Installing underfloor electric radiant heat.
How to install radiant floor heating 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.
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.
Its success with carpeted floors depends on the length of the weave thick carpets or those with thick pads won t work well as heat generated by the system will stay trapped in the floor.
The workers in the photograph at page top where our concrete slab.
While hot water and air based radiant.
Due to it s density and low conductivity concrete retains heat very well.
Basic materials for radiant floor heat installation in a slab 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.
Radiant heating system design or installation mistakes that must be avoided.
There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric.
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 works well with ceramic tile and vinyl but not with wood floors.
How to add floor heating over existing concrete.
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.
There are two basic types.