Heated Slab Floor

The building is currently heated by plug in electric wall heaters pending a more permanent re design.

Heated slab floor. The insulation phase is crucial for a radiant floor. The floor temperature can be set as high as 104 f but users will typically set it to a more comfortable range of between 80 f and 85 f and control it from a thermostat from there. Details about this radiant floor slab heat failure and and research on its cause are provided below.

The underlayment protects the heating element from the slab below which would otherwise steal the heat from the system. Any cooler surface in contact with the slab will try to steal its heat. Also see slab insulation radiant passive solar for a discussion of proper insulation below a heated floor slab.

Engineered wood flooring like laminate it is produced. Remember that your slab will be about 75 degrees f. Laminate flooring laminate flooring replicates the look of solid hardwood flooring or tile flooring without the.

For example a bathroom on a slab would feature a layer of cork or synthetic cork underlayment on top of the concrete subfloor followed by the electric heating element and topped with the flooring substrate. This type of heating often feels like the warmth of the sun because radiant heat warms via heat radiation. With an in floor heating system the laws of thermodynamics are on your side.

The concrete was 4 thick and the insulation under the slab was 2 thick. Additional insulation is required for the heated slab. The most common application however is an in floor heating system installed between the finished concrete slab and the flooring above.

The picture above shows a concrete floor we re about to pour with radiant heating tubes installed. Mainly heated slabs radiate outward rather than downward so insulation on the edges of the slab is most important. Perhaps the best way to understand how in floor heating can help to heat an entire room is to consider how most furnace based heating and cooling systems operate.