Concrete Slab Radiant Floor Heating Systems Pet Set Up

How to install radiant floor heating in concrete.

Concrete slab radiant floor heating systems pet set up.

Due to it s density and low conductivity concrete retains heat very well. So even if there are no existing plans for the radiant floor heating or a snow melting system installing pex tubing in it may turn out to be a good decision. Embedding your radiant heating system into a concrete slab is one of the most cost effective ways to install it and most energy efficient being that concrete is a great thermal mass. Most underfloor heating systems can keep the floor as warm as 85 degrees.

Basic materials for radiant floor heat installation in a slab. Slab heating mats and cables can be installed directly in the concrete when it is being poured. But if you re building a new home and wish to have heated floors throughout you should consider either electric slab heating cables which can be installed directly in a concrete slab or a hydronic floor heating system. Whether you choose electric or hydronic radiant heat there are pros and cons.

Radiant floor systems have a limited heat output. Remember since you will only have 1 chance to pour the concrete slab you will only have 1 chance to put the pex tubing in it. For new construction homes there is yet another way to heat up a cold slab and it starts before the concrete has even hardened. Installing pex tubing in a concrete slab is one of the easiest ways to install radiant heat.

You can set the temperature to whatever feels most comfortable to you. For concrete floor radiant heating systems the warm water tubing or electric heating elements can either be embedded within the slab on grade anywhere from the bottom of the slab to within 2 inches of the surface depending on the design and installation technique or fastened to the top of a concrete subfloor and then covered with an overlay. The most cost effective system for medium to larger homes is hydronic since the amount of power it would take to heat a whole home with electric would be substantial. This is about installing hydronic radiant floor heating in a slab floor system.

The system works via pex pipe a small pump a water heater and a thermostat. When the manifold is ready for final connection to the heating system the test kit is either cut off or unsweated leaving only the two vertical supply and return pipes sticking up above slab level. How does radiant heat work. Pros and cons of radiant heat.

While it was done as a new house was being built in my last house i poured a concrete floor on top of a wood framed floor system and could have put radiant heat in that as well. There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric. When using a concrete pumping unit it s best to hoist the hose rather than drag it across the tubing.