Installing your own radiant heat tubing in a concrete slab. (DIY METHOD)
Installing radiant heat tubing in a concrete slab yourself can save a lot of money. Heating contractors charge a hefty fee to instal this tubing and some methods used are much harder and complicated than they need to be. Keep tubing lengths all the same and under 500 feet and run the tubing at 1 square foot of tubing per 1 square foot of concrete floor. Place 2" of closed cell foam board or 1-1/2 " of closed cell spray foam under the 6" grid wire mesh. Tie tubing to wire every 3' and pour your floor. If board foam is used make sure to place a 6 mill poly vapor barrier over the ground first. Do not pull tubing and wire up into the floor unless the floor is at least 8" thick. You will need the correct pump to push these longer loops but the extra cost is minimal compared to running multiple short loops that need to be balanced to flow properly. Thanks for watching.
Bondo
I did my 30x56 post frame home by myself. Did three zones 2 bedrooms and main living room and kitchen. 8" of compacted gravel base first then Vapor Barrier with 2" foam board taped seems on top then steel mesh . Put the plastic towers to raise the mesh. Zip ties for the oxygen Barrier tubing. Foam around edges. I run it with one instant water heater. It's the best heat I've ever seen in my life you can't get more comfortable heat. Going on two year's of comfortable bliss lol.
Thank you for putting this video out. I watched it and was able to figure out layout of the pex for my new garage after never having done it before. We are now ready to pour. Huge help! Thanks
Thats awesome I am so glad the video helped ya. 👍 Good luck on thbe pour my friend. 😊
Thanks for taking the time to explain how you do your tubing layout...👍
Corey I’m glad you liked it and your welcome 👍👍
Probably one of the best video explanations I've seen, great job. Keep it up, thanks.
Thanks Craig. Im glad you enjoyed it buddy. We will be doing more of these videos this spring after the snow melts. 👍😊
These are GREAT videos!! They give lots of practical information. Thank you for doing them!
John awesome I’m glad you liked it buddy. Your welcome 👍👍
Thank you for the excellent presentation. Sure does give me the confidence to do our own in floor heating
Awesome Lewis we have done 100’s of these floors and they work great. If your feet are warm its a game changer. 👍😊
I find this video very helpful. I’m building a house and I’m wanting to put the radiant heat in the slab and so far this is the most informative video yet
Awesome John I will send you a link to another one that should be helpfull as well buddy. 👍😊
kzhead.info/sun/gMt6etGZn2KXoYU/bejne.html
Great job 👍, thanks for the instructions!
Great example and explanation, keep up the good work.👍
Great video and explanations. Never thought about radiant heat in NC. Mostly us Heat Pumps.
That would work good in your area. Tom. 👍👍
Just started watching your channel and very much enjoying it. Great detailed info!! Thank you.
Awesome. Glad you like it. Subscribe and hit the bell and you won't miss an upload. Thanks.
Great vid. I am helping a friend install a giant system 50 x 100 and this info will make things work A LOT better.
Awesome video ! ! Very informative & looks easy to do yourself after watching ! 👍👌
Thanks Bob glad I could help ya buddy. 👍😊
Thanks Bondo best explanation and video I’ve seen
Jeffrey I’m glad you liked the video bud. Radiant heat is awesome thing to have in a house or shop. 👍👍
This is an awesome video! Very helpful! Thankyou.
The diagram was big help. Thanks
Bravo... thank you for your time
MANY THANKS for sharing your expertise! MUCH appreciated! God bless!
Thanks Jon God bless you as well 😊
Grateful for this presentation!
awesome glad it helped ya.
Great video. Thank you. Good heat system too.
Thank you 👍
Excellent teaching! Thanks!
Thanks awesome I could help. 👍
What a great video. I might have missed it but what size pipe did you use for the 400' runs? I'm assuming 1/2"? BTW I'm in Kirkville, just east of Syracuse, and I'm having a 24'x60' barn built real soon.
