How to Install Radiant Heat Flooring

Radiant heat flooring can make your home feel warm and cozy.

Having a warm radiant heat floor to step on in the morning is a soothing thought, especially if you live in a cold weather climate. Radiant heat flooring can make your floors warm and toasty. There are hydronic radiant heating systems and electric radiant heating systems. Installing a hydronic radiant heating system is more complicated than installing an electric radiant heating system - a hydronic radiant heating system involves tubing, water, a pump and manifold. The hydronic tubes are installed below subfloors, usually in the joist spaces of a basement or crawlspace, and heats floors with the warm water passing through them. Electric radiant heating systems are like the thin heating cables found in a heating pad and are installed beneath floor tiles. While electric radiant heating systems are easier to install, hydronic radiant heating systems will reduce your heating bill over the long-term. Even if you've never worked with radiant heat flooring before, installing it yourself is easier than you might think. Here's how to install radiant heat flooring:

Things You'll Need

• internet connection
• graph paper and pencil
• licensed electrical contractor
• heating cables and supplies from WarmlyYours
• plywood or cement backerboard
• staple gun
• heavy duty scissors
• tile, adhesive and related supplies (see resource links below)
• hydronic tubing, transfer plates, mixing station and related supplies
• drill
• fiberglass insulation

Instructions

1. Decide whether to install a hydronic radiant heating system or an electric radiant heating system. Hydronic radiant heating systems are often used to heat the floors throughout an entire house, while electric radiant heating systems are best suited for specific rooms. Whichever you choose, you will enjoy radiant heat flooring for many years to come.

2. INSTALLING RADIANT HEAT FLOORING - ELECTRIC
   If you decide to install an electric radiant heating system, follow these installation instructions:

   1. Make a scale drawing of the floor where you want the heating cables to be installed (normally this is only the areas that will be walked on).
   2. Send your scale drawing to WarmlyYours, the manufacturer of TempZone, an electric radiant heating system (contact information for WarmlyYours is listed in the Resource links below). WarmlyYours will send you a detailed layout with instructions and a list of all the cables you'll need for installation.
   3. Talk to an electrical contractor about electrical requirements. You may need a separate protected circuit for the radiant heat flooring.
   4. Purchase materials from WarmlyYours.
   5. Follow WarmlyYours' instructions to position the heating cables on the subfloor (the subfloor is usually plywood or cement backerboard). This involves cutting the mesh backing and stapling each panel to the floor. Be sure to use the supplied tester to test the wires before proceeding to the next step.
   6. Cover the heating cables with tile adhesive.
   7. Lay the tile. For detailed instructions on how to lay floor tile, see the Resource links below.
   8. Have an electrician connect the wires to the thermostat.

3. INSTALLING RADIANT HEAT FLOORING - HYDRONIC
   There are a few ways to install hydronic radiant heating systems, but since most folks will retrofit their home with hydronic tubing in joist spaces rather than completely remodel all the floors in each room, this section outlines those steps below. You CAN install hydronic tubing under hardwood flooring (see the Warmboard website link in the resources listed below), but it raises the floor about an inch and requires you to completely reinstall the flooring unless you are constructing a new home. You can also install hydronic tubing in a thin slab of concrete on the floor, but this is better suited for new construction. Keep in mind the floor frame must be sturdy enough to support the concrete AND the water running through the hydronic tubes.

   If you can access the joist spaces beneath the rooms or areas you want to heat, installing a hydronic radiant heating system is easy:

   1. Purchase your materials from a radiant heat specialty company like Radiantec (listed in the resource links below).
   2. Install aluminum transfer plates underneath the floor(s) you want to heat. Be sure to install two transfer plates per joist bay.
   3. Put together the manifold with circulating pump, sensor, relay switch and mixing valve and secure it to a wall.
   4. Locate the boiler and attach the supply and return hot water pipes to the mixing station.
   5. Drill holes in the floor joists (the hydronic tubing will thread through them).
   6. Thread the hydronic tubes through the new holes and position them in the transfer plates. Secure the tubes in the plates with a rubber mallet.
   7. Put fiberglass insulation underneath each transfer plate and between the joists.
   8. Attach the hydronic tubing to the manifold at the mixing station.
   9. Hire a licensed electrician connect the wires between the thermostat, relay switch and pump.

Tips & Warnings

• You can put carpet, tile and vinyl floors over hydronic heating systems if desired.

• Check out the resources below for more bathroom remodeling projects.

• It's better to have a licensed electrician complete all electrical work for you. Poorly installed electrical wires can start a fire in your home.

Resources

• TempZone Radiant Heat
• WarmlyYours Website
• WarmlyYours Contact Information
• Radiantec Energy Efficient Radiant Heating Systems
• Radiantec Pricing
• How to Lay Bathroom Floor Tile
• How to Pick Bathroom Tile
• How to Lay Tiles on Cement
• How to Buy and Install Glass Tile
• How to Finish Wood Floors
• How to Decide On Radiant Heat Flooring
• How to Install A Hydronic Towel Warmer