Concrete Floor Heating

Warm your Cold Floors With The Right Heating Installation

Concrete floors are being used more today for the durability they provide as well as the ease of installing them. However, depending on where you live they can be extremely cold on your feet. The solution to this dilemma is to install heating in your concrete flooring.

What if you already have concrete flooring? Can you still install heating to warm your floors? This is also possible if you want to add another layer of concrete, which may be well worth it if your floors are extremely cold.

The ultimate way of doing this is to install the heating when laying the foundation.

How Is Concrete Floor Heating Installed?

The initial layer of concrete must be laid and it must be on perfectly level ground to forestall any problems later. This concrete must be allowed to dry before adding the insulation. Once it is totally dry, the vapor insulation is laid down and secured with tacks or tape. This insulation must be as flat as possible.

The next step will entail laying the radiant water tubing and this is several panels as well as hoses that must be placed on the insulation in a certain way. The panels will be set close together if the concrete that will be poured over them is not going to be very thick, however the thicker the concrete the more space you can allow between the panels.

They are often set up in either a checkerboard pattern, but you can use any pattern as long as you leave access to the boiler. This access will be a pipe that will come up through the floor where the boiler will be.

After the panels and thermostat lead are connected another layer of vapor insulation will be added and the last layer of concrete will be poured on top of this. Connect the boiler and the thermostats and when your floor is dry you will have heat that will keep your home warmer when the temperatures plummet.

Make Certain Your Contractor Is Proficient In Floor Heating

If you are planning to have heating installed in your concrete floor, you will want to make certain the contractor you hire is knowledgeable in this area. There are mistakes which can cause the whole project to fail and one of them is the installation of the tubing. The manufacturers recommendations should be followed for the installation or you could end up with tubing that is too deeply placed in the concrete. This will render it ineffective at doing the job it is supposed to do.

The maximum depth is 2" from the surface of the floor when finished. When the tubing is placed deeper you are heating the ground rather than your flooring and the building will not receive the heat needed to keep it warm. In order to make the heating cost efficient as well the guidelines for installation must be followed.

Concrete Floor Heating Is Energy Efficient And Has Many Other Benefits

Concrete floor heating will store heat in the floor and work similarly to a large heating panel that warms the upper surface and allows you to have a warm interior. This type of heating does not work like conventional heating that leaves some areas cold and others with too much heat.

• It heats the entire area and due to the radiant output it provides uniform heating and more comfort using a lower air temperature.
   
• Unlike conventional heating, you save floor space because everything is beneath the floor save the boiler and you do not have to arrange your furniture around your heating source. In addition, there are no ducts which can circulate dust mites and allergens in the air you are breathing.
   
• This type of heat does not discolor your furnishings as other types can and it also provides a safer heating environment as there are no exposed hot surfaces. The reduction of moisture and dampness within your home prohibit the growth of mold and mildew. Many people are quite pleased with the quiet operation, low maintenance and the cost-efficient operation of the concreter floor heating systems.
   
• Another benefit of the system is the self-regulatory heat output. If the temperature rises higher than the slab surface, the system does not put out heat and in addition it will absorb heat from the air to help cool the room. This keeps the home from becoming overheated after a cold night is followed by a warm day.

A word of advice that cannot be over-emphasized: if you are planning to have this heating installed, make 100% certain that it is installed by a professional who will follow the manufacturers recommendations.

Check out this Youtube video to learn more about installing radiant floor heating for concrete flooring.