Common Problems with In-Floor Radiant Heating

Radiant floor heating has become very popular with homeowners for some obvious reasons.

Not only is it a gentle heat, it’s also very nice to have warm, toasty floors in your home.

There can be some concerns when it comes to radiant floor heating repairs due to the outlets, which can either be electric cable or matting under your floors, or PEX tubing for hydronic (water) systems.

The most common problem with in-floor radiant heating is defective wall thermostats. If your wall thermostat does not work properly, it will prevent your in-floor radiant heating to working as it should.

Most radiant heating repairs in Pickering and Durham Region shouldn’t be cause for worry as they can be pretty straightforward repairs for a trained expert, like the ones at Advantage Airtech ClimateCare.

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Electric Radiant Heating Repairs

Radiant heating has two heating options: electric or hydronic, which is hot water or steam.

As such, the repairs for each type of system are different. Some of the more common electric radiant heating problems you may see are:

• Tripping circuit breakers – While electric radiant flooring doesn’t require a lot of excess electricity, it is still necessary to have enough power from your electrical box to support the system. The average amperage of today’s home electrical panels is 200 amps; if your electrical box doesn’t carry this amount of power, you may want to upgrade prior to installation.

• Damage to cable or electric mat – Just because the electric cable or electrically-conducive mat is under the floor doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged. While these materials are durable, they aren’t indestructible and they can be damaged by cracked tiles or heavy objects.

Hydronic Radiant Heating Repairs

A hydronic system requires a boiler in order to work.

Some problems that can develop with a hydronic radiant system are:

• Issues with zone valves or circulator pumps – If you have a hot water hydronic radiant system, your system needs zone valves or circulator pumps to push the hot water from the boiler’s vessel into your piping. These small pumps can break for a number of reasons, and this will affect the quality of your heating.

• Air lock – Any boiler system is pressurized, and sometimes air bubbles can develop inside pipes. When this happens, the air bubble can act as a block and stop the flow of the hot water; this is known as air lock.

The experts at Advantage Airtech have been helping customers with heating repair in Pickering and Durham Region since 1987. If you have having issues with your radiant heating, call us today!