Hydronic Heating and Cooling
What is Hydronic Heating and cooling?
A Hydronic heating system is a method of heating a home or building with heated water. The water is heated by a heat source (Geoexchange or Air to Water heat pump) which is then circulated through a heat emitter that therefore heats the room. The two most common forms are infloor heating and radiator panel heating. Below you will find an overview on both methods and information as to their installation methods and consideration to make when looking at this form of heating for your home.
Is it an efficient form of heating and cooling?
Yes a hydronic heating system can be very efficient but this is only true if designed and installed correctly and only when coupled with a truely efficient geoexchange or air to water heat pump that utilises smart controls. By using heat pump technology you are using an efficient electrically driven system that can use onsite renewable power from Solar PV or green power purchased from your electrical retailer. We do not install systems that use gas, diesel or oil boilers as we are focused on supplying hydronic heating systems that take advantage of the stored renewable energy in nature.
What is the best option for me?
The option that will suit you best will depend on a number of factors including your location, whether you are building a new home or renovating and the style/ build of your home. Generally if your are building a new home with a concrete slab it makes it a great time to install hydronic infloor heating and if you have an existing home hydronic radiator panels work well to retrofit.
Hydronic Infloor Heating and Cooling
Hydronic infloor heating consists of a network of special pipework installed in your floor. Warm water is circulated through the pipework letting heat radiate up from the floor surface. Imagine stepping out of bed in the morning and the floor is warm and pleasant and your whole house is comfortable, with hydronic infloor heating this can be a reality.
BENEFITS
Potential for individual room control so you only have to heat the areas you are utilising.
With no fans need to distribute heat there is very low air movement which means low dust circulation and plus for allergy sufferers.
The pipework is a sealed system so has low maintenance requirements.
These are proven systems that have been tried and tested widely in Australia for a number of years.
When coupled to the right heat source (geoexchange or air to water heat pump) hydronic in floor heating can be a very energy efficient way of heating your home or building.
Hydronic infloor heating is versatile and works with a wide range of floor types and coverings.
Infloor Cooling
Infloor cooling systems (also referred to as radiant cooling) is a possibility by reversing your heat pump to chill water instead of heat. The chilled water circulates through the pipework installed in you floor removing heat from the room. Factors that will dictate whether this is a option for you to explore is dependant on the cooling requirements for your home and your location. We can offer cooling via fan coil units using chilled water if slab cooling is not an option.
Design of infloor heating systems
We don’t do guess work!
We have found that even though we are good at laying pipe nothing will compare to a system installation that is properly and professionally designed.
With every hydronic in floor heating installation we undertake we utilise the services of REHAU’s top engineers to document and design the floor heating component of the project.
This not only gives us a layout it gives us the correct figures that each floor loop requires as a flow rate setting to match the heat output required + peace of mind.
Materials
Pipework
The pipe we choose to use for our hydronic underfloor heating installations is manufactured by REHAU, a world leader in the manufacture of heating pipe since 1948. The quality heating pipes are made from Cross Linked Polyethylene, with a co-extruded EVAL oxygen diffusion barrier. Cross linking is the process of linking molecules in the polyethylene, giving much improved physical properties. The EVAL Oxygen diffusion barrier completely surrounds the base pipe and prevents the entry of oxygen into the system through the pipework. This significantly reduces the risk of corrosion damage to ferrous components in the heating system. The EVAL barrier is highly resistant to abrasion and is notch resistant and thus capable of withstanding rough treatment on site. The REHAU pipe we install carries a 25 year manufacturers backed warranty.
Manifolds
Pipework laid in the floor returns to a central location and connects to what is referred to as a manifold. We utilise Rehau’s quality stainless steel manifolds that as well as being the main distribution point of heated water to your floor pipework also includes flow control so we can adjust the flow of water through each pipe loop to maximise heat output and reduce the amount of energy used. The manifolds only take up a small space and are generally located in a central location in the house like the bottom of a laundry, bedroom or linen cupboard.
Hydronic Radiator Heating
Hydronic radiator heating consists of wall panel radiators hung on the walls in the rooms you would like to heat. Heated water is circulated through the panels letting the heat radiate into the room. Radiators come in many styles and colours and are a great method of retrofitting hydronic heating to an existing home or building.
BENEFITS
Potential for individual room control so you only have to heat the areas you are utilising.
With no fans needed to distribute heat there is very low air movement which means low dust circulation and plus for allergy sufferers.
The hydronic radiator system is a sealed system so has low maintenance requirements.
These are proven systems that have been tried and tested widely in Australia for a number of years.
When coupled to the right heat source (geoexchange or air to water heat pump) hydronic radiator heating can be a very energy efficient way of heating your home or building.
Commonly asked Hydronic questions
Traditionally hydronic heating was run of fossil fuel boilers (oil, diesel and gas) but with technological advances a heat pump has become a cleaner, more environmentally and efficient means of heating the water for your hydronic system. The added bonus of a heat pump is that some models can be reversed to provide chilled water for cooling.
Yes a heat pump can provide heated water for a hydronic radiator heating system. As the output temperature of a heat pump is lower than a boiler the radiators will need to be increased in size or special low temperature radiators used.
Yes a hydronic heating system can by used to cool by either circulating cooled water through your slab, adding a chilled water fan coil or utilising a hydronic wall panel radiator with built in cooling option.
Yes hydronic heating can use gas but we only offer solutions that utilise efficient electrically driven heat pumps.
The total cost of your hydronic heating system will depend on a number of factors like the size of your home, the chosen heat source and wether you are building a new home or looking for a retrofit solution.
Yes a heat pump system can replace a fossil fuel consuming boiler (Gas, Diesel and Oil) on your hydronic heating system giving you a much cleaner, energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating solution.
Yes a hydronic heating and cooling system can be the perfect fit for a commercial application.
Yes hydronic heating and cooling can be efficient but like any system will only be as good as it is designed to run, the quality of the chosen equipment and how the system is controlled.
Yes hydronic heating can work very well.
With our hydronic inslab heating and cooling systems you have the peace of mind that we only use quality products. Our chosen pipework comes with a 25 year manufacture backed warranty. We expect the pipe to last much longer than that and even last as long as the house.
Yes even though we are based in the Adelaide Hills we can design and install a hydronic heating and cooling systems anywhere in South Australia. Also if you are in another State we can put you in contact with a local installer.