How To Insulate Concrete Floor For Radiant Heat

How does radiant heat work.

How to insulate concrete floor for radiant heat. 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. A john siegenthaler a consulting engineer who specializes in hydronic heating system design responds. Different insulation types help to minimize heat loss from convection air circulation conduction direct contact or radiation energy waves modes of. Need insulation for under concrete slabs slabs with radiant heat.

Due to it s density and low conductivity concrete retains heat very well. Worse than too deep radiant floor heating tubing in this case because the contractor put no insulation at the area of soil where he stepped the slab down to the depth of the monolithic integrated footings we have heat transfer from some of the tubing through concrete right into the cold soil not just through concrete up into the room. Downward heat loss from a radiant slab should not exceed 10 percent of upward heat output a ratio derived from european installation standards for floor heating systems it s possible to calculate the r value needed to meet. The heat is made possible in two ways.

There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric. Insulationstop is the best source for top quality products at the best price. Instead of blowing hot air through a vent or pumping hot water to a baseboard radiator along the wall radiant heat warms up the entire floor. Here we look at why insulating concrete floors is so important and offer tips on choosing and installing concrete floor insulation.

Q how much insulation is necessary under a typical radiant slab. Radiant heat insulation is installed to prevent heat loss from a pex radiant floor heating system most commonly pex embedded in concrete slab or stapled underneath the plywood subfloor. Cerazorb is a 3 16 inch 5 mm thin synthetic cork underlayment that is highly recommended when installing a floor heating system over an existing concrete slab or under tile and stone. Either through pipes carrying hot water embedded in or directly below the floor or via electric mats in or below the floor.