Carpet Over Radiant Heat

Carpet has insulation value so it will prevent some of the heat from transferring through into your home.

Carpet over radiant heat.

Carpet is naturally an insulator which makes it more difficult for radiant heat. You don t have to rule carpeting out though. If the carpet is thick then the r value is 2 1 a significant increase that will build a higher thermal resistance. Optionally if especially high point loads are anticipated on a floor it is advised that a thin layer of underlayment plywood be applied over ecowarm radiantboard prior to carpet and pad installation to protect the very tough pex radiant tubing.

The single most important choice you will make for your basement carpeting if you have radiant heat is the pad you select. What type of flooring should not be installed over radiant heat. Carpets tend to absorb dust. It is the nature of the beast in floor radiant heat.

You can use a few area rugs over the flooring but avoid large. The overall thickness of any materials above the heater needs to be taken into account too as this will ensure efficient heat transfer. Radiant floor heating with carpet underfloor heating is well suited for use under carpet provided that care is taken when choosing the carpet. To safely and effectively install wool over electric radiant floor heating it is best to have the wool carpet at 3 8 which will give it an r value of 1 575.

Underfloor heating heats up objects rather than the air and does not cause air circulation. The designer and installer of radiant systems should be aware of these limitations in order to direct the building owner into making wise floor covering decisions to read more click the link above. You need to use carpet sparingly with radiant heat because of this. As with all radiant heating installations a thin slab foam rubber pad should be used in all cases.

Like the padding radiant heat works better with thin carpet. You always have the option of putting a rug over a hard floor. The thickness generally correlates to. This includes any underlays and overlays.

You will sacrifice cushion for heat transfer. Carpet and in floor radiant heat work well together but it takes more coordination than usual. Carpet thickness often ranges from about 1 8 inch thick to 1 inch but there is some variation. Furthermore the hot air from conventional radiators causes the air in the room to circulate.

Rubber pad allows the heat to transfer from the carpet better than any other type of padding. As a result of this they circulate the dust and impurities.