Radiant Floor Heating Options for Your Home

ComfortTile, In-Slab and Low-Voltage FloorHeat; Which System is Best for You - and Why?

ComfortTile, In-Slab and FloorHeat systems are all great radiant floor heating solutions, but each system is particularly effective for specific applications. With several high-quality radiant floor heating solutions available, which one is best for your home? Here's a general overview of the different radiant heat systems.

Newcomers to the radiant heating industry are often overwhelmed at the large number of choices available on the market. If you fall into this category you are probably feeling a bit lost, especially when many radiant manufacturers produce multiple kinds of heating cable. With new products popping up every day, the most reliable manufacturers are the ones that have been around the longest. New manufacturers may be promising you the world, but keep in mind that these guys may not be around for as long as their product warranties. So before you go out and get the cheapest heat cable on the market, it's wise to take a closer look at what is needed to correctly install a complete floor heating system, and who the veteran radiant heat providers are that provide time-tested, quality products, detailed system designs and preeminent customer service.

To get started, we’ll introduce one of the top radiant heat designers and distributors that has withstood the test of time. Warmzone provides top-notch products, comprehensive system designs and customer service to see your radiant heat project through, from beginning to end. Warmzone takes the guess work out of the process by serving as the radiant heat expert that will evaluate your needs and provide the best, most efficient system at the best possible price for your particular needs.

A variety of interior radiant heating products are offered by Warmzone, including ComfortTile floor heating mats and cables, In-Slab heat cable and FloorHeat. Warmzone knows that a single radiant heat product cannot accommodate the vast variety of construction methods and demands, which is why they offer a wide selection of proven floor heating solutions. Heat cable available through Warmzone also carries the best warranty in the industry, offering 10 years and up to 5 times the cost of the original installation should the cable be defective.

The end result of the ComfortTile, In-Slab heat cables and low-voltage, self-regulating FloorHeat are the same, a toasty home with warm comfortable radiant floors; however, each product is better suited for certain applications. The following table outlines some of the general differences between ComfortTile and In-Slab radiant heat systems.

	ComfortTile Heat Cable	In-Slab Floor Heating Cable
Types of Flooring	Tile, marble, and slate flooring	Tile, marble, hardwood, slate, and carpet
Cable Specification	Thin; 3/16-inch diameter	Thicker; 1/4-inch diameter
Installation	The thinness of the cable allows it to be directly installed into the tile thin-set. This is convenient since tile, marble and slate flooring already requires thin-set to install, making the addition of radiant heat quick and easy!	This cable is essentially the same design as the ComfortTile cable, but with insulation designed for heavy concrete pours. The In-Slab cable is perfect for new construction involving new concrete slabs.

Another outstanding radiant floor heating system is FloorHeat. Unlike other floor heating cables, FloorHeat does not need to be embedded in thin-set or concrete. Anyone familiar with the radiant heating industry and floor installation knows that this is a big deal! A major issue when installing any kind of radiant heating product is the buildup of the floor height. This can affect everything from opening and closing doors, to the placement of electrical outlets. FloorHeat is an excellent solution for heating hardwood floors.

FloorHeat is the thinnest product available and can be cut on site, which simplifies the installation process. The FloorHeat heating element comes in widths of 12 and 9 inches, and can also be used to staple up between floor joists for retrofit applications. FloorHeat is the ideal product to provide heat for a hardwood floor since the thin-set required by other cables is not generally used during a standard wood floor installation. You can also safely use FloorHeat to provide radiant heat to just about any other type of floor surface.

Now that you know all radiant heating products are not created equal, you can forge ahead with your project in mind. If you are installing the product yourself, good customer service goes a long way when you are choosing where to purchase. Make sure you are getting the best deal, with the best service available with top designers so you aren’t hung out to dry once that product arrives and you begin the installation process. Sure, you may be able to find some cheap heat cable at your local hardware store, but you'll end up paying a lot more in the long run. Do the job once, and do it right. For more information about your radiant floor heating options, call us today at 888-488-9276.

For additional radiant heat information and resources, check out the Best Radiant Heating Directory.