HOW DOES A BUILDER GET STARTED WITH HYDRONIC HEATING?

You’re hearing more and more about Hydronic Heating and you’d like to know more about it. So how does a builder or remodeler get started? While there is no quick and easy, step-by-step guide to getting started, there are some sound guidelines that many builders and remodelers have successfully followed to educate themselves in the use of high-quality, high-comfort Hydronic Heating.

  • Always use a qualified Hydronic Heating professional installer. In any business, experience make a big difference. Call on heating contractors who have done lots of Hydronic Heating installations of the type you’re putting in, whether it is baseboard, radiator, or radiant heating. Ask their advice on what will work best for the customer and for the overall project. Perhaps most important of all, bring in the heating contractor at the beginning of the job – in the design stage, not during construction. Once the walls are up, your heating installation has to be much more limited and your options fewer. Find a qualified Hydronic Heating professional installer.
  • Go right to the source – manufacturers of Hydronic Heating equipment. You have a built-in brain trust right here in the Hydronics Industry Alliance. Our members are leading manufacturers of Hydronic equipment, and many of us have training programs specifically geared to the needs of builders and installers. For training programs offered by Alliance members, click here.
  • Educate yourself in Hydronic installation advantages and requirements. There are a number of industry organizations that provide outstanding basic and advanced training on the latest system design and installation techniques for Hydronic installations. The specialized insights and methods you learn here can be invaluable in helping you to better select the right Hydronic installer, and to knowledgeably manage your Hydronic installations. Start with the I=B=R Schools, which were developed by the manufacturers of the Hydronic Institute Division of GAMA. The I=B=R Schools and additional training programs are listed right here on our Web site; just click here.

    PEX tubing is laid for a Hydronic Heating snowmelt system in Shelby Township, MI
    Before: PEX tubing is laid for a Hydronic Heating snowmelt system in Shelby Township, MI.

    After: Brick pavers and decorative concrete complete the driveway. Reproduced with permission of the Radiant Panel Association
    After: Brick pavers and decorative concrete complete the driveway. Reproduced with permission of the Radiant Panel Association.

  • Visit with Hydronics professionals at the Hydronic Industry Alliance Booth at industry trade shows. When you’re at the NAHB IBS Expo, the Build Boston AIA Expo, the Atlantic Region Energy Expo, Atlantic Builders Convention (ABConvention.com), ASHRAE-AHR Show, or other industry trade shows, be sure to stop by the Hydronics Industry Alliance booth. Attend one of our training seminars and speak with our HIA members. We’ll answer your questions and give you practical information you may not have even thought to ask about. We’ll also steer you to other industry professionals who can help you learn more about Hydronic Heating. To find out about shows where the Hydronics Industry Alliance will have booths in the coming months, click here.
  • Read up at our Hydronic Heating Library. We’ve compiled an extensive list of the best Hydronic Heating references available. Many of these publications and CDs are available from our own Hydronics Institute at GAMA.
  • Talk with other builders and remodelers in person or online. Whenever you can, have a chat with professionals who work with Hydronic Heating every day. Make person-to-person conversations part of your Hydronic education. There’s also an online forum for Hydronic Heating professionals and homeowners at HeatingHelp.com. Here’s where you can raise your questions to installers and even consumers. It’s called The Wall, and you can find it at HeatingHelp.com. Click on “Questions” at the top of the home page, or just click here.
  • See Hydronically Heated homes for yourself. At every opportunity, visit a home that has Hydronic Heating. Talk with the homeowner and find out what it’s like to live with Hydronic Heating. Get their ideas on how their system might be improved if they were to do it again.