Tips For Installing Radiant Heat Tubing In The Floors

Posted on: 17 June 2022

Are you going to be installing radiant in-floor heat in your home? If so, part of the process involves installing a grid of tubes in the floor for the hot water to flow. Here are some tips for installing it.

Install Foam Around The Edge

Radiant in-floor heat uses a layer of lightweight concrete to secure the tube in place. That's why it is necessary to install a border of foam around the edge of the room. The foam gives the concrete some room to expand and contract without running into the drywall. There is foam that you can purchase specifically for this purpose that has a peel-and-stick backing that makes the installation process easy. 

Use Foam Panels To Create A Grid

While there are many ways to secure the tubing to the floor, one of the easiest ways will be to use foam panels. These are panels specifically designed to secure the tubes for radiant in-floor heating to make the installation process easy. 

You'll start by placing a foam grid in one of the corners of the room and then lay them in place next to each other until you reach another wall. You can then trim the last foam panel by measuring the distance remaining to the wall, flipping the panel over, and cutting the foam with a razor knife. Repeat the process by installing more rows of foam panels until the grid is complete in the room.

Lay Down The Tube

The process of placing the tube in the foam panels does require you to put some thought into what the layout will look like before you start. This is because there needs to be a continuous loop of pipe that starts and ends at the boiler. With each room of your home having its own zone, you shouldn't have to worry about creating a pattern that exits and enters the room. An easy way to do this is to leave an empty space around the edge of the room so that you can circle back to the boiler. 

The grid that you installed will help ensure that you install the tubes properly. The grid is made up of several pucks that have consistent spacing and let you know exactly how far apart the tubes are. You'll never want to wrap the tube around a single puck, either by making a u-turn or a 90-degree turn. This will create an angle that is too tight and can put a crimp in the tube. 

With the tube in place and hooked up to the boiler, you can move on to the next step of installing the lightweight concrete. 

Contact a company like Merrimack Valley Plumbing LLC to learn more. 

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