Radiant floor heating is a method of heating your home by applying heat underneath or within the floor. Comparable to warming yourself in the sun, this type of heating warms objects as opposed to raising the temperature of the air. There are three types of radiant floor heating: hydraulic, electric and air. Hydraulic radiant floor heating is a system of plastic or metal tubes/pipes laid within a floor that carries hot water into specific rooms or zones, dispersing the heat through the floor surface.
The cooler water returns to the heat source where it is reheated and sent out again in what is known as a closed-loop system. The pipes can be encased in a concrete slab, a concrete or gypsum cement over pour, laid into thin grooved panels that nail on top of a subfloor.
Radiant floor heating provides even, comfortable, warmth as there is less air movement with this type of system.