Hydronic Heating Systems

Radiant Heating Service in Seattle - Seattle Hot Water Company uses only licensed skilled plumbers for piping anf boiler work.

We are one of the few radiant heating companies that are licensed plumbers - every one of us. We have been installing boilers, heating systems, radiant, solar, and specialty water heating for over 35 years. Evan is the company control electrician. Rick is our installation foreman and has worked here for years. Norm is a mechanical field tech with decades of experience both residential and commercial. We all do diagnostic and repair not just install. Washington state does not license radiant heating system technicians so many of the radiant installation companies out there are sales and marketing companies - neither plumbers nor licensed mechanical/electrical craftsmen.     Town house heating information here

Radiant Heating

The desire for comfort is a basic human wish and nothing delivers comfort better than radiant floor heating. Imagine your body surrounded by a cozy warmth that radiates up from the floor. Radiant floor heating heats your body and objects, not the air. The warmth stays down around the floor where it is needed most. It is not wasted at the ceiling or lost to the outdoors whenever a door or window is opened.

It's simple...floors become large, mild radiators resulting in warm, friendly floors. The systems circulate warm water through the flexible yet durable tubing that can be installed underneath virtually any type of flooring material--wood, tile, even carpet. The lower water temperatures needed for a radiant floor heating system mean lower thermostat settings which saves on monthly heating bills. In addition, zoning gives you room by room temperature control allowing you to place the heat where you want it. There are systems to meet every need and budget. Installation is fast and easy.

So many benefits with Radiant Floor Heating...

• Superior Comfort - Consistent, steady heat all winter long remaining near the floor where you are. It is a very desirable cool head, warm feet environment.
• Warm floors in kitchens and bathrooms . Beautiful wood and marble floors are even more enjoyable because they are now warm.
• Efficiency - Because people are in direct contact with the heat source, they are comfortable at a lower thermostat setting. Energy savings between 20 to 40% result.
• Zoning Ability - Radiant floor heating provides room by room temperature control, allowing more heat where you want it most.
• Decorating Freedom - because the system is encased in the floor, furnishings can be placed wherever you desire without concern for impairing heat distribution or hiding unsightly heating appliances. In addition, Wirsbo radiant floor heating systems can be installed under any type of flooring, including wood, tile, concrete and carpet.
• Clean and draft-free - there are no noisy fans to blow dust and allergens around your home. Because the floors are warm, they dry more quickly after mopping.
• Radiant Floor Heating Adds Value To The Home - Radiant floor heating can immediately increase the value of your home. Installing Wirsbo tubing in slab or basement applications allows you to turn cold, damp areas into warm cozy living space - taking full advantage of all the available square footage in your
  home.

With proper design and insulation, the benefits of a radiant floor heating system are many. It's easy to see why more and more people are choosing superior comfort and efficiency for their homes and families.

Why is radiant floor so comfortable? The human body has its own hydronic heating system. Heat is distributed to the body through blood pumped from the heart. The first priority of the body's heating system is to maintain central body core temperature. From there, blood is sent to the extremities. Since the feet are the farthest from the central body core, they are the last to get heat and the first to recognize the discomfort of a cold environment.

Where the body's hydronic heat system fails, radiant floor excels. Radiant floor applies direct conductive heat to the feet (most of us have our feet on the floor), and to objects in the room that in turn re-radiate heat. Because radiant floor directly addresses the heat loss of the human body through conduction, people are typically comfortable at a lower thermostat setting -- around 65 ° F. This is another reason why
radiant floor is so energy efficient.

The common forced air systems heat air, not objects, and warm air is often lost through the walls and ceiling. Radiant floor heating heats the objects in the room so heat is not wasted. Hot air heating systems do not distribute heat where the body needs it most, leaving structures with drafts and high heat loss.

Technical Information on Radiant Heating

What exactly is Radiant Energy? Hold your hand over a hot cup of coffee and feel the heat. The logical conclusion is that heat rises. Logical maybe, but incorrect! "Hot air" rises but "heat" can travel in any direction. That is why you can feel the heat of the cup when you place your hand to the side of it. Radiant energy transfer is caused by a warm surface giving up its heat to a cooler surface. Whenever there is a temperature difference between two surfaces, both surfaces will attempt to equalize. Radiant energy travels through space without heating the space itself. It only turns into heat when it contacts a cooler surface. Our human comfort relies just as much on radiant heat transfer as it does on air temperature, yet the majority of heating and air-conditioning professionals think only in terms of air temperature. As a result, Americans are missing out on a truly comfortable living environment in their own homes or places of business. By controlling both the air temperature and the radiant transfer, radiant systems deliver a comfort that is unsurpassed.

Which Radiant System is best for your home?