Do I Need a Special Thermostat for Radiant Heat?

Are you thinking of having a radiant heat system in your house to keep your feet warm during winter? Many a time, when you’re installing radiant heat, you hardly consider the type of thermostat to use. This shouldn’t be the case as a new heating system requires the best thermostat to operate effectively by controlling the floor’s temperature.

It’s important to note that a floor heating system is made separately and doesn’t depend on the common HVAC system. But do I need a special thermostat for the radiant heat? Well, will help you understand this in this article. We’ll also show you the best thermostats to use for radiant heat.

Table of Contents

Is A Special Thermostat for Radiant Heat Necessary?

If you consider using the thermostat for your HVAC system to regulate your underfloor heating system, you need to think twice. This is because a thermostat for both the radiant heat and traditional system needs to be compatible with both the radiant heat and HVAC system. Also, some of the thermostats for your HVAC system can work on radiant heat others may not help you regulate the underfloor heating system.

To avoid inconveniences, it’s advisable to buy a special thermostat for radiant heat. A thermostat for radiant heat should be flexible, adjustable, and automatically regulate the temperature of your home.

What To Consider Before Buying a Radiant Heat Thermostat

To get the best model of special thermostats for radiant heat, here are some things you should consider.

Temperature Sensor and Display

The main reason for a thermostat in the floor heating system is to help control temperature. But you can get a model that also shows climate to know if your thermostat and the radiant heat are functional. You should also consider the size of the display to avoid straining your eyes while using the thermostat.

Radiant Heat Source

Another thing you should look at is the type of radiant heat source. This is because most thermostats are designed to control specific radiant heat sources. So, if your thermostat is hydronic, use it on hydronic floor heat. And do the same with the electronic thermostat for electronic floor heat.

The programming of the thermostat; for better performance, choose a thermostat that can multi-program. It should be able to produce less heat when you’re away and vice versa. The thermostat should also allow you to program it for some days.

Voltage

Go for a thermostat compatible with the amount of voltage in the radiant heat to prevent inconveniences.

Types Of Thermostats

After considering the above factors, it will be easy to choose the right type of thermostat for your radiant heat. Understanding this will enable you to know the special type of thermostat to buy. There are two types of thermostats you can go for:

The Electric Thermostat

An electric thermostat shouldn’t be used with the hydronic radiant heat system. Instead, it should be used on an electric floor heating system that uses electricity to regulate the temperature of the floors. They operate on a line voltage of between 110-240 volts. This means you need a line voltage thermostat that’s compatible with your underfloor heating system.

You can go for the programmable electric radiant floor thermostats, which enable you to program them according to your lifestyle schedule. Some of them are also Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats which allow you to control them over the internet.

They include;

Honeywell TH115-AF-GA/U-Floor heating thermostat

This is one of the best thermostats for in-floor heating, which has a floor sensor that helps maintain the floor’s temperature in your preferred settings. It also has a GFCI which is important for line voltage systems, and it allows you to program it for up to 7 days. Honeywell thermostat offers three heating modes: the ambient, floor, and ambient with floor modes.

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It’s for resistive load only, and the maximum current is 15A. So, if your radiant heat is more than this, this isn’t the perfect choice.

NuHeat Radiant Floor Thermostat

Another electric thermostat is the NuHeat radiant floor heating thermostat with a 3.5-inch color touch screen. It’s a dual voltage that allows you to program it for two days(weekends) and has an energy usage monitor. This enables you to know its monthly electric consumption. In addition, it has two temperature sensors, a floor sensor and an air temperature sensor making it very effective.

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This thermostat has both auto and manual mode, enabling you to set your preferred temperature, and is suitable for stone-based flooring or tiles.

SunTouch Command Heated Floor Thermostat

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The seven days programmable thermostat with a touch screen contains floor sensors. It’s Wi-Fi enabled and allows you to control it from outside the house. It also has a temperature sensor, adjustable color screen, and big font size for easy readability.

