On-demand Water Heaters

Radiant Floor Company pioneered the use of on- demand / tankless water heaters for radiant floor heating nearly 25 years ago when many in the heating industry believed that “on-demand / tankless water heaters would never work for radiant heat”…we disagreed! We’ve been doing this longer than anyone, with great success!

Tankless / on demand water heaters heat water only when needed, resulting a most efficient gas water heater. Tankless / on demand water heaters can be up to 34% more efficient than tank water heaters.

Radiant Floor Company tankless / on demand heaters are  “DESIGNED & RATED FOR SPACE HEATING”! These units are not your “typical” water heaters, so don’t let the compact size fool you! All of our heating units are manufactured to an industry standard of quality and reliability.

These highly efficient heaters are built with Radiant heating in mind. We offer units that will heat both your Radiant (space heating) and domestic hot water. Regardless of which radiant heating system you choose, be it Open, Closed Or combination/heat exchanger, or type of fuel source you require, Propane, Natural gas, Electric or Oil,…Radiant Floor company has you covered!!!

Here’s a helpful tidbit: One gallon of propane can produce 91,000 BTUs,…..  A Therm (100 cubic feet) of Natural gas, is equal to (approximately) 100,000 BTUs.

Lower fuel bills? We realized, first hand, the amazing efficiency, energy savings, and their extraordinary heating power!! We design radiant heating systems to suit the unique characteristics of tankless / on demand water heaters. Today, these heaters are low cost, high efficient units that are cheaper to maintain & operate. They have become the standard heat sources for radiant heating applications. The reasons are outlined below.

A.O. SMITH / Takagi tankless / on-demand water heaters have many excellent features. They’re extremely well engineered, quiet, compact (2.2 cu. ft.), lightweight (60 lbs.), can mount conveniently on a wall, vent easily, are “direct vented”, meaning they use outside air for combustion, and use 3″ PVC for both intake and exhaust. All models virtually eliminate “stand-by” heat loss. In other words, they don’t store hot water, they heat water only when you actually need it.

The only electrical connection to the On Demand / Tankless water heater,… is the power (plug) to/from the unit. The water heater is triggered when the unit senses a minimum of 1/2 gallon per minute of flow. The water heater activates when any or all zones call for heat and the pump(s) circulate liquid through the unit, thus creating the “flow” that signals the water heater to fire up!

A.O. SMITH / TAKAGI water heaters are truly instantaneous and extremely powerful, and the following example illustrates this claim perfectly.

Several years ago, one of our techs installed a A.O. Smith / Takagi on-demand / tankless water heater to heat his 2100 sq. ft. garage. The slab was literally ice cold due to weeks of sub-freezing weather. After filling the system with anti-freeze, he fired up the radiant system and watched 28 degree fluid leave the floor, enter the Takagi, then emerge from the heater five seconds later at 180 degrees! Amazingly, the Takagi had raised the water temperature 152 degrees!

Of course, a mixing valve was used to temper the water down to 130 degrees before it returned to the floor, but this example shows how a Takagi performs under extreme conditions.

Detailed information and specifications for these units can be found by following this link: https://www.takagi.com/why-tankless   A.O. Smith / Takagi  units are rated up to 96% efficiency.

A.O. Smith / Takagi high efficiency units offer up to 96% efficiency. These units vent with PVC.

For schematics and photos of these A.O. SMITH / TAKAGI tankless / on-demand water heaters in various radiant heating configurations, see: Takagi and radiant heat

Note: If your town or region has unusually hard water, that is, minerals in the water that could clog the heat exchanger in an on-demand water and shorten the unit’s life, a water softener might be a worthwhile investment.

Heat source efficiency is calculated by taking the heating unit’s BTU input, multiply that number by it’s efficiency,…This equals the unit’s BTU output. Example: 199,000 BTU unit with a 95% efficiency has an output of 189,050 BTUs. (199,000 X 95% = 189.050). This number will change and must be re-figured (derated) for higher altitudes (above 5,000′). Contact a Technician for details.