How To Install Radiant Floor In Concrete

Some have wires that double as thermostats.

How to install radiant floor in concrete.

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. Cables are usually embedded in concrete and require some electrical skills to install. So these are the essential steps of installing radiant heat in concrete. There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric.

As the floor temperature rises the wires produce less heat. The concrete installer should spread and tamp down at least 8 to 12 inches of crushed rock aggregate. Mats made for above the floor installation need a layer of mortar for protection. Make sure that it gets appropriately established because once you have poured the concrete it becomes impossible to change it later.

These wires cannot be cut in any way and only partially manipulated so size your mat to the floor it will. This insulation should also be placed vertically around the perimeter of the slab to prevent heat loss from the edges. In the case of 7 8 pex normally installed 16 on center the tubing should be placed 8 on center. The workers in the photograph at page top where our concrete slab.

Due to it s density and low conductivity concrete retains heat very well. How does radiant heat work. When you re installing a radiant floor in high heat loss areas such as poorly insulated homes or modern dwellings with lots of glass and high ceilings it s often necessary to double up on your tubing. On top of that 2 inch polystyrene insulation or better must be installed.

Set your eyes while locating the manifold. Mats however are easy to install and wire. Radiant heating system design or installation mistakes that must be avoided. 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.

Low voltage mats and high voltage cables. Electric radiant heating systems use wires embedded in a mat laid right on your concrete. If you experience or witness any leak you should check out and fix it as soon as possible. There are two basic types of electric radiant heat systems.