Easy Instructions on How to Install Sub-Floor Heating Yourself
Although sub-floor heating is not a new concept, it is only recently that the do it yourself home repairman or woman has begun to install it themselves. Even so, many people are intimidated by this task. The tips that I have assembled here will make installing this system for your home much easier. For your convenience I have also researched the facts and product necessities for the best possible pricing that will make installing sub-floor heating easier on your wallet while still efficient. Although some of the products listed may initially cost more, long term expense had to be considered in these recommendations.
The first factor to consider is what type of flooring you presently have in your home and whether or not you will be replacing it. For this reason I am listing tips for both below. Many people find that using sub-floor heating they can have cement flooring that is more comfortable than one would imagine and lasts forever if done properly. Also in more humid areas sub-floor heating and cement floors are safer as mold and mildew is easier to clean from them and they will not rot cement. Remember however that cement is a porous material and in humid areas it should be treated to resist mold for the sake of your health.
If you live in an older home you may want to inspect your support beams before making the decision of what to replace your floor with. If your floor beams are damaged by mold or pestilence like termites or bore-worms you may want to consider replacing them with a cement floor. By doing this you will ensure that the floors may never again need repair or replacement.
Materials Needed
(Materials are highlighted)
You must first determine the size of your room. Measure the length and width of the room, multiply the length of the room by the width of the room, add to that number the length of tubing needed to lay from the entry point to the beginning of your inner loops and the length of tubing required to return to that point. This will tell you how much tubing you will need for the room. If your heat source and circulating pump are in the room that is all you will need. If it is not in the room you will need to provide enough tubing to run from the heater and pump to the room and back. The result of these figures will tell you how much tubing you will need
We recommend Pex tubing for this project. It is easy to use, flexible, and sturdy and can be used for potable water sources, which means that the tubing itself will not contaminate the water that circulates in the tubing and cause chemical rotting. (CPVC pipe can also be used but is much harder to work with.)
You will need a water heater that will enable you to adjust the temperature of the water to your personal desires. You can purchase an expensive heater that has a temperature regulator on it. To save quite a bit of money, you may want to install a cheaper model that is designed to heat bathing water at the point of discharge.
As this is basically a closed circulating system. Because of this you will also need a circulating pump. For the average room a replacement pump for a small collapsible swimming pool will work quite well and will save you as much as $300 over the pumps a professional installer will insist on installing. For very large rooms you may want to install one at the point of discharge from the heating source and another either half way back to the source or close to the return point.
Either2″ x 2″ or 2″ x 4″ boardsfor framing and support.
Decking for a wooden floor or cement for your cement floor.
Install a check valve between your water supply and your heating source. This will ensure that the tubing remains full and efficient while not allowing stale water into the system. You will want to place a release valve to occasionally drain your system on the opposite side of the heat source and pump.
Replacing Cement or Wood Floors and Installing Sub-Floor Heating
If you already have cement flooring half the work is already done for you. You simply need to purchase the right materials and it will be finished in no time.
With cement floors already in your home you will simply need to build a smaller frame to add more cement to. Or perhaps you would like to convert to a wood floor. You will learn how here.
1. Using lengths of 2″x2″ boards build a frame around the room you are working on. When this has been completed you will need to drill holes in the frame where the sub-floor heating pipe will enter and leave the room. If you are working on a larger room you will want to place some 2″ x 4″ lengths of board within your framework so that the cement is less likely to crack. In most cases this is a good idea anyway. Place them no more than six feet apart. (If you chose to use this method in smaller rooms 3′ apart would probably work best.) If you have decided to keep your cement flooring you can now move on to tip number 4.
2. If you are converting to wood floors you will need to build an inner support system to suspend your new wooden flooring. You will need to place a 2×2 board every 18″ and attach them by toe nailing your fastening nails into the outer framework. It is also advisable to place added support in areas that may have heavy household objects in them like water beds or older heavier furnishings. This added support will likely be needed only between every other support beam in a staggered fashion so that each open area in your support system will have added support every 36″.
Drill two holes to accommodate your sub-floor piping six inches from the wall in each inner support beam. You will only need to drill these holes on the side of the room where the piping enters and leaves the room.
3. You are now ready to lay your pipe. Pex tubing can be purchased for less than $30 per 100″ and is more reliable and sturdier that other materials. If you are converting to wood floors you will bring your piping in and run it to one corner of the room. Lay the piping the length of the room and back again. You will run the pipe through the empty hole and repeat this process for each of the next open areas between your support beams. You are now almost ready to lay your flooring. Move on to step 5.
4. Lay your tubing from the entry point about six inches from the wall to one corner. Now you will lay your tubing in loops that run the length of the room and back. Each direction of tubing laid should be no more than 12 inches from the other direction of tubing. Loop on this fashion to the other end of the room. Be sure to leave a foot between the wall at the entry point and the turn of each loop as you will be running the tubing back out of the room. You are now almost ready to fill it in with cement.
5. Hook up your tubing to your heat and pump source making a complete circuit. The tubing will make a complete circuit from the heat source, to the pump and back to the heat source. For larger rooms you may want a pump at the exit point from the heat source and another at the return area. These pumps are not designed to actually pump water with any force they simply circulate it. Your incoming water supply will be attached only to the heat source and will have a check valve to keep the water from escaping the system.
Once you have hooked up your system you will want to fill the tubing. This will ensure that there are no leaks at any connection point. Also, If you are keeping your cement flooring it will offer added security against your tubing becoming kinked or crushed when the cement is poured over it. You are now ready to replace or restore your flooring.
Completely Replacing your Wooden Floors with Cement
1. If your home is close to the ground you will be ripping out your flooring to do this job. If you are working on an inner wall you need to make sure that there is some sort of support, such as a few cinder blocks to maintain the integrity of the walls. Once the flooring has been removed you will need to cut out the floor joists as your old floor was probably as much as two or three feet above the ground. You will only need a cement base of six to nine inches for your new floors.
2. If your had joists in good condition they can be recycled be used as framing by ripping them to the appropriate size. (Ripping means that you will take these lengths of wood that are 2″x6″ and cutting two inches off the width of them.) Build your frame for the outer walls of the room. These frames should be attached to the outer area under the walls if possible. Don’t worry that the decorated portion of your walls does not meet where the cement will end, you can improve the appearance of it with baseboards or molding. Drill two holes in your framework at the point of entry and exit to accommodate your sub-floor heat tubing.
If you are working on a larger room you will want to place some 2″ x 4″ lengths of board within your framework so that the cement is less likely to crack. In most cases this is a good idea anyway. Place them no more than six feet apart. (If you chose to use this method in smaller rooms 3′ apart would probably work best.)
3. Run your tubing six inches from the wall to one corner. You will now begin looping your tubing the length of the room and back so that each length will be no more than 9 inches from the other. Stay at least one foot from the wall at the point of entry and exit as your tubing will run six inches from this wall. Once you have repeated the process to the end of the room run the tubing to your exit point.
4. You will now ensure that there are no leaks in any of the connections in your tubing. Also by filling the tubing with water you detract from the likelihood of kinking or collapsing the tubing. Once you have made sure that your tubing is full and there are no leaks it is time to lay your cement floor.
5. Pour your cement. Allow 24 – 48 hours for it to dry before laying your floor covering. Install baseboards to complete the cosmetic affect of your room.
Replace your furnishings and enjoy.
