Concrete Slab Radiant Floor Pet Set Up

When installed in a concrete slab radiant underfloor heating is.

Concrete slab radiant floor pet set up.

Find concrete floor contractorsto install radiant heating. Radiant tubing was at the bottom of the slab in this area more than seven inches down in the concrete and set atop the foam sub slab insulation. 5 8 barrier pex can be used for larger projects where high btu load is present due to lack of proper insulation larger than normal slab thickness or special project considerations. The concrete was 4 thick and the insulation under the slab was 2 thick.

Our photo above on this page shows that tubing was in some sections more than 18 deep and adjacent to a large area where sub slab insulation was simply omitted by the contractor. The pex tubes were attached to wire mesh using zip ties. Copper within con crete is highly susceptible to corrosion and a lifespan of 50 years for a radiant floor was considered exceptional. From a radiant heating perspective it doesn t matter if the slab is actually at grade or is poured several feet below grade as part of a full foundation.

The heating contractor laid out the pex tubing according to the zones that were established for heating the home. This size is adequate for all small to medium size jobs both in residential and commercial projects. The system works via pex pipe a small pump a water heater and a thermostat. But they all suffered from one primary problem longevity.

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. 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. Many radiant floors most using copper tubing buried within concrete slabs were installed and used success fully in the 1960 s and 70 s. The science behind radiant floor heating is quite simple.

A slab on grade is defined as any concrete slab poured over excavated soil. 1 2 oxygen barrier pex is the most popular size used for radiant floor heating in both thick and thin slabs. The picture above shows a concrete floor we re about to pour with radiant heating tubes installed. Installing pex tubing in a concrete slab is one of the easiest ways to install radiant heat.