In Floor Radiant Heat Installation In Concrete

Slab heating mats and cables can be installed directly in the concrete when it is being poured.

In floor radiant heat installation in concrete.

The heat is made possible in two ways. Since concrete flooring is homogeneous concrete alone is a poor choice for radiant heating. How does radiant heat work. The most cost effective system for medium to larger homes is hydronic since the amount of power it would take to heat a whole home with electric would be substantial.

Offering 20 watts per square foot the slab heat mats are ideal if you. The rest of the house has clay tile. Remember since you will only have 1 chance to pour the concrete slab you will only have 1 chance to put the pex tubing in it. There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric.

We have a radiant floor heating system with a concrete slab and need to replace the wall to wall carpet in the bedroom with laminate flooring. How to install radiant floor heating in concrete. Basic materials for radiant floor heat installation in a slab. The workers in the photograph at page top where our concrete slab.

A lot of planning and teamwork early in the process will help ensure a successful installation says the radiant panel association in its 2008 radiant flooring guide. In fact any type of flooring that employs adhesive as its joining system is a poorer choice for radiant heating systems than flooring that uses tongue and groove or fold and lock seaming. For new construction homes there is yet another way to heat up a cold slab and it starts before the concrete has even hardened. Due to it s density and low conductivity concrete retains heat very well.

So even if there are no existing plans for the radiant floor heating or a snow melting system installing pex tubing in it may turn out to be a good decision. Radiant heating system design or installation mistakes that must be avoided. Very helpful information regarding flooring choices that go with radiant heat. For concrete floor radiant heating systems the warm water tubing or electric heating elements can either be embedded within the slab on grade anywhere from the bottom of the slab to within 2 inches of the surface depending on the design and installation technique or fastened to the top of a concrete subfloor and then covered with an overlay.

Instead of blowing hot air through a vent or pumping hot water to a baseboard radiator along the wall radiant heat warms up the entire floor.