Even reasonably insulated floors can lose significants amounts of heat … I do think concrete floor heat is a great way to go. Radiant Heating Insulation For Concrete. Martin Holladay explains insulating a slab on grade in the Energy Smart Details department.
Today’s radiant heating systems, water-based or electric, are built on the essential principle of heating the radiating material so it may warm the space above it.
Different insulation types help to minimize heat loss from convection (air circulation), conduction (direct contact) or radiation (energy waves) modes of heat transfer. Though, these are not problems for me. A Radiantec Quick kit is an easy to order package that will contain the material necessary to install radiant heat in a concrete slab (excluding your insulation). When it comes to “slab on grade” radiant designer should be aware of the different control joint types, purpose and layout (Figure 2); insulation types and characteristics including compressive strengths 1,2; and vapor/gas barrier and placement (Figure 3). Notice the styrofoam going up the edge of the slab to reduce heat loss. Radiant heating insulation plays a vital role in concrete radiant floor heating systems. Many people don’t know how much tubing to put in and unfortunately, radiant heat isn’t a “one size fits all” proposition. Radiantec Concrete Slab “Quick Kits” What is a Radiantec Quick Kit? 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 one step I see left out of a lot of radiant installations. Insulating a slab on grade depends on at least four factors: the climate, the type of foundation, whether the slab includes hydronic tubing for radiant heat, and the severity of the local termite problem.
Select a subcategory to learn more: Back to Top; Overview. Below-Grade Under Slab system with FOAMULAR® Extruded Polystyrene rigid board insulation and radiant heating.
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). If you’re pouring up against your foundation walls, insulate between the slab and the walls. Mainly, heated slabs radiate outward rather than downward, so insulation on the edges of the slab is most important. About Radiant Insulation 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).
Here's a concrete slab we're getting ready to pour with the radiant heat installed professionally. Radiant heat warms a floor's surface through electric mats or water tubing installed on the surface of a concrete floor and encased in an additional thin layer of concrete or thinset.