Radiant Heat Under Hardwood Floor
Wood flooring manufactured and expected to perform at mc levels higher than 9 percent or in conditions above 50 percent rh should not be used with radiant heating systems.
Radiant heat under hardwood floor. When necessary bore inch holes through the joists to continue the run of tubing. When installing retroheat the heating panels are cut to the required length and then stapled between the floor joists. But that said even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well.
2 snap the flexible pex tubing into the grooves of the heat transfer plates. The challenge when installing radiant heat under hardwood floors comes from the fact that wood naturally expands when there is moisture in the air. Benefits of radiant heat hardwood flooring radiant heat flooring feels natural and is often more comfortable than forced air heat is more cost effective than natural gas heating radiant heat flooring is very reliable with proper care it can last longer than your home s furnace doesn t circulate.
Floorboards of around three eighths of an inch thick conduct heat the best. 1 fasten the heat transfer plates to the underside of the old floor with inch screws. In most houses the only place to do this is on a first floor where joist bays are open to the space below.
Since humidity affects wood so much and the heating in your home affects humidity you ll have to take care not to install your radiant heating system during a particularly humid time of year. Some manufactures would recommend that you maintain a consistent temperature ideally between 78 and 80 degrees. The retroheat system can be installed to heat tile hardwood laminates and carpeted flooring.
When you are installing wood floors over top of concrete the double layer two layers of 1 2 ply floating plywood method will be the best method. Radiant heaters really do work and can warm your floor up to 85 degrees fahrenheit. So if you have open access to your floor joists now you can add the comfort and efficiency of radiant floor heat to your home.
Unlike conventional heating systems which emit heat from the base of walls or up through vents in the floor radiant heat transfers the heat directly under and up through the wood flooring with temperatures of 80 degrees or higher. The type of wood flooring that you install over the radiant heat mechanism will ultimately determine your temperature guidelines. Most wood flooring can be installed over radiant heat providing all of the necessary conditions are met.