How to Maintain Your Radiant Heating System

For many homeowners, radiant heat is an excellent alternative to traditional heating and air systems. Using piped water, air or electricity to warm everything from floors to walls and ceilings keeps a home or business warm without flowing air, which can cause dust and allergens along with less even temperatures than radiant heat can provide.

At All Hours Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating & Cooling, we provide full radiant heat services for your home or business. Once they’ve been installed, though, you need to keep an eye on a few basic maintenance items. Read on to learn about a few of the most important areas to stay on top of, or simply give our heating experts a call!

Pressure Check

The pressure on your system needs to be checked at least once a year, and we do this as part of our standard heating maintenance at All Hours. We’ll check for pressure, which should remain constant throughout the system – if there are issues, it likely means there’s a leak in the pipes. This will lead to increased energy costs and utility bills, and in steel-pipe systems, it may require a replacement for pipes themselves. In cases where you’re using a water-based radiant heat system, leaking pipes will lead to corrosion and rust, and can cause larger issues down the line.

Pumps and Valves

The other important consideration for a radiant heat system is the pump, and this is one area where you’ll want to be on the lookout for signs. Most pumps operate so quietly that you won’t even know they’re there, but if this ever changes and you begin to notice the pump making louder noises, it could be a sign of issues.

The pressure release valve might have issues, or the reducing valve. Either of these valves failing might require pump replacement.

Efficiency Checks

In many cases, the quickest way to personally check for efficiency in these systems is to check your utility spending each month. Costs will rise and fall with the seasons, but within a given period of the year, costs should be relatively consistent with radiant heat systems. If you notice a big spike in usage in a weird spot, it could be the first sign that a leak or other issue has begun to take place in the system.

Want to learn more about radiant heat maintenance, or interested in any of our other plumbing or heating services? Reach out to the experts at All Hours Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating & Cooling today!