Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad
Here is my radiant floor project:
As mentioned before I used:
1. 1x2 wood strips
2. Aluminum foil HD 2' wide from Costco
3. Strips are stapled down and top layer of plywood is screwed down to subfloor through wood strips
4. I used Omega shaped aluminum heat distributing plates. They distribute heat and hold Pex tubes suspended from subfloor (omega shape helps holding Pex tubes in place while you install top layer of plywood. This is very critical)
5 Top layer of plywood is painted black from the bottom.
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Seems to me like a lot of extra work for little gain. Qs about the details:
1. The ¾” thick strips confine the PEX which is apparently spaced at 1’ intervals. You must have used ¾” ply for the cover floor, thus your system adds 1.5” to the sub floor.
2. What does the Al foil accomplish? Apparently trying to reflect radiant energy upwards. Only works where reflective surface is in contact with air, i.e. the 3/4” wide space directly under the tube, maybe also somewhat from your heat distributing plates across the 1’ span?
3. I don’t understand the “Omega shaped aluminum heat distributing plates“.
Why not just space your PEX closer?
4. Lots of still air in your heat transfer path, a very good insulator! Top ply not much better.
5. 1” or 1.5” of light weight gypsum poured directly on the sub floor would have achieved much higher conductivity to the surface and across the surface with 6” tube spacing, possibly less expensively.