Radiant Floor Heating Over Concrete

The heat from the radiant heated floor rises to heat all surfaces in a room or home.

Radiant floor heating over concrete.

As warm water circulates through the tubing or as electricity warms the heating elements the concrete flooring turns into an efficient inconspicuous radiator. Typically radiant heating systems warm floors to temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees f. We are considering a seamless epoxy floor surface to cover the floor heating system. 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.

Electric radiant heating systems use wires embedded in a mat laid right on your concrete. There are two types of radiant floor heating electric and water based systems. 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. However radiant heat systems can be embedded in concrete floor slabs as long as a subsequent top floor covering such as tile is added.

Both provide heating in a room from the floor up for consistent efficient warmth. Radiant systems require layered flooring so that the tubing can be hidden under the top layer. The rest of the house has clay tile. Radiant heat warms a floor s surface through electric mats or water tubing installed on the surface of a concrete floor and encased in an additional thin layer of concrete or thinset.

Since concrete flooring is homogeneous concrete alone is a poor choice for radiant heating. Quite simply concrete floor radiant heat is a system of pex tubes that carry hot water throughout a concrete floor or slab. As stated above regarding condensation over a concrete slab is condensation an issue. The science behind radiant floor heating is quite simple.

Very helpful information regarding flooring choices that go with radiant heat. Warm water systems run hot water through pipes to create heat whereas electric underfloor heating heats wiring beneath the floor to generate heat. Run the floor s heating system for at least 4 days at 64 72 degrees acclimate flooring in the room it will be installed in for at least 48 hours once installation is finished do not change radiant heat for at least another 48 hours never raise the flooring surface temperature above 82 degrees. Find concrete floor contractorsto install radiant heating.

Like sand concrete is an ideal carrier of radiant heat because of its inherent thermal mass.