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Mobile ViewHEATING SYSTEMS AFUE DEFINITION, RATINGS AGE of CHIMNEYS & FIREPLACES AGE of HEATERS, BOILERS, FURNACES AGE of WATER HEATERS AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS AIR HANDLER / BLOWER UNITS AIRBOUND HEAT SYSTEM REPAIRS ANODES & DIP TUBES on WATER HEATERS ANTI SCALD VALVES APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings BACKDRAFTING HEATING EQUIPMENT BACKFLOW PREVENTER VALVE, HEATING SYS BACKFLOW PREVENTER, HEATER WATER FEEDER BACKUP HEAT for HEAT PUMPS BANGING HEATING PIPES RADIATORS BAROMETRIC DAMPERS BASEBOARD HEAT BIOGAS PRODUCTION & USE BLEVE EXPLOSIONS BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION BLOWER FAN CONTINUOUS OPERATION BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING BLUE vs YELLOW COMBUSTION FLAMES BLUERAY Recall BOILERS, HEATING BOOKSTORE - InspectAPedia BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE CAPACITORS for HARD STARTING MOTORS CARBON DIOXIDE - CO2 CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CHIMNEYS & Flues - Asbestos Transite Pipe CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS CIRCULATOR PUMPS & RELAYS COOL OFF HEAT, Thermostat Switch COMBUSTION AIR COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT buildings COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ COMPLETE COMBUSTION, Stoichiometric CONDENSING BOILERS/FURNACES CONDENSING BOILERS/FURNACES DAMAGE CONVECTOR HEATERS - HYDRONIC COILS CREOSOTE FIRE HAZARDS DEFINITION of Heating & Cooling Terms DIAGNOSE & FIX AIR CONDITIONER / HEAT PUMP DIAGNOSE & FIX HEATING PROBLEMS-BOILER DIAGNOSE & FIX HEATING PROBLEMS-FURNACE DIRECT VENTS / SIDE WALL VENTS DIRECTORY of OIL TANK EXPERTS DRAFT HOODS - gas fired DRAFT MEASUREMENT, CHIMNEYS & FLUES DRAFT REGULATORS, DAMPERS, BOOSTERS DUCT SYSTEM & DUCT DEFECTS DUST CONTAMINATION FROM HVAC? ELECTRIC HEAT, DIAGNOSIS, REPAIR ELECTRIC MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE ELECTRIC MOTOR OVERLOAD RESET SWITCH ELECTRICAL POWER SWITCH FOR HEAT EVAPORATIVE COOLING SYSTEMS FAN, AIR HANDLER BLOWER UNIT FAN AUTO ON Thermostat Switch FAN, COMPRESSOR/CONDENSER UNIT FAN CONVECTOR HEATERS - HYDRONIC COILS FAN LIMIT SWITCH FAN NOISES FILTERS, AIR for HVAC SYSTEMS FILTERS, OIL on HEATING EQUIPMENT FIRE SAFETY CONTROLS FIREPLACES & HEARTHS FLAME COLOR, BLUE vs YELLOW COMBUSTION FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR FLUE SIZE SPECIFICATIONS FLUE VENT CONNECTORS FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING FUEL OIL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS FUEL UNIT, HEATING OIL PUMPS FURNACES, HEATING GALVANIC SCALE & METAL CORROSION GAS BURNER Flame & Noise Defects GAS FIRED WATER HEATERS GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS GAUGES ON HEATING EQUIPMENT GEOTHERMAL HEATING SYSTEMS HEAT EXCHANGER LEAKS HEAT LOSS in buildings HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS HEAT LOSS INDICATORS HEAT LOSS PREVENTION PRIORITIES HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION HEAT PUMPS, DiAGNOSIS, REPAIR HEAT TAPES, Heat, Insulation prevent Freeze-Up HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HEATING LOSS DIAGNOSIS-BOILERS HEATING LOSS DIAGNOSIS-FURNACES HEATING OIL CLOUD WAX GEL POINT HEATING OIL EXPOSURE HAZARDS, LIMITS HEATING OIL - OLD, USEABLE? HEATING OIL PIPING TROUBLES HEATING OIL SHELF LIFE HEATING OIL SLUDGE HEATING OIL TANKS HEATING OIL USAGE RATE HEATING SMALL LOADS HEATING SYSTEM INSPECT DIAGNOSE REPAIR HEATING SYSTEM NOISES HEATING SYSTEM SERVICE & MAINTENANCE HEATING SYSTEM TYPES HIGH EFFICIENCY BOILERS/FURNACES HOT WATER HEATERS HOT WATER IMPROVEMENT HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET ICE DAM PREVENTION INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT LP & Natural Gas Safety Hazards MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC METHANE GAS SOURCES MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES MIX VALVE SCALD PROTECTION, Best Practices MOTOR OVERLOAD RESET SWITCH Natural Gas Combustion NO HEAT - BOILER NO HEAT - FURNACE NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE