How to install under floor heating

Both areas were on the same zone and operated for the same amount of time. Our general rule of thumb is to space the aluminum plates continuously in carpeted rooms, bathrooms, and high heat loss areas such as great rooms.

Aluminum heat transfer plates in continuous coverage. Photo of aluminum reflective barrier installed in one joist bay for radiant floor heating. Insulation is usually put in after this see next step so if you can find a foil faced insulation with high enough R-value, you can forgo this product. If you can only do this once because the ceiling will be finished then the answer is absolutely yes.

The amount of insulation is dependent on what is above and below. If there is carpeting or a high heat loss area above then you should put in R If not, you can probably get away with R but R is better. Staple up insulation detail above a crawl space. If there is an unheated basement below then you should use R If the heat loss downward is entirely wasted to a crawl space, for example, then your insulation method should be extensive. You should try to get in a minimum of R Some will insulate between the joists with fiberglass and then seal the entire underside with rigid foam.

If the ceiling will not be finished, some will wait and see how the system performs and then add the insulation after if necessary. Since radiant heat will go in all directions, the heat will just as easily go downward. Aluminum is expensive. We get it! Everything we do and everything we quote is for the sole purpose of creating the most energy efficient system possible. This in turn will save you money every single day that you operate the heating system. Will a radiant system without aluminum plates work?

The problem is, air is an insulator and Pex directly in contact with wood is a poor conductor. In order to make up for this poor heat transfer, the water temperature must be raised significantly.

In some cases, as high as degrees F.! Even then, on a cold day, the floor may not put out enough heat to heat the room if the home is older and not energy efficient.

Also, you may not be able to use a water heater as the heating source because the system requires much warmer water to make up for the poor heat transfer. In turn, your project may not be a great candidate for a solar hot water assist, either.

What makes more sense, to install a system that can operate at lower temps around degrees F. We get calls on a daily basis from people with existing systems not ours that are looking to improve the performance.

The suspended slab radiant floor heating installation is sometimes used in new construction. This method involves the radiant tubing being installed on top of the subfloor. Typically, this is not a good retrofit possibility because existing homes were not engineered to withstand the added weight. Pouring Maxxon Therma-floor over radiant tubing. The fact that is invisible and does not affect the clean-lined look of a room in the same way that a radiator would, in addition to lack of maintenance and care it needs in order to work effectively, also makes it an attractive option for homeowners.

Download the PDF guide here. Underfloor heating is not a difficult thing to install yourself, as long as you have some basic DIY experience and the time to complete the job in one go, rather than pulling up the floor and then having to leave it for a week.

You can do the bulk of the initial work, but you will probably need an electrician or plumber, depending on the system you opt for, to connect the system to the mains. There are two main types of underfloor heating for homeowners to choose between: wet or electric.

Wet underfloor heating systems use warm water to create the heat, sourced from the central heating system, while an electric system uses coils powered from the mains.

Wet heating systems see water pumped through pipes that are laid on the subfloor under the top surface of the floor. The system reduces the cost of water heating compared to systems that involve radiators, as it needs the water to be heated at a lower temperature to work effectively. Wet heating systems are most easily installed where the floor can be pulled up and then put back into place — for this reason, it may be best suited to extensions or new builds.

For the same reason, it may be best to restrict this type of system to ground floor rooms, but upper levels are certainly not off-limits. Underfloor heating systems powered by electricity take the form of coils attached to or embedded into mesh mats that are rolled out and connected together underneath the floor.

They are then linked up to the thermostat and the mains power supply so that they can be used. They are cheap to install, but will cost more to run than wet systems, so they may be more suited to small rooms or areas. Regardless of the type of underfloor heating system you choose or the type of floor you are installing it under, you should ensure that the rooms you're going to install it in are properly insulated so that the effect of the heat is not immediately negated.

Ensure that the subfloor is clear of debris before you begin and that the joins between the insulation material are taped to prevent a loss of heat or screed if you're using it through them. Insulation materials must be present below the system to prevent the heat escaping through the subfloor and foundations, and if you're installing an electrical system, you will need to make an appointment for a qualified electrician to visit in order to connect the system to the mains.

Once you have a good plan established, thoroughly clean the existing subfloor of any objects or debris. When installing over concrete, ensure a vapor barrier is install first before the underlayment and heating mat is installed unless you are installing an underlayment with a pre-attached vapor barrier on it.

Roll out the radiant heat ready underlayment… covering the entire flooring area, ensure to have the pre-attached vapor barrier side up when installing it. Butt the seams of the underlayment edges together with duct tape.

Using the diagram you made earlier, unroll the heating mats in the desired areas of the room. You may cut the mat to shorten the length in order to fit the layout of your plan. When customizing the heating mats, cut through the clear area in between the heating stripes on the dotted lines.

Insulate the cut ends of the metallic bus bar strips with the Kapton discs that are provided with each roll. Once the heating mat is rolled out, it should be free of any kinks or ripples or creases.

Run the wires from each of the mats to the wall where you are planning to have a thermostat mounted. It is important to cut a thin, shallow, slot in the underlayment for the wires to rest in. This helps keep the flooring level with no high points.

Our recommended thermostats come with a convenient floor sensor so route lead of the floor sensor to the thermostat junction box. It is critical to uncoil the PEX in a linear fashion, to prevent kinking.

This floor layout shows 4 loops attached to one manifold. Here the manifold is placed in the center of the floor, making it easy to keep our loop lengths even.

Typical loop lengths are set at feet to feet maximum, keeping the distance to the circulator as part of the maximum loop length. At HouseNeeds we can specify the tubing needed for a particular application. Using an extruded plate, very thick and positively holds the PEX in a crescent shaped track. Extuded plates quicken the response times for the floor and distribute the heat evenly across the floor. The extruded heat transfer plates will transfer heat a little better than stamped plates due to the mass of the extruded plates.

Also, the PEX tubing will be held in place better and thus will be quieter. Using an Stamped Aluminum Plates, are thiner than our extuded plates but will still given quicker the response times for the floor and distribute the heat evenly across the floor. PEX tubing will not be held as well as with extuded plates - so you must besure that the PEX is straight in and out of the plates to reduce noise.