If you are worried about dust, dust mites, mold, and other indoor air quality problems, you should be. Studies have consistently shown that the average person breathes in most pollutants and even insecticides indoors. In many homes, the heating system only contributes to the problem, but a radiant floor heating systems can be one solution for providing better indoor air quality.
Traditional heating systems such as natural gas and oil use vents and ducts to transmit hot air all over the house. Unfortunately, mold, dust, and other pollutants can easily get trapped in the ducts and vents, and become distributed with the heat in your home. As well, any impurities in the fuel you use to heat your home will enter your breathing air. In contrast, radiant heated floor systems provide a remarkably clean heating system. There are no vents or ducts to trap dust and allergens; heated floors make use of heating mats, which are safely contained under your floors. Heated floors also use no impure fuel sources that can allow toxins to enter your home. With a floor heating system, you don’t have to worry about getting that extra carbon monoxide monitor because floor heating systems, unlike most traditional heating systems (including oil and natural gas) do not emit toxins when malfunctioning.
Many traditional heating systems also fail to provide superior air quality because they leave cold floors and cold spots in the house. Many homeowners compensate for this by bringing rugs and carpets into the home. While carpets and rugs can make a home cozier, these products also contain serious toxins. New carpets have high levels of volatile organic compounds, carcinogens, and harmful adhesives. Over time, carpets and rugs can trap mold, dust, grime, and even toxins such as insecticides and herbicides (brought in from the outdoors on shoes). Carpets slowly release these added toxins into your breathing air indoors.
In contrast, a radiant heating provides a cleaner alternative. Heated floors leave your floors cozy and warm, so that you can enjoy hard flooring, which is not only easier to clean, but which does not trap mold, dust, and other allergens to the same extent as a carpet. The heating mats used to create your floor heating system are safely installed under your floors, so you never have to worry about them trapping or catching dust. Plus, unlike traditional heating systems, floor heating systems are whisper quiet and produce no odor, so you will never be tempted to use those harsh chemical-laced indoor sprays to cover up the odors associated with a heating system.