. Here’s how to select the right type
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSLay Out Your Living Room: Floor Plan Ideas for Rooms Small to Large
Take the guesswork — and backbreaking experimenting — out of furniture arranging with these living room layout concepts
Full StoryTRANSITIONAL STYLERoom of the Day: Dramatic Redesign Brings Intimacy to a Large Room
The daunting size of the living room once repelled this young family, but thanks to a new design, it’s now their favorite room in the house
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESDoes Your Room Need a Bigger Rug?
Oversize area rugs not only make a statement, but they also can unify a room and make it cozy
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESHow to Combine Area Rugs in an Open Floor Plan
Carpets can artfully define spaces and distinguish functions in a wide-open room — if you know how to avoid the dreaded clash
Full StoryPATTERN17 Gorgeous Ways to Work In a Patterned Area Rug
Add spark underfoot and pull a room together all around with a patterned rug as bold or subtle as you please
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESGet Floored by a Bold Area Rug
Jolt your rooms to life with a stirring color, striking pattern or even both underfoot
Full Story
Warmboard Radiant