In Floor Heat For Concrete

Fill any cracks in the concrete and use self leveling compounds if necessary to ensure the concrete is.

In floor heat for concrete.

Mainly heated slabs radiate outward rather than downward so insulation on the edges of the slab is most important. Plain concrete slabs have served as the flooring material for basements garages patios and utility areas for many years but concrete is now also a viable material in home interiors where it can be polished etched or stained to serve as the finished flooring surface if you are used to thinking of concrete as a utilitarian surface suitable only for utilitarian surfaces the many virtues. 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 science behind radiant floor heating is quite simple.

The insulation phase is crucial for a radiant floor. By contrast according to roddy scheer and doug moss of scientific american the uniform heat distribution over the entire surface of a floor heats the lower half of the room enveloping inhabitants in warmth at a lower overall temperature in some cases up to 5 degrees fahrenheit cooler than a conventional heating system. Most of the heat rises to the ceiling. This is about installing hydronic radiant floor heating in a slab floor system.

As warm water circulates through the tubing or as electricity warms the heating elements the concrete flooring turns into an efficient inconspicuous radiator. When installed on top of a concrete slab without insulation it is generally accepted that a radiant floor heating system will take the chill away from the floor and provide a small amount of warmth. Radiant heating system design or installation mistakes that must be avoided. Remember that your slab will be about 75 degrees f.

Due to it s density and low conductivity concrete retains heat very well. Any cooler surface in contact with the slab will try to steal its heat. The system works via pex pipe a small pump a water heater and a thermostat. When the concrete floor is heated the heat rises warming everything in the room.

Typically radiant heating systems warm floors to temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees f. Make sure your concrete has completely cured before you lay down your in floor heating mat. Warm heat distributed with forced hot air systems is uneven. The workers in the photograph at page top where our concrete slab.

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.