NOISE AIR CONDITIONER / HEAT PUMP NOISE, DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS NOISE, HEATING SYSTEMS NOISE, PLUMBING NOISE, WATER HEATER ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS FROM HEATING SYSTEMS OIL BURNERS OIL FILTERS on HEATING EQUIPMENT OIL FILTER MISSING OIL FUEL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS OIL & GAS PIPING OIL SPILL CLEANUP / PREVENTION OIL TANKS OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS PLASTIC HEATER VENT PULSE COMBUSTION HEATERS PASCAL CALCULATIONS RADIANT BARRIERS RADIANT HEAT RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid RADIANT HEAT TEMPERATURES RADIANT SLAB FLOORING CHOICES RADIANT SLAB TUBING & FLUID CHOICES RADIATORS RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers RELIEF VALVES - STEAM TP VALVES RELIEF VALVES - Water Heaters RELIEF VALVES - Water Tanks Reset Switch - Heater Primary Control Reset Switch Broken - Quick Repair Reset Switch - Electric Motors Reset Switch - Stack Relays SAFETY HAZARDS & INSPECTIONS SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE SAFETY, HEATING INSPECTION SAFETY,HOME HEATING TIPS Safety Recalls, Chimneys, Vents, Heaters SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS BLOCKBED RADIANT FLOORS - SOLAR DESIGN FLOOR, CONCRETE SLAB CHOICES FLOOR, CONCRETE SLAB POURED FINISH GLASS vs HEAT MIRROR SOLAR GAIN/Loss GREENHOUSE DESIGN for SOLAR HEATING GREENHOUSE / SUNSPACE GLARE PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN KEY ELEMENTS PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN METHOD PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY MONITORING PASSIVE SOLAR FLOOR TILES, PHASE CHANGE PASSIVE SOLAR HEAT PERFORMANCE PASSIVE SOLAR HOME, LOW COST PASSIVE SOLAR PERFORMANCE PROBE PASSIVE SOLAR Roof & Window Overhangs PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS POLYCARBONATE GLAZING REMOTE ELECTRIC POWER, PHOTOVOLTAIC ROCK-BED SOLAR HEAT STORAGE DESIGN SLAB INSULATION, PASSIVE SOLAR SLATE THERMAL MASS for SOLAR HEAT STORAGE SOLAR COLLECTOR AIR or GAS COLLECTION SOLAR COLLECTOR EFFICIENCY COMPARISONS SOLAR COLLECTOR FILMS SOLAR COLLECTOR OUTGASSING SOLAR COLLECTOR WOOD HOUSINGS SOLAR GAIN CALCULATION SOLAR HEATING SYSTEM DESIGNS SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS SOLAR HOUSE EVALUATION SOLAR MODULE MANUFACTURERS SOLAR SHADES & SUNSCREENS SOLAR SHADES, LOW-E EFFECTIVENESS SOLAR WATER DISINFECTION SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS SUNSPACE DESIGN for SOLAR HEATING SUNSPACE GLAZING for SUNTANNING STORM WINDOW INTERIOR STORM WINDOW PLASTIC CHOICES STORM WINDOW WEEP HOLES SUNGAIN, FILMS, LOW-E GLASS SUNSPACE GLAZING for SUNTANNING SWIMMING POOL SOLAR HEAT, INDOOR SWIMMING POOL SOLAR HEAT, OUTDOOR DIAGNOSIS THERMAL MASS in buildings SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection SPLIT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS STACK RELAY SWITCHES STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS TANKLESS COILS THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS THERMAL MASS in buildings THERMAL MASS FLOOR SLABS THERMAL MASS in UPSTAIRS THERMAL MASS WALL DESIGN THERMAL MASS in HOMES - STUDY THERMAL MASS TRADEOFFS, HEATING vs COOLING THERMAL TRACKING & HEAT LOSS THERMOSTATS, HEATING / COOLING THERMOSTATIC EXPANSION VALVES Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues VIDEO GUIDES: Heating System Videos VIDEO GUIDES - InspectAPedia.com WATER HEATERS WATER HEATER SAFETY WATER HEATERS for HOME HEATING USE? WATER HEATER NOISES WATER HEATER SCALE - De-Liming Procedure WATER HEATER SCALE PREVENTION WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS WINTERIZE A BUILDING WOOD, COAL STOVES & FIREPLACES WOOD STOVE SAFETY ZONE VALVES More Information |
This article discusses the maximum, minimum, & recommended operating temperatures for radiant heated floor systems, including typical temperatures used in different types of radiant-heated floors: tile, wood, laminate, carpeting, etc. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. What are the Normal Operating Temperatures for Radiant Heat Systems?
