Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating In Concrete Slab

There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric.

Hydronic radiant floor heating in concrete slab. 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. How does radiant heat work. Another option for radiant floor heating that is energy efficient are systems that circulate hot water through small tubes under the floor. 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.

These radiant floor heating systems can also be installed on top of a slab before the flooring goes down. Other times the masons trample over the tubing and mesh as if it is not even there. The system works via pex pipe a small pump a water heater and a thermostat. Sometimes the tubing and reinforcing mesh it is attached to gets lifted into the thickness of the slab as the concrete is placed.

This is the best choice for new construction and areas receiving new slabs. 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. This is about installing hydronic radiant floor heating in a slab floor system. Anyone who has installed hydronic floor heating has likely watched as his or her neatly placed tubing circuits get buried in concrete.