PROMOTING QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE RADIANT FLOOR HEATING
        Nearly one hundred pages of information about installing and designing radiant heat.
I built this web site in 1996; it is designed and maintained to help the average home owner realize how affordable and how easy a radiant heating system is to install. In the past thirty plus years I have installed hundreds of radiant heating systems and have shipped several thousand radiant heating packages for the home owner to install. I have seen many homeowners install or oversee the installation of their own systems, not because they were the do-it-yourself type, but because they saw this as the only way they could afford a quality radiant heating system.
    I have dedicated this site to the advancement of affordable radiant floor heating. There is a very large gap between the theoretical information furnished by the manufacturers of heating equipment and the information needed by the person actually installing the system. Many tradesmen do not have the experience required to design, install and troubleshoot radiant heating systems. Plus the fact that many people are promoting their products with little regard to fact. Most plumbers have plumbed hundreds of homes but few have installed successful radiant heating systems. They have served several years apprenticeship for plumbing but are relying on the tubing manufacturer or wholesaler to give them information for installing radiant. This site simply promotes Hydronic radiant floor heat, and is designed to help the plumber and the home-owner.
                            THE PAGES ON THIS WEB SITE ARE DESIGNED TO BE PRINTED.                                   

SOME FACTS ABOUT RADIANT…
Q. Is radiant more efficient? A. If you mean will it cost less in fuel cost? The answer is, not always.
    If the house is small to medium sized and very well insulated or uses some of the advanced construction methods you will not save with radiant heat.
    If the house design is not adjusted to the requirements of radiant heat.
    If you use a non-modulating or cast iron boiler you will increase your fuel costs considerably over forced air.
    The radiant heated house must be insulated differently to be efficient. A heated floor can lose as much down as up.
    Buying the wrong equipment can shorten the useful life of very expensive equipment or damage your home.
    Improper or lack of insulation under a slab can cost much more than forced air heating.
Q. What should a radiant system cost?  A well designed radiant system with a 96% efficient condensing boiler, stainless steel indirect water heater, Pex tubing, brass manifolds, thermostats and all necessary equipment to install it will normally cost less than $3.00 per Sq. Ft., less than $2.00 for a slab on grade. The larger the home the less the cost of equipment per Sq. Ft. A 5,000 Sq. Ft home will cost less than $2.00  per Sq. Ft. even using the very best equipment. A small addition between 400 to 800 Sq. Ft. normally costs about $400.00 to $800.00 and can use your present water heater. Water heaters start at less than $600.00 for an 87% efficient wall hung modulating combination heater. It is not unusual to save the home owner over $20,000.00 to $40,000.00 over a locally designed and installed radiant system. 
   A radiant floor heating system, if designed and installed properly, will be the most comfortable and efficient and can often be installed for less than a forced air system. I have thousands of customers to prove it. A properly designed radiant system should use the most efficient heat source that is practical.  We design for quality, efficiency, comfort, and simplicity.   

    I installed my first radiant system in 1982 and have installed over one thousand radiant heating systems since then. I started RadiantDirect.Com in 1995, which sells pre-plumbed radiant heating packages. I designed and shipped over two thousand radiant heating packages before selling it.  I offer a fee based design service for radiant projects, complete instructions, material list, assembly diagrams, tubing layouts, material specifications, part numbers, and suppliers that offer a discount  based on my referral. I concentrate on quality, simple and efficient systems. This service can save you thousands, and more importantly eliminates potential problems. Others sell parts but offer poor products, computer generated tubing layouts and lack the experience to offer proper support. When you need support you don't need a "commissioned salesperson".
   I do not sell equipment, so I am free to recommend the products and suppliers based on their merits. I design systems that are engineered to match, heatloss, Btu output, pump head to tubing length and required ramp-up time. Radiant systems must have enough surplus heat designed into them to allow a cold house to heat up in a reasonable time.     
        DESIGN REQUEST                                                                Fred Seton