Warmzone Blog

Now that it’s spring, you’ll be busy caring for your lawn.  Last winter, you probably figured you were done caring for your lawn until  spring, right?  Well, as many people with find out this spring, wintertime is still a time when you need to worry about protecting your lawn. In the colder months, heating systems are the best option to melt the ice and to protect your landscaping. Heating systems like heated driveways do more than just melt snow and ice from driveways and sidewalks. They also help preserve your landscaping while avoiding the use of harmful salt and chemicals.
The potential damage done to lawns and landscaping by salt spread over asphalt and sidewalks to melt the ice is notable. The sodium chloride burns the plants and gets absorbed by the plants’ root systems. This just means you’ll have damage to repair in the springtime — so easily avoided with the use of heating systems.
The solution isn’t to use alternate “ice-melt” products, which don’t work as effectively as outdoor heating systems. You see, these systems don’t use any harmful chemicals, and they melt the ice so effectively that you don’t have to do any of the work.
Heating Systems Tip: These heating systems are state of the art but easy to install for any contractor or do-it-yourself expert.

Following the trends of the indoor heating market, where radiant heating systems have been used for decades, the great outdoors is warming up, too. Radiant heat warms the floor and any object in contact with the floor to distribute an even, no-draft heat. Outdoor settings like patios or pathways leading to a hot tub can now benefit from using a traditional hydronic radiant heating system or even more intriguing is the emerging trend of embedding electric heating cables to provide that desired surface temperature. Raising the surface above 38 degrees will conveniently remove any snow or ice and allow you to use your outdoor living areas more often.
Outdoor heating systems are more suited towards new construction since these electric heating cables are actually embedded in the concrete or placed in a sand bed directly under brick pavers. Ambitious do-it-yourselfers will have no problem laying out the cable and preparing them for a certified electrician to do the final hook-up. Outdoor heating systems have always been efficient in delivering heat; the problem has been shutting them off when the job of removing snow from a driveway or outdoor patio is complete.

Even those more-capable-than-most do it yoruselfers might think that electric radiant heat is difficult and time-consuming to install, and has the risk of uneven heating spacing – but times have changed since those early days of the radiant heat technology, and it’s easier than you would imagine. Let’s get you up-to-date on how many improvements have been made to electric radiant heat, contributing to it fast becoming a popular choice for energy-efficient and cost-efficient home heating.
It used to be that electric radiant heat was, once upon a time, supplied as one long continuous length of cable with the consumer having to weave the cable up and down the floor at a pre-determined spacing and making a return loop to complete the circuit.
However, recent and improved designs in electric radiant heat cables have a built-in return meaning that you only have one end to connect instead of having to close the circuit by bringing each end of the cable back to the thermostat. Far from complicated to install, electric radiant heat cable mats have taken the hard work out of the install by having the radiant heating cable already pre-spaced on to a nylon mesh and all you have to do is simply start at your thermostat location and roll it out over the floor until it’s all used up.

If you’re like me, you thought that spring was here to stay.  Well, apparently not, because I woke up yesterday to almost an inch of snow.  If you live in a volatile climate like I do, one thing is for certain…the weather is not. As such, this spring and summer take advantage of an opportunity to lessen the amount of work you have to do this next winter.  I’m talking about the dreaded snow removal that I always fear.  Recently I discovered that there were snow removal systems, which are essentially heated driveways, that eliminate the need to shovel snow.  My first question was “don’t those use a lot of energy?”  Surprisingly the answer is “no!”  This is because new technology, especially in the area of thermostats make it so that the system turns on and off automatically, and runs only when needed, making it very economical to operate.  Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised that these snow melting systems were a lot more affordable than I had assumed.  If you’re like me, and sick and tired of shoveling snow in the winter, now is the perfect time to start considering installing a heated driveway.  This spring, as you start on your “to do” list of home improvements, make sure that a heated driveway is at the top of your list.

Spring is the time when most new construction starts around the country.  Even with the slowing of the housing market, many homeowners are still choosing tile or scored cement flooring for their homes, particularly in kitchens and living areas.  Sometimes they second-guess those choices, worrying about their little ones playing, or laying down on cold floors. Many others love the look of tile, wood, or floating woods but dread stepping out of their soothing hot shower onto cold tile, especially during those frigid winter months. And That’s why so many are opting for floor heating systems to warm up their floors.

Contrary to what some may think, the installation of floor warming products is not new: heated floors have been installed under bathroom and kitchen tile in the United States for the past 10 years and the warming products continue to gain popularity. Many in the kitchen and bath industry expect radiant floors to continue to play a big role among homeowners who crave comfort features.

Evenly distributed radiant heat in your floors will allow you to turn down your thermostat two to four degrees. This can reduce energy costs by 10-40%. This setback to your thermostat can happen because a warm floor heats from the ground up and delivers the heat through objects not air. This makes the lowest three feet of your home the most comfortable where a forced air system loses its heat to the ceiling and is required to heat from the top down.

Radiant Floor Heating Tip: Delivering heat by air also makes it easy to escape and increase your overall heat loss but with radiant floor heating, the heat is evenly distributed and efficient to boot.

