Radiant Heat Concrete Floors

In addition tile flooring will not expand as it warms or contract as it cools.

Radiant heat concrete floors. Here are the top 4 flooring options for use over radiant heat. Remember that your slab will be about 75 degrees f. Quite simply concrete floor radiant heat is a system of pex tubes that carry hot water throughout a concrete floor or slab.

As warm water circulates through the tubing or as electricity warms the heating elements the concrete flooring turns into an efficient inconspicuous radiator. Mainly heated slabs radiate outward rather than downward so insulation on the edges of the slab is most important. Radiant heat can be an electrical heating element embedded into a very thin concrete overlay then tiled carpeted or have wood flooring installed over it.

The science behind radiant floor heating is quite simple. Like sand concrete is an ideal carrier of radiant heat because of its inherent thermal mass. Concrete is then poured over the tubing to within two inches of the concrete surface depending upon the design and installation technique.

Tubes that circulate hot water or electrical heating elements are installed in the concrete slab when it s poured turning the thermal mass of the concrete into an inconspicuous radiator of warm even heat. The floor temperature can be set as high as 104 f but users will typically set it to a more comfortable range of between 80 f and 85 f and control it from a thermostat from there. Carpeted high heat loss areas 1 50 per square ft floor area.

Typical floor 1 25 per square ft floor area. Typical labor allotment slab floors 8 hours per 1000 sq. The insulation phase is crucial for a radiant floor.

Porcelain and ceramic tile are great conductors of heat so your home will get the full benefit of the radiant heating system. Typically radiant heating systems warm floors to temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees f. Within slab floors on grade suspended or lightweight includes tubing typical manifolds and tying materials.