Central air heating not doing the trick for your family during those cold East Coast winters? Have a wood-framed home that doesn’t retain heat? One option you have is radiant heat, which consists of a hydronic tubing system underneath your actual flooring. But wait, radiant heat sounds complicated—and expensive. It doesn’t have to be! Give the Ultra-Fin System a try. A few of the advantages include no dust/bacteria/other allergens passing through the air ducts, quick response to feel heat, and no fans means quiet operation.
Ultra-Fin differs from typical radiant heat in the fact that you don’t have to go through the same installation process of pouring a concrete slab. There’s more design freedom. Aluminum fins conduct heat from the water passing through the tubing, warming the air in the joist spaces. From here, the system uses hot air convection in the joists beneath an existing floor to radiant heat upwards, to your feet.
Does it work with hardwood? you might be thinking. You’ve heard some negatives about radiant heat potentially warping the wood with time and extreme heat. Worry not! Ultra-Fin claims their product is “100% compatible with hardwood flooring.” The fins don’t actually touch the hardwood, which avoids potential damage. As this is a concern of many homeowners and installers, they have geared this system to work with this type of flooring, as well as tile, slate, and carpet.
Installation is easy and much quicker than traditional radiant heat systems. Holes are drilled through the floor joists at the depth your certified plumber or hydronic heat specialist calculates. Tubing with a 5/8” outside diameter slides through these holes, creating a loop that starts and ends at the manifold. Ultra-Fins are connected to the tubing with rivets.
Please note that Ultra-Fin suggests utilizing specific non-friction oxygen barrier tubing, such as Uponor and Viega, or any style of PEX-AL-PEX when installing this system. They’ve found that less common brands, like Heat Link or Bow PEX, tend to make noise when used in conjunction with this system. Sounds are created by the tubing heating up and expanding; there is nowhere else to go but bump into the metal fins. Maybe you don’t mind a little bit of rattling because your house is lively and loud with children or get-togethers or that new action movie that came out last week. Otherwise, this could put a damper on your quiet, candlelit dinners.
If you’re looking to install radiant heat in your already-constructed home, perhaps the Ultra-Fin System is for you! (Of course, it is an option for those looking to feature in a new construction home, too.) Start living with lavish comfort and energy efficiency now. View the plates and snake hangers here. And shop all Ultra-Fin products here.
