Radiators

Personal taste, lifestyle, and structure of the home are the key considerations when choosing between underfloor pipes and wall-mounted radiators.

There are a number of key differences between the two:

• We recommend a radiator-based system in areas where weather conditions are changeable.  Radiators are very responsive and heat up quicker than underfloor solutions.
• Underfloor heating is more suited to homes that have tiled or hard floor areas, or in homes constructed of the block without wall battening.
• Underfloor pipes are completely hidden and so have no aesthetic impact on the home.
• The heat delivered by underfloor pipes is exceptionally luxurious and evenly spread. Health experts recommend ground-up heating as the most comfortable and therapeutic for the human body.
• Both underfloor pipes and radiators can be used in new homes, but because the floor pad is already laid in existing homes, it is more difficult to lay underfloor pipes, and therefore radiators are more common.
• Underfloor pipes deliver heat to the feet, so the perceived comfort is greater. As a result, the actual room temperature can possibly be one or two degrees below that required with other systems to achieve a similar level of comfort – providing energy cost savings. However, if a system is used for only short periods of time and at infrequent intervals, radiators may return a lower running cost.
• In a radiator-heated home, you can actually sit on the heat! When you come in from the cold, there is nothing nicer than to lean against a radiator, which warms to a much higher—but safe—surface temperature than an underfloor slab. You can also dry clothes on them

Water is pumped through both the radiators and underfloor systems. The system is sealed so no water is consumed once the system is filled. The water is treated with an anti-corrosive agent and sometimes an antifreeze agent.

Yes, you could run several radiators from a log burner with a wetback. If the wetback is currently heating a domestic hot water cylinder, and you wish this to continue also, the cylinder would have to be modified to separate the water going to the radiators from the water going to the cylinder. This is because the rust generated by the water in the steel radiators would infiltrate the potable/drinking water in the cylinder. For a new installation, you can get a cylinder that already has this coil or heat exchanger in it.