Built for mountain & desert homes
Frozen lines in Jackson and Flagstaff, hard water in St. George, high-altitude heaters in Durango — we know your climate.
Hydronic Radiant Heating
How hydronic heating works
Hydronic heating moves warm water, not air. Tubing under the floor, or fin-tube baseboards along the walls, release heat slowly into the room, so there are no drafts, no vents blowing dust and no rush of hot air followed by a chill. Tile and wood floors feel warm underfoot, and each zone can hold its own temperature. It suits mountain homes where the heat runs for much of the year, and the same boiler can melt snow off a driveway or front walk.
Most problems we see are a zone that won’t warm, air trapped in the loops, a tired circulator pump or controls that fight each other. We design new systems, add zones, rebalance and bleed old ones, and replace pumps, valves and manifolds. Radiant and hydronic work is offered by our Durango & Southwest Colorado team, which also handles the boilers that feed these systems.
- Comfort Underfoot Warm floors and steady room temperatures.
- Zoned Control Each area of the house on its own thermostat.
- Snowmelt Too Heated driveways and walks from the same system.
Symptom Check
Signs your radiant system needs a look
Hydronic systems are quiet when healthy, so new sounds and cold spots matter.
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A Zone That Stays Cold
Often a stuck zone valve, a failed pump or air blocking the loop.
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Gurgling in the Pipes
Trapped air that needs to be purged from the lines.
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Uneven Floors
Warm in one room, cool in the next, on the same thermostat.
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Slow to Recover
Rooms take far longer than they used to after a setback.
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Damp Spots or Drips
Moisture at a manifold, valve or baseboard joint.
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Snowmelt Not Melting
A driveway loop that leaves ice behind after a storm.
What We Do
Radiant floors, baseboards and snowmelt
New systems, additions to old ones and repairs to everything in between.
- Radiant Floor Heat Tubing layouts for new builds, remodels and additions.
- Baseboards & Radiators Fin-tube and panel radiators installed, repaired and bled.
- Snowmelt Systems Heated driveways, walks and entries tied into the boiler.
- Manifolds & Zone Valves Valves, actuators and manifolds replaced or reconfigured.
- Circulator Pumps Worn or noisy pumps replaced and flow rebalanced.
- Zoning & Thermostats Controls that let each zone call for heat on its own.
How It Works
Radiant floor heating cost: what sets the price
Square footage, new build or retrofit, floor type, the number of zones and whether the boiler needs upsizing decide the price. Whether it’s one cold room or a new home, we start with how the water flows.
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Trace the Loops
We map zones, pumps and valves and find where flow is lost.
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Size the Heat
Heat loss worked out room by room for new or added zones.
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Approve the Plan
Layout, equipment and price set out before work starts.
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Fill, Purge and Balance
Air bled out, flow balanced and every zone tested warm.
Local crews. Mountain-tough service.
Local in five communities
Real offices and crews in St. George, Hurricane, Durango, Jackson and Flagstaff — not a call center.
Award-winning work
Voted Best of Southern Utah Gold in 2025 and 2026, and Best of Iron County 2025.
Here 24/7
Burst pipe at 2 a.m. or no heat on a Sunday — a real technician answers the call.
One room never warms up?
Our Durango team services radiant and baseboard systems, and answers no-heat calls 24/7.
Maintenance Membership
Ready for desert summers & mountain winters.
Seasonal checkups for every system in your home.
Seasonal checkups catch small problems before they become emergencies — and keep your systems running efficiently all year.
- Annual whole-home plumbing inspection
- Water heater flush & safety check
- Seasonal heating & AC tune-ups (St. George & Hurricane)
- Priority scheduling for members
- Member savings on repairs
Hydronic heating questions
Is radiant floor heat worth it?
For many mountain homes, yes. Radiant heat warms people and surfaces directly, so rooms often feel comfortable at a lower thermostat setting. It’s silent, doesn’t stir up dust, and works well under tile, stone and engineered wood. The tradeoff is a higher install cost and slower response than forced air.
Can you add radiant heat to an existing home?
Often. Remodels, bathrooms and additions are good places to add a zone, especially when the floor is coming up anyway. We check whether your current boiler has capacity to spare or whether the project calls for a new one; see boiler service and replacement.
Why is there air in my heating lines?
Air enters when a system is drained, topped up with fresh water or has a small leak. It collects at high points and blocks flow, which shows up as gurgling and cold baseboards. Purging the loops usually fixes it, but air that keeps coming back points to a leak or a failed air separator.
How does a snowmelt system work?
Tubing set in the concrete or under pavers carries warm water and antifreeze from the boiler. A sensor starts the system when snow or ice is detected and shuts it off when the surface is clear. It needs a boiler with enough capacity, so we size the two together. Talk to our Durango team about adding one.
Where does Element install hydronic heat?
Hydronic and radiant work is done by our Durango location, serving La Plata and Archuleta counties. If you want one compact unit for both heat and hot water, read about tankless combi boilers.
How much does radiant floor heating cost?
Nationally, hydronic radiant floor heat often runs about $6 to $20 per square foot installed. New construction and additions sit at the low end; retrofitting under an existing finished floor sits at the high end, and a boiler upgrade or a snowmelt loop adds to the total. Those are national ranges that vary by home. Element gives a written, upfront price for your home after a room-by-room heat-loss calculation, and financing is available.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.