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Frequently Asked Questions: Answered

All American Heating is happy to answer all your questions and make sure you understand the scope of work, job timing, and the price before work begins.

Making the hard
stuff easy.

We simply carry only the best equipment available for our industry.

We sell and install top-performing, American-made heating and cooling units, and other HVAC products.
We consider such quality factors as initial costs, performance efficiency, maintenance expectations, consumer reports, and available warranties and services to customize the best long-term heating solutions for our customers.

It’s also good to be aware that dirty and clogged dryer vents are a serious fire hazard. Keeping your dryer vents clean will help reduce the risk of a house fire.

Our technicians take classes, attend training seminars, and continually study the latest advances and techniques used in our business. We carry a variety of different certifications, and that translates to the absolute best all-around service for our clients.

Regular inspection and maintenance of your heating and cooling systems are vital to ensure their long life and proper operation. During the course of our mechanical work, we’ve seen some installations done by other companies and found some pretty nasty problems. We’ve seen newer installations that leak carbon monoxide into the home! We found an 18-month-old furnace almost rusted away inside from a water leak. We’ve discovered high-capacity heating equipment running through low-capacity ducting, which is a very serious fire hazard.

We believe that there are few companies who go to the lengths we do to back up our claims. And we do it because our core values are Honesty, Fairness, and Dependability – and because we care about the people we serve.

Here are some things you should be aware of when purchasing a new home with a radiant heating system or considering a radiant heating system installation.

Radiant floor heating is not new. The ancient Romans built fires under masonry floors. Over the ages, it has appeared and reappeared. Thanks to modern technology, you don’t have to be a Roman Emperor to have warm feet. Of course, the best feature of radiant heat is the level of comfort, but it also offers energy savings. Radiant flooring systems can heat small homes with very low water temperatures.

Before you decide on a radiant floor heating installation, do your research, make sure the company whose name is on the product is actually the one that built it, and be sure the tubing that your installer uses has an oxygen barrier to protect your system and your home. All American Heating is happy to evaluate your home and make a recommendation on the type of system that will work best in your environment.

Methods of installation have been developed to install the heat tubes in ceilings & walls, as well as the floor.

Illustration of Quik Trak radiant wall installation

There are several methods for installing tubing in floors.

In a concrete slab is hands-down the best method; the mass is a great sink, and you can run very low temperatures.

Illustration of slab-on or below-grade with under-slab and edge insultation

Many homes are conventional, wood-frame construction, so methods have been developed to incorporate the tubing into the structure. The most common and effective way is a lightweight, concrete over-pour.

Illustration of poured underlayment on a suspended wood subfloor.

Methods of attaching the tubing to the underside of the floor are very common in retrofit applications. The most effective method of this type employs aluminum plates to transfer the heat by way of conduction directly to the subfloor.

Illustration of joist heating using Joist Trak panel.

The least effective method is called joist-bay heating. The idea is that the tubing heats the air in the space of the joist bay. This is the fastest, easiest, and cheapest installation method, but it is also the most expensive and least durable.

Illustration of joist heating using Wirsbo PEX clips

Installation methods in which the tubing is placed closer to the surface are the most effective. It allows the use of lower water temperatures and delivers much quicker response times. Some very well-developed products are available which make these systems easy to install, such as Wirsbo Quick Trak and RauPanels.

Quik Trak over a wood subfloor with tile/linoleum floor covering
Couple relaxes on flooring warmed with radiant heating

There are many factors that should be considered in the installation of radiant floor systems but they are too numerous to list in this short article.

Whatever you decide to go with, make sure it is a decision you are willing to live with for years to come. The initial cost is only part of the selection process. Cheaper systems tend to cost more in the long run.

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