Options For Pex In Floor Heating

Since pex uses a lower fluid temperature some might say the system with pex distribution is more efficient.
Options for pex in floor heating. Warm water systems run hot water through pipes to create heat whereas electric underfloor heating heats wiring beneath the floor to generate heat. General recommended installation practices for radiant heating applications are. Quite simply concrete floor radiant heat is a system of pex tubes that carry hot water throughout a concrete floor or slab. There are two types of radiant floor heating electric and water based systems.
Radiant heat can be an electrical heating element embedded into a very thin concrete overlay then tiled carpeted or have wood flooring installed over it. Radiant floor heat stratifies the heat from the feet to the head. 300 350ft for 1 2 pex tubing per circuit. There s been a lot of debate over pex for the last several years because pex has a few downsides that you might not expect.
Here are the top 4 flooring options for use over radiant heat. Both provide heating in a room from the floor up for consistent efficient warmth. This is what feels naturally comfortable to our bodies. Pex pipe remains popular for radiant floor heating.
Pex plumbing is cross linked polyethylene which is a type of plastic. In the world of radiant floor heating i ve found a similar misconception when discussing the differences between pipe options used in a radiant floor installation specifically questions arise about whether pex is more efficient than epdm. The feet are always warmer than the head. While pex use for water supply systems has been widespread in europe since the 1980s it was a latecomer here because some early versions.
Porcelain and ceramic tile are great conductors of heat so your home will get the full benefit of the radiant heating system. The floor heating cables of these two most popular brands take the pie for being the best electric radiant floor heating cables. The heat from hot water inside the pipes is transferred to the thermal mass floor which in turn heats other objects in a room. Sun touch is a technologically driven product preferred by tech savvy users while heatwave s cables are greatly easy to install.
In floor radiant heat systems when pex tubing is installed in a concrete slab gypsum or other thermal mass such systems are called in floor. The most common types of hydronic radiant heating systems are. 200 250ft for 3 8 pex tubing per circuit. Pex tubing or piping is used for water supply lines as well as radiant floor heating.
In addition tile flooring will not expand as it warms or contract as it cools. 400 500ft for 5 8 pex tubing. Such expansion and contraction can cause cracking.