FAQ

WCS is our Warmboard Comfort System, our modern approach to radiant floor heating systems. It is a complete solution that includes everything needed to heat a home with hydronic radiant heat. WCS is designed to be easy to install and use, and it can be installed by a general contractor or plumber.

Learn more about WCS and radiant heating systems.

Warmsource is the heart of the Warmboard Comfort System. The top portion of this wall-mounted unit is a Noble® Fire Tube Boiler manufactured by Lochinvar. The bottom portion contains a Grundfos Alpha pump, automatic air-eliminator, pre-plumbed expansion tank and the Smart Reset Controller (SRC).

We size the Warmsource specifically to your project. Low end units are capable of heating a 2,500 square foot property (80K BTUs), other units are capable of 4,500 square feet (140K BTUs) or more depending on your needs.

Learn more about the Warmsource boiler.

Like all appliances, the system requires electricity to operate. We recommend purchasing a generator for those living in high risk areas for power outages. Should the power go out, all user settings will be saved and restored once power returns to the home.

If any issues arise with WCS, your first step should be to call your Project Manager or the Warmboard Technical Services hotline (1.844.482.7922). While most issues will be able to be solved remotely by our staff, any issues with the boiler itself can be serviced by a extensive network of authorized installers.

The warranty for all Warmboard products can be found here.

While the vast majority of the components are included with the Warmboard Comfort System, there are a few items which must be sourced elsewhere. These include:

• PVC intake and exhaust (for boiler)
• 1-¼" copper piping (for boiler)
• 3/4" or 1" supply and return manifold distribution lines (copper or pex)
• Condensation discharge line, gas line, T&P discharge line, backflow preventer discharge line
• J-Boxes and GFI outlets (as specified in our drawings)

Like any appliance or boiler, Warmsource makes some noise. For this reason, we recommend Warmsource be placed in a mechanical room or garage, and not hung on a wall with a shared living space. While Warmsource is relatively quiet, installing on a shared wall could lead to an unhappy homeowner.

We recommend a minimum clearance of 3 inches on each side, 12 inches below, and 18 inches above Warmsource. See page 7 of our Installation Guide for more information

Every job is different, and every crew distributes work in their own way. However, here is a fairly common breakdown of labor for the installation of the Warmboard Comfort System (WCS):

• Framing Crew: Panels
• Plumbers: Tubing, manifolds, copper, venting (per Lochinvar manual), condensate and gas lines, and Warmsource boiler
• Electricians: J-Boxes, 110V AC per device, Manifold Controller(s), and thermostats

How is this less expensive than other systems?

The Warmboard Comfort system was designed to be beautifully engineered while cost-effective and easy to install. Material costs are lower, time on the job site is decreased, and labor costs are lowered dramatically. Contact your Regional or Project Manager to get a better understanding of the cost-saving benefits to your specific project.

CFA, or Conditioned Floor Area , is the legal definition of the total floor area (in square feet) of the enclosed temperature conditioned space on all floors of a building. It's measured at each floor level to the outside face of the building's insulated envelope (typically the outside face of studs). It's the most widely adopted term utilized by building officials throughout North America to quantify the scope of the heating requirements of a building. For this reason, we use CFA as the basis for our system pricing because CFA is the single number that correlates most closely with the cost of the materials and engineering required to heat a home of a particular size.

The "Warmboard Vacation" app which allows the entire system to enable/disable Vacation Mode for the property. Additional features will be added down the road.

Not at this time.

No. All Warmboard components are designed and integrated together into a single solution

No. Warmsource provides all the controls as well as the hot water for the system, thereby eliminating the need to invest in geothermal or water-to-water heat pumps. If you are wanting to use geothermal with your project, our Warmboard radiant panels are an ideal option.

WCS is not designed to melt snow from roofs or from the outdoors, but just for home heating. Temperatures and heat output for snowmelt applications often vary wildly from temperatures needed to maintain indoor comfort. Because of this, snowmelt should be designed as a separate, stand-alone system which can be designed to run intermittently, as snow coverage requires, using higher temperatures.

Yes. WCS can control 2 zones of single-stage air conditioning.

No. The components that make up the Warmboard Comfort System communicate on their own pre-configured wireless network. Once WCS is up and running, communication between these devices occurs automatically and there is no need to interact with the home's wireless Internet connection. WCS uses the LoRa (long range, low power) wireless signal which operates at 915 Mhz and has been tested to be a very safe technology.

Located inside Warmsource, the SRC (Smart Reset Controller) is the brains behind the system. The SRC communicates wirelessly with each device throughout your home. It has a proprietary algorithm that precisely monitors the change in temperature of each zone and adjusts the boiler's water temperature to be optimal for the house at the instant the heat is called. The SRC also controls the manifold controllers to open and close valves as needed to supply heat to each zone.

Warmboard Comfort System (WCS) includes custom Mechanical Designs, Warmboard's award-winning panels (Warmboard-S or Warmboard-R depending on need), Tubing, PEX tubing, manifolds, actuators and most of the necessary plumbing components (ball valves, brass union, pressure reducing valve, etc…). WCS also includes Warmsource powered by boiler or Heat Pump (with pump and expansion tank(s), and SRC), Manifold Controllers, and Thermostats and Bridge. All of these devices are pre-configured by us to integrate seamlessly once installed.

The WCS system is a closed loop system used for flooring heating only and is completely isolated from the Domestic Hot Water needs. The current standard appliance used for heating Domestic Hot Water would not change, meaning the use of a standalone water heater or tankless heater would still be installed as usual.

See all Warmboard Comfort System components.