Under floor radiant heat install#

The wood structure is a poor conductor of heat so there is limited heat transfer sideways. The same concept of the sleeper system can be used in low heat load installations, but without the heat transfer plates-mostly for floor warming systems. Be careful not to drive fasteners through the tubing when securing the cover sheet. The tubing should remain pressurized as the cover sheet is installed. All tubing circuits should be pressure tested prior to installing the cover sheet. Cement board has also been used under ceramic tile. Plywood is often used as the cover sheet under vinyl flooring or carpet.

Under floor radiant heat install#

The tubing can also be “plunged” beneath the subfloor and then routed up through the bottom plate of a partition to connect to the manifolds.įor other types of flooring, it is necessary to install a thin 1/4” or 3/8” cover sheet over the tube and plates to serve as a smooth stable substrate. If the tubing needs to run parallel to the flooring at times, it is best to drill a shallow hole through the subfloor and route the tubing through the floor framing where it is protected against nail punctures. Be careful not to drive nails through the tubing on return bends or other areas when the tubing is not visible as the flooring is laid. Nails can be driven through the heat transfer plates, through the sleepers and into the subfloor. The flooring should be installed with its long dimension perpendicular to the tubing. The flooring can be placed directly over the tube and plates without needing an additional cover sheet.

Stepping on the tube as it aligns with the grooves ensures it is pushed all the way into the groove.Ībove floor tube and plate systems are ideal when nailed-down wood flooring will be installed. Then tubing is laid out and pushed into the grooves in the plates. This allows the plate to expand as the tubing is pushed into it as well as when the plate heats and cools. Pull each plate against one edge of the sleeper and tack it in place with two or three light gauge staples on the same side (and only on this side). The plates are set into the grooves with ends spaced about 1” apart. Another way is to place triangular shaped spacers to support the secondary floor layer at curved areas. Grooves for the return bends, as well as other curved tubing paths can be formed by routing out the 3/4” plywood or OSB. To minimize any squeaks, the sleepers should be glued as well as nailed (or screwed) to the subflooring. The sleepers are placed to create 3/4” wide grooves into which the tubing and trough portion of the plates are recessed. The system can be adapted to several types of finish flooring, and is particularly well suited for nailed down wood floor installations.īegin by fastening 5/8” - 3/4” plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) “sleepers” to the floor.

The tubing can be run in virtually any direction. Here the tubing and plates are located on the top side of the floor deck. They are a versatile component both for floor heating systems as well as radiant walls and ceilings. Because aluminum is an excellent heat conductor, these relatively thin plates can disperse across the floor almost as well as a slab yet at a tiny fraction of the weight and only about 1/2 the added floor height of a thin-slab. Heat transferred from the tubing to the trough portion of the heat transfer plate conducts out along the “wings” of the plate.

Notice how the Heat Transfer Plates are shaped to fit the perimeter of the tubing. Our Heat Transfer Plates are Made in the USA!