How To Install Hydronic Systems Under Existing Floor

A hydronic floor is no less complicated than a zoned baseboard heat system.

How to install hydronic systems under existing floor.

This is what feels naturally comfortable to our bodies. According to the this old house website the retrofit costs about 700 for a bathroom including the tile. There are two distinct ways to install a radiant floor heating system. This is primarily used when the floor joists are exposed say in rooms over an unfinished basement or crawlspace.

There are many different ways to install a residential hydronic heating system in your home. Whether you are building a new custom home from the ground up or undergoing an extensive remodel hydronic systems can be installed in almost any situation. The feet are always warmer than the head. These radiant floor heating systems can also be installed on top of a slab before the flooring goes down.

It uses a boiler heated by gas oil or electricity and requires valves and manifolds to distribute the water as well as sophisticated thermostats to control the heat. The following is a look at a few of the most common installation methods. Radiant heat systems are easily hidden under a tile floor. But that said even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well.

A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete. Hydronic systems can also be installed beneath floor joists. When you are installing wood floors over top of concrete the double layer two layers of 1 2 ply floating plywood method will be the best method. In this case the tubing is run between and through the joists and anchored to the subfloor.

A pex radiant floor heating system can be the most comfortable efficient and often may be installed for less than other heat delivery hydronic systems. Radiant floor heat stratifies the heat from the feet to the head. Install pex tubing before pouring a concrete slab for the home or install it when using plywood as a subfloor. The two most highly recommended options are retroheat and floorheat both systems are very affordable and allow you to install radiant heat to existing floors without extensive remodeling or tearing up existing floors.

If you can access your floor joists from below you can easily install energy efficient radiant heat under your existing floors. Another option for radiant floor heating that is energy efficient are systems that circulate hot water through small tubes under the floor. Hydronic systems circulate heated water through pex tubing that winds under the floor. The first is in the floor itself the other under the subfloor between the joists.