You may not know that radiant heaters for your home or business come in a variety of forms – all efficient and providing reliable, cozy warmth. Today we’re going to discuss one form of radiant heaters: hydronic floor heating.

Quite a name, isn’t it? Hydronic floor heating is the oldest and most popular type of radiant floor heating. These systems are comprised of a boiler or hot water heater, pumps, manifolds, PEX tubing, thermostat, and either gypcrete (a concrete-like material) or wood panels. Hydronic heating is the most complex of all radiant heat systems. These systems require trained professionals to design and perform the installation. Your best economies of scale are achieved for hydronic systems in large areas or entire homes because of their expensive components and operational costs. Hydronic systems can be installed under any type of flooring. Most hydronic systems require hot water tubing to be installed in a 2-4″ bed of light concrete and are best installed during the initial construction because of its weight load demands and adjustments to floor height.

For heating smaller areas such as a bathroom or kitchen, a hydronic floor heating system may not be the best value for your project. The complexity and cost of installing the system, along with the long-term maintenance and up-keep required, might not be worth the small amount you will save in operational costs.

Radiant Heaters Tip: Many recent developments have made hydronic systems more convenient and possible radiant heater solutions for major home remodeling projects.

Stop in at a home improvements store or design warehouse on a weekend and it’s a good bet that the sections featuring bathroom fixtures are packed with people. That’s because remodeling bathrooms is one of the most popular home improvement projects on many homeowners’ To Do lists. One thing that isn’t often covered in those warehouses, though, is taking into consideration your heating systems options, especially when it comes to making your new bathroom comfortable and energy-efficient.

Warm tiled floors are rapidly becoming standard for new and remodeled homes. Radiant floor heating has always been considered a distinctive quality, so if you are building a new home or remodeling any of your floors, now is the time to add an under floor heating system for a new level of comfort and warmth.

Many of the products available today can be installed by do-it-yourself homeowners. For small areas electric radiant heating products are usually the best for reasons of cost and ease of installation. Not only will heated floors add comfort to your bathrooms, but such heating systems allow you to heat your bathrooms as well.

Heating Systems Tip: Radiant heating systems provide uniform heat and has a comparatively low cost of operation - up to 30% less than conventional systems in most residences.

Being that it’s spring, you’re probably not too concerned with ice buildup on your roof, driveways, or sidewalks.  However, sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of icy weather to remind you how much damage they can inflict upon your home. Why wait until winter is here to make improvements that will protect your home from ice and snow.  Sprint is the perfect time to install outdoor heating systems.

You know about the problems of slick and icy sidewalks and driveways, downed power lines, and dangerous icy roads. One thing many homeowners forget about is that ice storms or wet winter weather and cold temperatures can do a real number on gutters and roofs, too.

Great solutions these problems are outdoor heating systems. They can help prevent the ice from building up and destroying gutters and roofs on your home. There are numerous systems available to prevent roof and gutter damage; one such system is WarmZone’s Roof Heat system. When mounted to your roof eaves and/or valleys, the Roof Heat system is designed to eliminate ice and snow in those areas keeping your home or business perimeter safer and reducing the risk of winter roof damage.

The Roof Heat outdoor heating system receives its heat from one of two sources. A “cut to length” commercial grade, self regulating heat cable can be inserted into custom channels or ⅜ inch radiant PEX tubing from an existing hydronic system. These panels are attached to the roof eaves and valleys to prevent ice and snow build-up in those areas.

Outdoor Heating Systems Tip: The Roof Heat system is available in a wide variety of panel colors and textures to complement your roof.

Raise your hand if your list of home improvements including upgrading the heating system for a small space in your home. You’ve probably been putting that project off, thinking that a traditional heating system may cost you far more than it’s worth. This is almost always the case for those who may live in small or older homes and apartments. Older homes often times don’t have the necessary heating ducts needed to install a traditional forced air system, and installing these ducts is very expensive. Due to the cost associated with installing these systems, many people choose not to heat smaller rooms and instead suffer through the winter, chilly and miserable. However, there is a very cost-effective and efficient solution to this problem: electric radiant heat.

Electric radiant heat systems are very cost-effective solutions for smaller spaces (1-5 rooms) because they are easy to install and have a very low start-up cost. An electric thermostat is all that is required and costs only about $100-$200.

Another advantage of electric radiant floor heating over a warm-water system is the floor build up or height. Floor build up can be from as little as 2mm. The electric cables are usually installed onto an insulation board or directly onto the subfloor or padding (under carpet or laminate), then the floor covering is placed directly over the heating system or thinset.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: Your electric radiant heat system could use 30% less fuel than the average new forced air heating system

So spring is here, and maybe shoveling snow isn’t on your mind any longer.  But, consider this.  Spring and summer are some of the best times to take advantage of installing a heated driveway or sidewalk at your residence or business.  Most people do home improvements, or start building in the spring or summer, and if you’re one of those people who are either remodeling your home, or starting a new construction, you really owe it to yourself to check into installing a heated driveway. Warmzone is the leading authority when it comes to outdoor heating applications such as heated driveways and sidewalks. Why wait until fall, or the first snowfall to look into a heated driveway. Install your heated driveway this spring and you can forget all about shoveling snow this upcoming winter.  Contact warmzone for information about installing an outdoor heating system.