Radiant floor heating can make your home feel much more comfortable throughout. Rather than placing your feet on a cold ground in the morning, your feet will feel warm and toasty without the need for slippers. However, for the radiant floor system to work, you must make sure that you do not make any of these installation mistakes.
Mistake #1: Not Testing
The radiant floor heating system must be tested thoroughly before the floor slab is poured. Otherwise, it will be much more expensive to have the radiant system serviced. Fortunately, if you have your floor installed by a heating installation specialist, it will be thoroughly tested.
Mistake #2: Not Insulating
Radiant floor heating systems must always be installed with insulation. Much of the heat that should be traveling up into the floor will instead travel into the ground. Make sure to insulate the slab. Also, insulate around the property. If you are building a new home, make sure that the builder plans to insulate the radiant floor before it is installed.
Mistake #3: Improperly Installing Tubes
Tubing installation is another very important part of radiant floor installation. Tubing is what allows heat to travel from the heat source to the part of the floor that will be heated. The tubing must be installed based exactly on installation specifications. Also, the tubing must be installed at the same depth throughout the floor or the tubes will not heat the floor evenly all the way throughout.
There are industry guidelines for how far apart the tubes should be to ensure that they heat your home properly. Also, make sure that the tubes are not more than two inches below the surface. This will lead to the tubes not heating the floor as much as they should.
Mistake #4: Creating the Conditions for Rot
The concrete slab needs to be prevented from touching wood at the base of the wall or floor joists. Otherwise, the insulation can encourage pests to infest the area. Once ants and termites invade, they can be very difficult to remove. Also, make sure that the insulation is not made out of vegetable matter because the insulation could contain spores and fungi in the material. The insulation should be new because then there will be no risk that it will already be infested.
Mistake #5: Using a Pump That's Too Powerful
Make sure that the pump for your radiant heating repair system is not too large and powerful. Cables can only force heated water through at a certain pressure. If the pressure is too great, the boiler and valve will shut down.
To learn more, contact local heating repair services.
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