Carpet Over Radiant Heat

Like the padding radiant heat works better with thin carpet.

Carpet over radiant heat.

Carpet and in floor radiant heat work well together but it takes more coordination than usual. While rubber pad costs more than other types of carpet padding it is inherently anti microbial and provides a great feel underfoot. You can use a few area rugs over the flooring but avoid large. Carpet has insulation value so it will prevent some of the heat from transferring through into your home.

Furthermore the hot air from conventional radiators causes the air in the room to circulate. 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. Both the heating system manufacturer and the carpet pad manufacturers will have to be consulted. You don t have to rule carpeting out though.

This includes any underlays and overlays. Carpet thickness often ranges from about 1 8 inch thick to 1 inch but there is some variation. It is the nature of the beast in floor radiant heat. Rubber pad allows the heat to transfer from the carpet better than any other type of padding.

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. Radiant floor heating with carpet underfloor heating is well suited for use under carpet provided that care is taken when choosing the carpet. You will sacrifice cushion for heat transfer. You always have the option of putting a rug over a hard floor.

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. Radiant floor heating on the other hand is quite tolerant of carpeting although there are limitations. You need to use carpet sparingly with radiant heat because of this. Carpets tend to absorb dust.

As with all radiant heating installations a thin slab foam rubber pad should be used in all cases. What type of flooring should not be installed over radiant heat. Carpet is naturally an insulator which makes it more difficult for radiant heat. As a result of this they circulate the dust and impurities.

The thickness generally correlates to. Underfloor heating heats up objects rather than the air and does not cause air circulation.