General Radiant Panel Installation Questions

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Where can I have radiant panel heating?

Radiant heating systems are flexible and can be installed with great effectiveness in floors, walls, ceilings or any other area required by your particular plan. In fact, swimming pools, patios, garages, tennis courts – even flower beds and beach sand have been warmed by radiant heating systems. Most residential and light commercial heating systems installing radiant panel heating in the floor encased in a light-weight slab of concrete is the preferred and desirable method of heat transfer. Radiant floors can heat your entire home, apartment, business, warehouse, farmhouse, or any other structure you can think of. 

How can I determine what type of heating system I need?

There are a variety of hydronic heating options to accommodate your building or remodel plans. Radiant systems can be panels encased in concrete over the floors, under the floors, in walls and ceilings, perimeter baseboard, or fan coils with compact recessed wall or floor enclosures. Because hot water is circulated through an emitter, hydronic systems are more comfortable, clean, healthy, quiet, efficient, flexible, low maintenance, and aesthetically pleasing than conventional HVAC systems. Our design and engineering department can review your plans and provide professional recommendations to best suit your particular needs. 

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Does radiant heat always have to be installed in the floor?

No. Radiant heating can be installed under the floor, in the walls, ceilings or any other desired location. It is preferrable to have the tubing encased in concrete, plaster, or tile mortar which will provide better mass and even heat transfer. In custom applications people have installed tubing in dining tables, bathtubs, showers, chairs and other areas where heat might be desirable. See our new construction page on this site which lists many different applications of radiant heat. Remember radiant heat is flexible and is limited only by building paramenters and imagination.

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I am planning a large house with high ceilings and lots of windows. Is radiant heat even practical?

It is not only practical but preferred. Because of the method of heat transfer – radiation – heat is generated at the floor level around the occupants where it is needed the most. The objects in the room are heated and not the air. In contrast, HVAC systems heat the air. The heated air rises creating high ceiling temperatures, greater heat loss, cool floors, drafts, and placement of heat where it does little good. In a radiant heated system, the temperature is actually warmer at the floor than at the ceiling level. This is why the application of radiant heating is preferred for large homes and high ceilings.

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Can I add radiant floor heat to my existing home?

The answer to this question must be given after careful consideration to your particular situation. Ultimately, when there is a will there is a way, but sometimes the price and effort can surpass your reason and motivation. We have been involved in many remodeling situations where the addition of radiant panel heat has been both an appropriate and preferred way to heat the new or remodeled space. The first questions that must be answered are: 1) Does the home have existing radiant heat? 2) Is the new radiant heat addition designed for space heating or just floor warming? 3) What areas of the home are to be heated? 4) Can the area being heated accept the tubing and light-weight concrete topping slab? 5) If there is no existing heat source, is there a location where water, gas, electricity and a flue can be installed for the new boiler? Radiant additions to homes with an already existing hydronic system are more straight forward. Any new addition needs to be prepared to accept the tubing and concrete covering and depending on the increased heat load may require upgrading the boiler to a larger size. For homes where radiant heat does not exist, there are different choices on how to condition the space. These include but are not limited to heat in the walls, joist spaces, and under sub-floors by installing an emitter plate attached to the flexible tubing which dissipates and directs the heating into the room area. Also, electrical l radiant floor mats are available to warm floors when space does not permit other options. These choices are only for small areas where floor warming and no space heating is required. True radiant panel heat if installed on a wood sub-floor is always encased in a thin concrete slab usually a mimimum of 1” thick and preferably 1-1/2” thickness or more. When installed on grade, the slab thickness can vary from 4”-18” depending on structural requirements. The concrete provides thermal mass and the radiation panel for which the heat is stored and delivered to the structure. We only design and install radiant heat where concrete encases the tubing because it is the best method and design to properly space heat the entire home. A system which does not use a concrete slab to encase the tubing has a myriad of possible problems with tubing performance. The largest problem with adding radiant panel heat to an exisitng home is the requirement to raise doors, cabinets, toilets, tubs, showers and appliances to accept the system because of added height created by the new concrete slab. Some areas may be easier than others to perform the installation and may or may not affect the status of the existing items. Floor coverings also will require removal and replacement for the newly heated areas. Sometimes homes have windows which span to the floor as well. All these factors must be considered. A full scale remodel of a home accomodates the installation of the new system much better than a limited remodel. If radiant heating is desired for just a small addition such as a bathroom or kitchen which is to be retiled, the tubing system can be laid in the tile mortar. The system can use a heat source like an existing water heater with a heat exchanger and some support equipment or a new boiler system, all of which depends on the size of the addition. Floor warming sensors can be provided to regulate floor temperature or thermostats to control room temperatures. Our design engineers can assist with further questions regarding your project and help determine whether or not the application of radiant heat is appropriate.

