Radiant Heat Flooring – Over Conditioned Spaces

Using AtticFoil™ in Radiant Flooring Over Conditioned Areas


POURING CONCRETE OVER THE TUBING?

If you are pouring concrete over the in-floor radiant floor tubing, then you cannot use a radiant barrier because there's no air gap. So the heat is purely conductive, not radiant (yes, even the heat coming from the tubes is conductive).

Radiant Barrier is the better option

How to Install AtticFoil™

Just like the radiant heat flooring over a non-conditioned space installation, you will add the foil first.

There is usually no visible insulation between the floor joists when looking up from inside the basement. With this setup, your main goal is to get the heat from the radiant heat tubes to go up into the floor above.

You will simply staple the foil across the floor joists (the ceiling joists from the basement side) or studs and your air gap will be between the radiant tubing and the foil on the bottom of the joists.

No Insulation Needed

When you're using radiant heat above a conditioned space (meaning the are below the flooring is living space - like the floor of a second story), then you do not need to add R-value in the radiant flooring.

You will not need regular insulation since the floor is between two living spaces; this is similar to an interior wall assembly: since it is not part of the thermal envelope (the area you heat and cool) no insulation is needed, just a radiant barrier.