Radiant Heat Floor Installations
Whether you install electric cables or tubing for hot water, the method of
installation is about the same.
So-called "wet" installations embed the cables or tubing within a solid floor and are
the oldest form of modern radiant floor systems. The tubing or cable can be
embedded in a thick concrete foundation slab (commonly used in "slab" ranch
houses that don't have basements) or in a thin layer of concrete, gypsum, or other
material installed on top of a subfloor.
If concrete is used and the new floor is not on solid earth, additional floor support
may be necessary because of the added weight. You should consult a professional
engineer to determine the floor's carrying capacity.
Thick concrete slab systems have high heat capacity and are ideal for storing heat
from solar energy systems, which have a fluctuating heat output.
The downside of the thick slabs is their slow thermal response time, which makes
strategies such as night or daytime setbacks difficult if not impossible. Most experts
recommend maintaining a constant temperature in homes with these heating
systems.
Due to recent innovations in floor technology, so-called "dry" floors, in which the
cables or tubing run in an air space beneath the floor, have been gaining in
popularity, mainly because a dry floor is faster and less expensive to build.
But because dry floors involve heating an air space, the radiant heating system
needs to operate at a higher temperature.
Some dry installations involve suspending the tubing or cables underneath the
subfloor between the joists. This method usually requires drilling through the floor
joists in order to install the tubing. Reflective insulation must also be installed under
the tubes to direct the heat upward.
Tubing or cables may also be installed from above the floor, between two layers of
subfloor. In these instances, liquid tubing is often fitted into aluminum diffusers that
spread the water's heat across the floor in order to heat the floor more evenly. The
tubing and heat diffusers are secured between furring strips (sleepers), which carry
the weight of the new subfloor and finished floor surface.
At least one company has improved on this idea by making a plywood sub floor
material manufactured with tubing grooves and aluminum heat diffuser plates built
into them.
The manufacturer claims that this product makes a radiant floor system (for new
construction) considerably less expensive to install and faster to react to room
temperature changes. Such products also allow for the use of half as much tubing
or cabling since the heat transfer of the floor is greatly improved over more
traditional dry or wet floors.
Floor Coverings
Ceramic tile is the most common and effective floor covering for radiant floor
heating, as it conducts heat well from the floor and adds thermal storage because
of its high heat capacity. Common floor coverings like vinyl and linoleum sheet
goods, carpeting, or wood can also be used, but any covering that helps to insulate
the floor from the room will decrease the efficiency of the system.
If you want carpeting, use a thin carpet with dense padding and install as little
carpeting as possible. If some rooms, but not all, have a floor covering, then those
rooms should have a separate tubing loop to make the system heat these spaces
more efficiently. This is because the water flowing under the covered floor will need
to be hotter to compensate for the floor covering.
Wood flooring should be laminated wood flooring instead of solid wood. This
reduces the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking from the drying effects of
the heat.
Whether you install electric cables or tubing for hot water, the method of
installation is about the same.
So-called "wet" installations embed the cables or tubing within a solid floor and are
the oldest form of modern radiant floor systems. The tubing or cable can be
embedded in a thick concrete foundation slab (commonly used in "slab" ranch
houses that don't have basements) or in a thin layer of concrete, gypsum, or other
material installed on top of a subfloor.
If concrete is used and the new floor is not on solid earth, additional floor support
may be necessary because of the added weight. You should consult a professional
engineer to determine the floor's carrying capacity.
Thick concrete slab systems have high heat capacity and are ideal for storing heat
from solar energy systems, which have a fluctuating heat output.
The downside of the thick slabs is their slow thermal response time, which makes
strategies such as night or daytime setbacks difficult if not impossible. Most experts
recommend maintaining a constant temperature in homes with these heating
systems.
Due to recent innovations in floor technology, so-called "dry" floors, in which the
cables or tubing run in an air space beneath the floor, have been gaining in
popularity, mainly because a dry floor is faster and less expensive to build.
But because dry floors involve heating an air space, the radiant heating system
needs to operate at a higher temperature.
Some dry installations involve suspending the tubing or cables underneath the
subfloor between the joists. This method usually requires drilling through the floor
joists in order to install the tubing. Reflective insulation must also be installed under
the tubes to direct the heat upward.
Tubing or cables may also be installed from above the floor, between two layers of
subfloor. In these instances, liquid tubing is often fitted into aluminum diffusers that
spread the water's heat across the floor in order to heat the floor more evenly. The
tubing and heat diffusers are secured between furring strips (sleepers), which carry
the weight of the new subfloor and finished floor surface.
At least one company has improved on this idea by making a plywood sub floor
material manufactured with tubing grooves and aluminum heat diffuser plates built
into them.
The manufacturer claims that this product makes a radiant floor system (for new
construction) considerably less expensive to install and faster to react to room
temperature changes. Such products also allow for the use of half as much tubing
or cabling since the heat transfer of the floor is greatly improved over more
traditional dry or wet floors.
Floor Coverings
Ceramic tile is the most common and effective floor covering for radiant floor
heating, as it conducts heat well from the floor and adds thermal storage because
of its high heat capacity. Common floor coverings like vinyl and linoleum sheet
goods, carpeting, or wood can also be used, but any covering that helps to insulate
the floor from the room will decrease the efficiency of the system.
If you want carpeting, use a thin carpet with dense padding and install as little
carpeting as possible. If some rooms, but not all, have a floor covering, then those
rooms should have a separate tubing loop to make the system heat these spaces
more efficiently. This is because the water flowing under the covered floor will need
to be hotter to compensate for the floor covering.
Wood flooring should be laminated wood flooring instead of solid wood. This
reduces the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking from the drying effects of
the heat.
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