If you want to retrofit your Montana home to install radiant floor heating and are not sure where to start, you have come to the right place. Missoula’s leading HVAC Contractor has some considerations and suggestions to help you figure out what will be most enjoyable in your home! Read on to check it out!
Choose a Type of Radiant Floor Heating for Missoula HVAC Contractors to Install
The first step in retrofitting your Missoula Home to install radiant floor heating is to decide exactly what type of in-floor heating you want to go with. There are electric options as well as hot water options. If your home currently has a hot water-based heat source, you may want to continue with that method for your radiant floor heating. If you have forced air or another type of heat that does not require hot water piping throughout your home, you will either have to install the piping or consider using electric radiant floor heating. Contact a Missoula HVAC Contractor to find out what the options are for your Montana home.
Choose a Type of Power Supply For Your Radiant Floor Heating in Missoula
There are a number of variables that you will want to consider to help you decide what model to go with, including how you will power your home’s new heat source. You may already have a natural gas hookup or possibly want to use the electricity that the rest of your home uses. You may want to change your power supply from what your current heater uses. It is important to look at the costs per unit for each option. You might consider natural gas, oil, propane, or electricity from solar or another source. All of these options will carry different considerations and costs.
Choose Which Room in Your Home To Install Radiant Floor Heating
Another factor in deciding what specific type of radiant floor heating to go with is where exactly you will install it. Many people choose to install radiant floor heating only in select rooms of their home, for example, the bathroom or bedroom. If you are going to go this route, radiant floor heating will be a secondary heat method. If this is the case, you will need to consider how and how much you want to integrate it into the main heat method of your home. If you want to install radiant floor heating throughout your entire home so that it will be the sole heating method of your home, you will not have to consider integrating two types of heat.
Your Missoula Home’s Current Heat Will Affect Installation Costs
If you currently have a hot water or steam heat system in place, some of the work may already be done. Certain components may be able to be adapted for use by the hot water radiant floor heating. If you currently use forced air and want to install hot water radiant floor heating, you will need to hire a Missoula HVAC contractor to install the entire system. While these options are doable, it is good to be aware and consider the work that will be required.
The Most Comfort in Your Missoula Home
We can talk about costs, workload, and adaptations, but if you are considering Radiant Floor Heating, you are probably interested in what will make your home the most comfortable. Missoula HVAC contractors have seen just about all combinations, and the answer to the comfort question is really a matter of preference. All types of heat have pros and cons.
While forced air heats a room faster than radiant heating, a radiant-heated room will hold the heat longer. One way to get the pros of each method and eliminate the cons could be to have forced air as your main heat source and radiant floor heat as a secondary heat source. Obviously, this would require more space in the utility closet, but it would provide you with fast heat and enduring heat. If you want the cooling benefits of a heat pump, you could install both a heat pump alongside radiant floor heating.
You may also want the simplicity of using a hot water heat system as both primary and secondary heat, for example, baseboards alongside radiant floor heating. What you consider comfortable will determine what types of heat you want in your home. And what is most comfortable for you may be different from the next person.
Call Missoula HVAC Contractors About Radiant Floor Heating Installation
You may be looking for a contractor to come to check out your home and see what options are available to you, or you may want a technician to give you an estimate. Or, you may have already done the research, and you are ready to schedule an installation. No matter where you are in the process, Garden City Plumbing and Heating is ready to service your home! Call us at (406) 728-5550 or contact us online to get more information! We are excited to help you experience the comfort of radiant floor heating in your Missoula home this winter!