With job site productivity and safety at the forefront of residential and commercial construction, the industry is looking for products and solutions that meet the varying needs of installers, building owners, and end users.
There are several new and existing hydronic heating solutions that are enabling faster, easier installs for contractors while providing homeowners and building owners with more efficient, sustainable systems.
Here are a few of solutions that can help make jobs easier and projects more efficient.
Radiant panels
Designed for residential new construction and remodels, a new XPS foam panel for radiant systems is gaining the attention of veteran installers. Sold under the brand name Xpress Trak, the new panel solution features lightweight XPS foam at its core with aluminum laminated onto the exterior of the foam. The highly conductive aluminum surface has complete contact with the radiant pipe for greater heat transfer, and the XPS foam provides a low-mass solution for faster response times.
With these XPS foam panels, contractors are enjoying the lighter weight for faster, easier installs. The natural moisture resistance of the XPS foam eliminates the need to caulk edges or grooves in the panel, adding to installation efficiencies and reducing installation costs. Additionally, the XPS foam eliminates the need to insulate the joist space below the subfloor, saving additional labor time and material costs.
Another great option for radiant panels are knobbed mats that adhere to concrete slabs or wood subfloors. Sold by a variety of manufacturers, the knobbed mats offer a peel-and-stick solution for fast, easy installation of radiant pipe in customizable on-center spacing distances. The mats are available in various thicknesses (some as thin as under 1/4 inch) to accommodate different pipe sizes, and some mats feature insulation already in the mat, eliminating added costs and install time.
And don’t forget the standard plywood panels that have been used for decades in radiant systems. These panels, which feature an aluminum heat-transfer sheet on the underside, are the workhorses of radiant systems. They are available with various on-center spacing distances and can accommodate different pipe sizes, depending on the product.
Prefabricated radiant mats
Introduced into the market about a decade ago, prefabricated radiant mats have become extremely popular in commercial radiant heating and cooling projects. Ideal for radiant systems in large commercial spaces as well as turf conditioning and permafrost prevention (cold storage) applications, these mats are customized, prefabricated, and pre-pressurized solutions that are designed and delivered to job sites to speed commercial installs and maximize radiant system performance.
Since these mats are customized to meet each individual project, the pipe sizes, loop lengths, and on-center spacing vary depending on the design. The best part about the mats is the ease of installation. Once they arrive on the job site, the installers simply move the mats into place, cut the zip ties, and unroll the mats, saving days or even weeks on radiant piping installation time.
Wireless radiant and air-side control
The radiant industry has found an exciting new solution to manage the control of both radiant and air-side systems. Sold under the brand name Smatrix Pulse, this wireless solution is a first in the North American market to control both radiant heating as well as forced-air heating and cooling in multiple zones throughout a structure.
What’s more, the system connects to smart home assistants and can also be controlled remotely via an app. The wireless technology means installers don’t have to hassle with the cost and time of running thermostat wires, and when it comes to setup, no internet is required (which comes in handy with new construction projects where internet is not available). The Installation Wizard in the Smatrix Pulse app walks the contractor through the system setup, saving time and ensuring a smooth installation.
The system accurately measures air, surface, and floor temperatures in each zone with embedded operative sensors in the thermostats along with optional slab sensors. It also features a revolutionary autobalancing technology for the radiant side, providing 25% faster radiant reaction times and up to 20% greater energy savings. Additionally, users can benefit from continuous monitoring inside and outside the structure to adapt each zone independently. And for added safety, the system includes the latest encryption technology and options for personal settings to ensure homeowner information is secure.
Heat-interface units
Another first in the North American market is a prefabricated, self-contained unit that converts a building’s hydronic heating supply to on-demand domestic hot water (DHW). Ideal in multifamily structures, hospitality buildings, dormitories, assisted-living centers, and healthcare patient towers, the AquaPort features a proportional control valve (PCV) and double-wall heat exchanger to create the DHW from the hydronic heating supply.
This solution removes the centralized DHW and recirculation piping to provide numerous benefits, including energy and water savings, improved water quality, installation efficiencies, reduced maintenance, and reduced risk. The PCV does not require any utility connections and eliminates the DHW heat source, supply piping, recirculation network, pumps, and storage tanks. It also optimizes the efficiencies of the hydronic heating supply.
For energy efficiency, it returns the lowest water temperature possible, enabling boiler systems to reach their maximum-rated efficiency. It also provides a more centralized location in an individual unit of a building, which leads to faster hot-water delivery times and reduced water waste, helping to reduce the whole-life carbon for the building.
Compared with traditional pipe-routing methods, incorporating this solution can reduce hot-water energy use by up to 35%, eliminate up to 40% of unnecessary piping, mitigate microbial growth in the DHW system, and remove more than 50% of the total DHW volume in a building for greater sustainability and hygiene.
The compact, in-wall design is only 25.6 inches tall by 14.5 inches wide and 5.4 inches deep to maximize overall square footage, and it is extremely lightweight at 47 pounds for the 100K BTU/hr. version and 57 pounds for the 180K BTU/hr. version, which makes it easy for one person to maneuver and install.
To discover more solutions for radiant and hydronic heating systems, check out radiantprofessionalsalliance.org, heatinghelp.com, and healthyheating.com.
Kim Bliss is the technical and marketing content manager at Uponor. She can be reached at kim.bliss@uponor.com.
