In-floor Heat Warms Domes "Radiantly"

January 18, 2005

by David B. South

Radiant in-floor heating is my favorite method of heating -- providing I am in an area that needs the heat. It makes no sense to me to put radiant heating in a home here in Texas. Those states north of the old Mason Dixon line could use it, those states south of it probably won't benefit much.

The radiant heat in the floor can be so cozy and nice. It is also generally inexpensive. It seems to take a lot less energy to heat a Monolithic Dome with in-floor radiant heat than any other way. There are several companies that sell the equipment and the tubing. Check the internet for listings of in-floor heating systems.

Always remember a Monolithic Dome is extremely energy efficient. This means you want to use less than half as much of a heating system. Most of the in-floor heating systems call for the tubes to be one foot on center. Monolithic Domes will heat very easily with the tubes on two feet or three feet centers. The house will stay warm and you'll save some money, but you may not have quite the same evenness through the entire area -- as far as the bare foot feels. Having done a few houses with this system I can tell you it doesn't seem to be a big deal. I usually suggest two foot on center layout for the best of both worlds.

The whole theory is to pump water evenly through the pipes embedded in the floor. A person can get exotic and zone the house. We don't think zones work very well with Monolithic Domes. The Monolithic Dome by nature evens heat out throughout the house.

The simplest of all systems is to use a standard water heater. In some states this is not legal. They want you to spend the money to buy a boiler. I have never figured out why, unless someone selling boilers works in the legislature! To run the water through the radiant pipes simply take the water out of the base of the water heater through the drain cock, pump it through the floor with a very small pump and return it to the top of the water heater. The water is in a closed loop and there will very little evaporation. A simple water heater needs to be checked about once a year to make sure it has plenty of water in it. In general we suggest you add a little bottle of water bed fungicide in the water heater once a year when you check it. The fungicide is there to prevent mold growth. The wall thermostat controls how often the pump works to heat the house. The water heater thermostat controls the water temperature.

In-floor Heat Warms Domes "Radiantly"

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