Radiant floor heat question.

ingeborgdot · 03-21-2010, 10:47 PM

I am just getting started on a project and one of the things we are deciding on is radiant floor heat. In the kitchen for sure we are going with tile and are going to put radiant heat under it. In the adjoined dining/sitting-tv room we don't know for sure if we are going carpet or tile. If we go tile the job of finding radiant heat is not too bad. If we go with carpet we are going to put radiant heat under that because it is a room that has no basement and the room does not heat evenly which leaves it sometimes uncomfortable in the cold season.
For tile floors are there any recommendations that you have for a good radiant heat. I do have some that I have found that look good but some of you have some good pointers.
The hard one is if we do decide to do carpet there has been a very limited choice to chose from. Anyone with some good leads? Thanks.

ingeborgdot · 03-22-2010, 10:12 AM

Because of the no heat issue under the room it tends to be cooler and uncomfortable. Is there anything else a person would suggest to use to help out the situation?

warmsmeallup · 03-23-2010, 03:25 AM

You can use low voltage Zmesh under all of it. Though if you do use carpet, you'll want to lay some 1/8" leuon (cheap plywood) over the top of the Zmesh to protect it from the carpet removal in 10 years. It comes with a 25 year element warranty. It's made of bronze screen so it won't corrode and you can staple or nail through all you want without damaging it.

Here's a link. Be sure to scroll down the page to view the slides:
http://www.comfortradiant.com/galler...t_hardwood.php

As for the 'no heat issue', radiant heat goes to cold. When we install it over a cold area, like a garage, we require a reflective barrier installed 1" down off the subfloor between the joists below. Then a plain fiberglass below that (R-19 if it will fit). This will create a great insulator and help to 'reflect' the heat that you would normally loose downward, back up.

ingeborgdot · 03-23-2010, 08:49 AM

If we do decide to go with carpet in the one room, I have found a carpet pad that is great and they say the R value is 20 with that alone. What other alternatives could I use instead of radiant heat to keep the room warmer. One more vent should help but is there some special insulation I could use or some that is better than others. Is there a reflective material I could use between the joists or something to put down before the plywood goes down? The problem is that there is no heat coming from under this room. I am planning on insulating the heck out of it.

If we do decide to do tile than radiant is a must no matter how well I insulate the floor and space below.

Scuba_Dave · 03-23-2010, 09:16 AM

A carpet pad that has R22 insulation value ?
Did they give you info or a link to information on this ?

ingeborgdot · 03-23-2010, 09:31 AM

It is commercial grade pad and costs a little more. We were talking about pads and he had no idea I was looking for something to help me out with keeping the cold out. I am putting carpet in the basement and he said that this pad had the R value of 20 which I said wrong in the earlier post. It has a layer on both sides and is a little stiffer but it does help.
No link or info. Sorry.
Maybe he was mistaken but I am sure that is what he said. He did say that it had twice the R value of standard pad.

warmsmeallup · 03-23-2010, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ingeborgdot

he said that this pad had the R value of 20 which I said wrong in the earlier post. He did say that it had twice the R value of standard pad.

I have serious doubts the carpet salesmen was correct. I expect it to be 2.0 at best. However, insulation alone above a cold space will not prevent it from being a cold floor. Thats' why floors above garages are so cold even with insulation.

I understand your request for a 'better' pad to block the cold. However, if you do use radiant (of any kind) you'll want a pad that has less resistance, not more. Then build the underside as I mentioned earlier.