FLOOR, WOOD RADIANT HEAT - guide to installing wood floors over radiant heat systems Question: what is "normal" and what is "too hot" for radiant heat water circulating in the piping?I just inspected a complex combine forced air (hydronic) heating system combined with a several circulating radiant floor heating components. My question is what is normal and what is “too hot” for the water circulating through the piping distribution under ceramic tile floors installed over wood framed floor systems. When I took the Watts® Regulator course they emphasized that temperatures should not exceed 130 degrees. During my inspection the water leaving the boiler was 167.8 degrees (going into the heating distribution system for hydronic radiant, hydronic forced and also potable (yeah, I know that part is a problem!). - Ron Wells (ASHI#515) Wells Inspection Services, Inc. Reply: It depends ..The high temperature effects of too-hot radiant heat under wood flooring, and the effect on finished wood flooring are cited at WOOD FLOOR DAMAGE, and some radiant heat design specs are at RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid. Here we add details about different operating temperatures for radiant heating systems. Typical Radiant Heat Floor System Operating Temperatures
Similarly other sources such as the Oregon state energy conservation department gives the typical operating temperature range for radiant heating systems at 85-140 degF (30-60C) though we agree that 140 deg.F. is a bit higher than suggested by other sources. A radiant heat system manufacturer, Radiant Floor Company, opines that 120 to 135 deg F is "ideal" and most sources we have found discuss typical radiant heat operating temperatures in the 115-135 degree range. Where PEX tubing is used for radiant-heat under-floor tubing, 125 to 130 degF is typical operating temperature used for water entering the tubing. Most radiant floor heating systems we've examined run at around 115F water temperature entering the tubing of the radiant section, and you'll see by the temperature gauge at the top of this article that 115 degF was the factory default set temperature on the control of an electric radiant heat boiler we installed. The control on that boiler's circuit board is shown just above. But as we explain below, the optimum operating temperature for radiant heat floor systems will vary depending on the insulating or heat-conducting properties of the flooring material itself. Typical Temperatures at the Upper Surface of Radiant-Heated Floors
The finished floor surface temperature is what the building occupants feel when walking on the floor, affects the rate of heat radiating into the air above the floor, and if too high, can also become a safety concern. According to CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation) the finished floor temperature should never exceed 85 F (29 C). Our photo (above) shows our friend Steve and his dog explaining the radiant heat tubing layout in the new garage floor slab of a Minneapolis MN home. Watch out: if you saw 167.8 F at the boiler, that sounds too hot for normal circumstances on a radiant heating system. Running a radiant heat system hotter than necessary can have a range of harmful effects including:
It may be useful to ask why someone has set the temperature of this radiant heating system so high. It could be
Typical Radiant Heat Temperatures Under Ceramic TileUnder ceramic tile a higher temperature might be allowed without risking floor damage (we don't have wood shrinkage for example) and/or might have been set by a homeowner who likes a really warm bathroom floor. But since ceramic tile is a *better* heat conductor than wood flooring, if anything, one would expect the temperature setting for that floor to be lower, not higher than otherwise. Radiant under ceramic tile or vinyl tile, lower end of the temp; Typical Radiant Heat Temperatures Under Finished Wood Flooring
The radiant heated wood floor shown in our photo (left) was installed in a New York home. Attempting to "drive out" tubing odors the installer pushed the floor temperature up a bit too high, taking the blame for gaps that appeared in the flooring as a result discussed at at WOOD FLOOR DAMAGE. Radiant Heat Temperatures Under Laminate FlooringUnder laminate type finish flooring, keep the temperature under 82 degF or risk floor damage (per http://www.shawfloors.com/) Radiant Heat Floor Temperatures Under CarpetingUnder carpet over subfloor, radiant heat will need to operate at the higher end of its temperature range to overcome the insulating effect of the carpeting and carpet padding. Oxygen Diffusion in Too-Hot Radiant Heated FloorsRadiant Floor Company, a radiant heating system manufacturer, raises another interesting point, indirectly: at temperatures over 140 degF can cause an oxygen diffusion problem and require special "oxygen barrier" tubing in some cases (depending on the boiler design) - otherwise system life may be reduced or the boiler damaged. Where to Check the Temperature of A Radiant Heated Floor System - Mixed Radiant & Hydronic Baseboard or Radiator Heating Systems
You will particularly see this if the boiler is serving a mixed-design system, including some heating baseboards and other radiant floor heated sections. That's because we want the hotter temperatures in the baseboards (hotter is more efficient heat transfer), and cooler temps in the radiant flooring. So: was this a mixed design system with some baseboards and some radiant? and were there mixing controls on the radiant loop section ?
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