Achieving Optimal Radiant Performance
So, you’re considering the incredible comfort that radiant floor heating with Warmboard has to offer – great choice! As you learn more, you may find yourself wondering about where the heat source will come from. You may have a preferred boiler brand, or perhaps you’re considering, “Can’t I just use my own boiler and save some money?”
The actual question however is not “Can it work?” but “How effectively will it work with the Warmboard panels?” Optimum efficiency, optimal control (particularly with smart homes), and a hassle-free installation depend a great deal on the seamless coordination between the panels, controls, and source of heat. When elements are not part of an integrated system, such synergies can become complicated and you may sacrifice the very benefits you’re looking for.
Consider a high-performance vehicle – you would not install an ordinary motor on a high-performance machine and hope for optimum performance. The motor, transmission, and electronics must talk seamlessly to one another. Same with radiant heating – the panels, controls, and fuel source must harmonize to provide superior outcomes.
The Integrated Home Heating Solution: Warmboard Comfort System
This is why we offer the Warmboard Comfort System (WCS) – an engineered solution designed to eliminate guesswork and guarantee optimal performance.
Our complete system includes:
- Warmboard Radiant Panels: The foundation of our fast, efficient radiant heat. These panels (structural subfloor or overlay) combine durable wood composite with a thick, highly conductive aluminum layer covering the entire surface. This allows for exceptionally fast heat spread directly from the PEX tubing, enabling rapid system response, greater energy efficiency (even at lower water temperatures), and simplified tubing installation via pre-routed channels.
- Warmsource™ Smart Reset Controller (SRC): The brain of the system, the SRC manages water temperatures and zoning based on your home’s specific needs to optimize comfort and efficiency.
- High-Efficiency, Matched Boiler: We’ve partnered with the top-tier boiler manufacturer Lochinvar to provide a boiler perfectly sized and pre-configured to work seamlessly with the Warmsource™ controllers and Warmboard radiant panels.
- Warmboard Thermostats: Our thermostats provide user-friendly control and precise temperature sensing down to 1/100th of a degree. Designed for native integration, they consistently feed data to the SRC which then modulates water temperatures and directs the manifold controllers and actuators for highly responsive and accurate zone-by-zone comfort management
Why does an integrated heating system make a difference?
- Guaranteed Performance & Efficiency: The WCS is pre-engineered to your specific home. We do this to ensure the boiler delivers the precise water temperatures needed, leveraging the panel’s conductivity to maximize your comfort and minimize energy waste. A standalone boiler requires careful setup to attempt this.
- Simplified Installation (Faster Project, Less Hassle): A system designed to work together is much simpler and faster to install. Our integrated system usually takes ~2 days for the mechanical setup, compared to a week (or much more) needed to integrate, wire, and program the disparate components. This saves time and money, lowering labor costs and reducing disruption.
- Reliability & Single-Source Support: When your entire radiant system comes from Warmboard, support is straightforward. If adjustments are needed, you have one point of contact. With separate components, diagnosing issues can become a frustrating blame game between manufacturers. We stand behind the entire WCS performance.
Warmboard Panel Compatibility:
Exploring Alternatives
While the integrated WCS offers the most streamlined path, the versatility of Warmboard panels means other heat sources can be used, provided they are properly designed and controlled to take advantage of Warmboard’s low-temperature efficiency. If considering alternatives, careful planning is essential.
Here are heat source types compatible with Warmboard panels:
- High-efficiency Condensing Gas Boilers: Warmboard works optimally with modern condensing boilers designed to operate efficiently at lower water temperatures (typically 80-120°F). The high-quality Lochinvar boilers used in our WCS feature:
- Modulating burner (e.g., 10:1 turndown) for precise heat output
- ASME-rated stainless steel heat exchanger
- Natural gas or liquid propane options
- Various sizes, from 75k to 199k BTUs
- Electric Boilers: For homes without gas, electric boilers like the EZBoiler system can work, typically including:
- Pressure relief valve, P&T gauge, air eliminator, expansion tank
- ASME-rated pressure vessel
- Alternative Heat Sources: Warmboard’s low-temperature capability makes it ideal for:
- Ground source heat pumps (Geothermal)
- Solar thermal heating systems
- These typically produce water up to ~120°F, matching Warmboard’s needs.
The Underlying Advantage: Highly Conductive Panels
The key to Warmboard’s performance and efficiency is our the high conductivity of our panels. This makes it possible for the system to provide the same comfortable room temperatures at much lower water temperatures – typically 30°F to 60°F lower than other radiant systems. This basic principle of conductivity is directly converted into reduced energy use and lower heating bills, and the Warmboard Comfort System is designed to maximize this benefit.
Conclusion:
Optimal Performance Comes from a Complete System
So, can any boiler be used with Warmboard? If purchasing only Warmboard panels, the answer is yes. Though, that boiler would need to meet certain requirements to adequately perform to heat the entire house. However, if looking for optimal performance, efficiency, reliability, and usability result, we recommend our Warmboard Comfort System. Selecting the fully integrated WCS guarantees you release the maximum potential of your investment, with peace of mind and ultimate comfort for years to come.
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