Concerns Installing Carpet Over Radiant Heat

Installing hardwood flooring over a radiant heating system.

Concerns installing carpet over radiant heat.

Acclimate flooring in the room it will be installed in for at least 48 hours. The overall thickness of any materials above the heater needs to be taken into account too as this will ensure efficient heat transfer. According to a study conducted by the georgia institute of technology school of textile engineering. In addition tile flooring will not expand as it warms or contract as it cools.

Under floor radiant heating systems work by running hot water through pipes or electricity through resistance wires which are installed under the finished floor. Such expansion and contraction can cause cracking. For radiant floor heating you want the total r value to be as low as possible lower than 4 0. Carpet padding thickness it s best to use a thinner carpet padding rather than a thick padding.

Porcelain and ceramic tile are great conductors of heat so your home will get the full benefit of the radiant heating system. In order to make this installation successful you need to. If the carpet is thick then the r value is 2 1 a significant increase that will build a higher thermal resistance. This includes any underlays and overlays.

Radiant floor heating with carpet. During the installation process one of the most important steps to take is to turn on the radiant heat system 1 2 weeks prior to the delivery of the wood. Underfloor heating is well suited for use under carpet provided that care is taken when choosing the carpet. Radiant heat is considered a dry heat and if the heating season lasts for several months a humidification system should be installed to keep the relative humidity above 30.

But adding radiant heating under carpeting may be redundant. Due to the excellent insulating properties of carpeting radiant heating systems will experience efficiency reduction and thus may require that the thermostat is turned up higher than it would be with hard flooring. As long as proper precautions are taken it is perfectly fine to install laminate over a radiant heated floor. Run the floor s heating system for at least 4 days at 64 72 degrees.

This gently warms the floor under your feet.