Air Exchanger For Radiant Floor Heat

Is it necessary to install a room to room air exchange system ducts to each room blower in the attic in a home heated solely with radiant in floor heat.

Air exchanger for radiant floor heat.

Air heated by those solar panels in winter when the sun s angle is lower will be fed into the floor heating radiant system which will reduce the energy demand on the heater coil. 0 share on google ed wallace member posts. Every heating unit that radiant floor company recommends and offers is designed rated for space heating. The staple up radiant floor installation method is very popular because as long as you can see the joists from below you can install radiant heat.

The radiant floor is heated with an electric boiler it is a separate system than the heat pump. The water from the boiler to this heat exchanger flows 24 hours a day in a closed loop making the heat exchanger continuously active i e. Basically fresh air enters the home from an opening to the outside and then passes through the exchanger that is circled by indoor air. The important point to understand is that most of the time heat exchangers are not essential in a radiant system.

Solar collectors almost always use antifreeze so a heat exchanger is necessary in this application also. This method works well for new construction and retrofits. Conversely and cleverly in summer if the heat isn t needed in the house the heat is diverted to an air water heat exchanger for heating the hot water tank instead. As you can see this allows the boiler to heat a tank of potable water which in turn can provide domestic hot water and floor heating in an open or closed configuration.

In fact it works so well that it has almost entirely replaced the thin suspended slab applications see below. While air exchanger designs do vary by manufacturer they all operate on the same primary principle. In the radiant floor vs. Forced air heating debate radiant floor always wins because it provides a quiet even heat and eliminates the allergy problems often associated with heating ducts.

In the winter the air that is supplied to the house can be warmer than the air extracted from the house and in the summer the supply air can be cooler than house air and cooler than ambient air. In addition the installation cost is very cost effective usually priced between 3 75 to 5. Radiant heating is the more efficient system so operating costs will be lower and the material costs are very affordable. A common concern is how do the systems compare when considering radiant heat vs forced air cost.

The exchanger transfers the heat from the warmer air to the cooler air.