Wi-Fi Radiant Heating Thermostat by NuHeat

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This electric radiant heating thermostat is Wi-Fi enabled and compatible with google home. It is capable of saving energy and works with NEST and control4 systems. It has a built-in GFCI which protects you from getting electrocuted in case of current leakage. However, it requires physical switching on and off. But has dual voltage.

Hydronic Radiant Heat Thermostats

Another type of thermostat is the hydronic thermostat. These are water-based radiant heat thermostats which are also into two types; buried systems and surface mounted systems. For the buried system, thermostats pipes of 1.6 cm are buried into the floor while the surface raised ones have 1.2 cm pipes on top of the floor. However, both thermostats are good for use in radiant heat.

Here’s a list of the best pick of hydronic thermostats;

Aube By Honeywell-TH140-28-B/U-Programmable Hydronic Thermostat

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This thermostat by Honeywell is one of the best hydronic thermostats. It’s a 7-day programmable thermostat that can work in various millivolt gas fireplace heaters, radiant heating systems, and hydronic boiler systems. The thermostat is also compatible with a different system of 120 volts, 240 volts, and millivolts. In addition, it has pump protection which reduces pump seizures.

Nest Smart Thermostat

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Nest is the best thermostat for in-floor heating. It has the true radiant feature that’s specifically designed for underfloor radiant heat systems. The smart thermostat can also work on the conventional central heating system. In addition, you can control it from outside your house as it’s Wi-Fi enabled. To make it more effective, buy accessories that can detect and distribute temperature in all the rooms in your house. But it doesn’t have a floor sensor which can interfere with its effectiveness.

Ecobee

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Ecobee is another perfect choice for hydronic radiant floor thermostats. It’s a smart thermostat with sensors that automatically detect when you’re home or not then adjust temperatures accordingly. It has a voice control plus the remote room control, making it easy to use and operate. But it’s costly than the other models.

Aube By Honeywell TH135-01-B/U-Non-Programmable Hydronic Heating Thermostat

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Even though this thermostat doesn’t allow you to program, it’s the best choice that’s affordable. It’s compatible with hydronic floor heating systems, millivolts systems, and central heating systems. In addition, you can change the temperature setting remotely via your telephone controller, and the pump protector will prevent pump seizure.

Can You Install More Than One Thermostat for Radiant Heat?

You can have one or more thermostats for your underfloor heating, depending on your preference. With one thermostat, you’re able to control the whole system with ease. But if you can, have different thermostats on multi-zone area settings and manage the floor temperature of every room. Having many thermostats in a multi-zone setting is advantageous as you can control the temperature depending on the room’s size and the number of occupants. This will help you reduce energy costs, but it requires more managing. However, if you’ve got a programmable thermostat, you’ll be able to set certain rooms to be warm at preferred times. For example, you can have your bathroom early in the morning.

How Can You Wire a Radiant Heat Thermostat?

Yes. But before wiring, a radiant heat thermostat ensures you read the manufacturer’s guidelines on how to do it. Each thermostat model comes with all this information, but most of them have the same steps on how to wire a radiant heat thermostat. To avoid errors, you can watch YouTube videos to help you understand how to wire a radiant heat thermostat. Note that if you do not know about electrical wiring, don’t do the wiring. Instead, it’s best to call a technician to help you.

Which Is the Best Temperature to Set Your Radiant Heat System?

When using a thermostat to regulate the floor temperature, it’s best to set it between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius. But you can change it from time to time depending on your preference. For example, most radiant heaters can tolerate more than 100 degrees which is suitable if you want high-temperature floors. However, a lower temperature means low energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint.

Let’s Wrap up

So, do I need a special thermostat for radiant heat? You don’t require a special thermostat for radiant heat. However, to get the best results, it’s good to have a special thermostat compatible with the floor heating system. When installing the thermostat, ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, watch various YouTube videos to avoid making errors that will cost you.

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