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I just want to add radiant heat in my bathrooms, or basement, or garage. What is involved?

First you must determine whether you want the added radiant heat area to be used for floor warming or space heating. The difference between the two can affect the overall design requirements. Does the home already have another heating system for those areas? A basement or garage addition normally would be used for space heating and would require a reasonable amount of input to heat because of the increased concrete mass commonly found in both areas. Bathrooms are fairly simple additions and can use a water heater or boiler system. A garage or basement usually would use a boiler. Remember, the per square foot cost is higher for small additions since the heat source equipment must be provided no matter what the size of the system. Is the house new construction? Or is it a partial remodel? If not, why not install radiant throughout? Certain options exist to accommodate all different design plans but providing the right recommendations requires additional input about the scope of the project. Many partial home and small radiant panel additions have been completed with great success. Consult our design department with your additional questions.

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What about floor finishes? Can I have any type? Can you use hardwood for a floor covering? What about carpet over radiant floors?

With radiant panel heat nearly any floor covering you desire can be used. If you have concrete floors, a handsome economy floor finish, which can last for years, can be achieved by simply staining or waxing the concrete floor finish. A radiant heated concrete floor is actually no less resilient than a well-built frame floor and because of its solid construction is amazingly quiet as well as pleasantly warm. Rugs and other floor coverings are really optional with radiant heat. Colorful tile, vinyl , asphalt, cork, etc. and even hardwood flooring has been laid directly over the warmed concrete with great success. Because of the way radiant heat works to heat a space, relatively low floor temperatures are required to provide heat. Most wooden flooring manufacturers warranty their products to surface temperatures not exceeding 85 degrees F which a radiant panel shouldn’t need to surpass. In fact, sunlight, shining through a window onto your floor will increase temperatures beyond that. Wooden flooring has been installed directly bonded to the concrete floors or even floating on top. Either way works well. Just remember to allow all the wood flooring products to acclamate to the house environment for several days prior to installing. Luxurious wall-to-wall carpeting and rugs of all kinds can be used for your pleasure. Tests conducted by carpet manufacturers prove that the gentle warmth of a radiant heated floor is an usually good climate for even the finest rugs. It is recommended to use a carpet padding with as little insulating properties as possible to allow the transfer of heat. Usually thin and dense rubber pads work better than the thicker waffle type paddings. Ask the hydronic design engineer for a pad recommendation rather than the carpet installer. 

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Should radiant tubing be installed under cabinets and bathtubs?

As a general principle when designing a radiant heating system, you should keep the tubing circuits out from underneath cabinets and appliances; however, we often heat under showers and bathtubs as requested. The overall heating of the structure is not affected from the absence of tubing in such areas. The main reasoning for keeping tubing away from cabinet areas is to prevent damage due to cabinet fastening and drilling into the slab. If drilling is required and tubing is placed under cabinets, circuits should be accurately measured and marked on the plans prior to pouring the concrete slab for later identification.

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What do people who have lived with radiant heat think of it?

Surveys conducted by an outside agency of the industry revealed overwhelmingly the enthusiastic acceptance of radiant heat installations. It was also revealed even in an attractive and successful tract house, 98% of the owners polled considered the radiant heat the most desirable feature of their home.