Radiant Floor Heating Blog

Keep Pooch off the Couch with Radiant Floor Heat

2016-04-20

We don't have radiant floor heat in our kitchen. When in the kitchen, Pooch lays on the floor right above where a furnace duct is located. In our family room, it’s a different story. Pooch's favorite spot is anywhere on our electrically heated radiant floor. Prior to installing radiant floor heat, Pooch preferred to lie on the couch which we attributed to her desire to be close to us. We may have been partly right, but Pooch is pretty smart and knows that warmth, whether body warmth or radiant floor warmth, is better for relaxation than cold.

Pooch looks particularly comfortable and relaxed stretched out on our soothing warm floors. I know she is particularly smart and sometimes I wonder if she is innately aware of the all the health benefits of radiant floor heat. Radiant heat, like the sun, penetrates and soothes the body. Its therapeutic warmth relaxes the muscles, improves oxygen circulation in the blood and promotes healing. The Arthritis Foundation reports that people whose arthritis symptoms respond well to heat have discovered the many benefits of heat therapy. These benefits are well demonstrated by Pooch. While relaxing on the warm floor, Pooch will jump to her feet, stretch and be ready to walk upon a moment’s notice.

Although Pooch prefers to lie directly on the warm floor, fortunately for us, the benefits of our radiant floor heat can be experienced on the couch. Like the sun, radiant floor heat is attracted to people and objects. It does not rely on blowing air for heat transfer. There are no blowing drafts that cause discomfort particularly for arthritis sufferers. Our family room used to be the coldest and most uncomfortable room in our home. It is built over a crawl space and has sliding French doors, two exterior walls, a garage on the third wall and a fireplace. We live in northern Illinois in climate zone 5 where winter can be especially long and cold. Every year we say this is our last winter here. As we crossed into our sixties, arthritis began to affect my wife’s knees. We decided we needed to install floor heat in the family room. Now, it is the most comfortable room in our home. We sit on the couch in comfort, and we both feel more like walking Pooch – even in winter.

When we converted to floor heat, we decided to get rid of the carpet in favor of engineered hardwood which we installed directly over the floor heat system. Getting rid of the carpet got rid of the harbor for all kinds of dust, dirt, dander, mites and allergens. We closed the central heating vents to that room to eliminate the draft, noise and the circulation of allergens. We don’t suffer from allergies, and it’s nice to know the room is cleaner and hypoallergenic, as well as warm and soothing. I wonder if Pooch knows about the hypoallergenic benefits too, as she sneezes a lot less.

To experience the benefits of radiant heat for yourself, install heated floors in your own home. Visit www.ThermoSoft.com to view a great selection of in floor heating products.