Radiant Cooling FAQs

With summer upon us and (in Calgary, at least) the usual switch from cries of “it’s too cold!” to “it’s too hot!” along with it, Radiant Cooling is on all of our minds here at HeatLink.  In an effort to avoid brain freeze, we thought we would answer some of our most frequently asked questions about Radiant Cooling over the next few months, starting with: 

What is the difference between designing and installing a radiant heating system and a radiant cooling system? Nothing! The systems and application behave exactly the same. The effects of floor coverings, tube size, tube spacing, constructions methods, and all of the hydraulics are exactly the same.

The only significant difference is the transfer coefficient from the cooling surface to the space. The transfer coefficients change because of the way that the surface affects convective currents and transfer. A heated floor creates a significant convective current as the air is heated and becomes buoyant whereas a cooling floor decreases convective currents as the air is cooled and becomes less buoyant. Convection at a ceiling is affected in a similar manner with cool less buoyant air dropping and warm buoyant air staying at the ceiling. A wall application remains at or near a constant as the air can flow past it in either direction without physical boundaries.