How To Install In Floor Heating Systems In Concrete

This article explains how to avoid some fatal mistakes when installing radiant heat in a concrete floor slab by describing an incompetent radiant heat floor installation along with an explanation of why things went wrong and how to avoid these errors.

How to install in floor heating systems in concrete.

The design and layout of concrete floor radiant heat is often complex and typically should be done by a certified radiant heating professional rather than the concrete contractor. The tubing inches on center should be determined by a calculated heat loss. It s easier to install the tubing in specially made plywood with precut channels. When installed in a concrete slab radiant underfloor heating is.

Later you can feed the thermistor into the embedded tube. The tubing is attached to a 6 6 welded wire mesh using plastic or wire ties. Radiant heating system design or installation mistakes that must be avoided. Then you can install tile carpet or wood flooring over this to have heated floors.

Installing pex tubing in a concrete slab is one of the easiest ways to install radiant heat. 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. If you will be using a concrete slab or basement slab it is important to utilize the exterior perimeter insulation as well as under slab insulation. Above the floor hydronic heat installation like electric systems you can install hydronic systems in a concrete mortar or gypsum bed.

There is and electric radiant floor heat system that can be embedded in a mortar mix or a self leveling concrete overlay. You would have to remove the existing flooring and allow for this new floor. Instead take a ten foot piece of pex tubing plug one end and embed this sensor sleeve into the slab. So when installing a floor sensor thermistor never embed the thermistor itself into the concrete.

Floor height may be an issue for older exiting homes. 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. Fill any cracks in the concrete and use self leveling compounds if necessary to ensure the concrete is. Nail the plywood in place as you would a subfloor or underlayment.

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.