Super helpful, thanks!
Awesome explanation! Thank you
You bet Mitch 👍😊
couple questions. the wire mesh sits right on the insulation? Also how do you do relief cuts in the slab ?
Damn good explanation in executing. Made it simple to understand. Thanks
Awesome 😎
great job ron
Thanks
Very helpful!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. It has been a godsend especially through covid and has helped provide me with motivation!!!
Awesome I’m so glad my videos are helpful to you guys. Your very welcome buddy. And yes this COVID needs to go away. 👍
Hey Ron! New sub here. Thanks for the video, I'm staring down the wrong end of a big project and this helps a lot. Thanks again, and keep the great videos coming!
Gabe awesome thanks for subscribing 👍 I got a few of the radiant tubing videos buddy. I’ll send you another that might help ya. 😊
kzhead.info/sun/gMt6etGZn2KXoYU/bejne.html
Thanks, I really appreciate it!
@@gabedodson6378 you bet. 👍
This is awesome!
Excellent thank you so much.
hey great video thanks . i am pooring 30x40 . how many zones? how acurate does the length of the loops have to be ? . . what stile of manifold? and any other advice would be great thanks
Thanks for sharing.👍
By far one of the best videos on DIY in-floor heat. As simple as it is, you drawing it on a piece of paper made it all come together for me. I do have a insulation question though, I have a 4 foot frost wall. Some advice I’ve gotten is to extend the side wall insulation all the way down to the footing. I’ve already backfilled and was planning on just going from grade to top of knee wall (it sticks up 1 foot above grade) and butt the floor insulation up against it. Your thoughts? I’m also a bit confused about the insulation at the garage doors. The walls drop down here, and the top of the wall is level with the rest of the dirt. Thanks for any tips!
Yes I would do like you say no need to go down to footer.
@@bondobuilt386 Do these ever leak? If it leaks then you have to do what? Hammer out where you think it's leaking and then repair it? Can this radiant floor heat the entire living space alone or does it require another heat source in addition? Thanks!
@@VenturaIT Yes, these systems are the best and most efficient for heating your home.
Yep, answered that question, liked and subscribed 👍
Awesome thanks 😊
Just found your channel. I’m doing my research on radiant floors. I want to do something similar. Living quarters next to a shop with heated floors throughout. My question is how do you do walls and a car lift on top of a heated floor? How thick is the slab? Do you worry about driving a nail and hitting a tube when anchoring the bottom plate of a wall? You can’t glue the bottom plate can you? I assume even though the floor is insulated you would still need treated lumber and that rolled out foam under the bottom plate? If so I don’t see how to avoid nails and the possibility of hitting a tube. I haven’t decided between a 4 post and a 2 post lift. A 4 post could just be set and not anchored. But a 2 post would need anchor bolts. Would you lay out your tubing and just avoid where you plan to have the lift? Thanks Mark
Just told a client today that he should go with radiant floor heat in a new half-court B-ball barn. For us here in the Mid-west - it's the best way to keep a barn nice and consistently warm in the winter. Thanks for the video!
Yes absolutely. It gets plenty chilly in the mid west with that wind you get. I hunt there every fall. They will be glad they did the radiant. Follow my tubing layout system and it will be smooth going project. Any questions along the way give me a shout. 👍😊
@@bondobuilt386 I am in Pennsylvania and new to radiant heat. My build calls for a 4 inch slab. Should I make it thicker because of these tubes? If I don't will it causes cracks? What is the minimum thickness concrete for radiant heat?
@@reypolice5231 Hi. You can pour your floor at 4" and it will be fine. Just be sure to put down 2" of closed cell foam under the concrete and it will be great. Don't use that insulation blanket under the concrete it won't heat well.
@@bondobuilt386 Thank for responding. Thanks for no insulation blanket. Do I try to pull up the wire mesh. It's just sitting on the insulation board and not in the concrete per se. Other videos from you talk about pulling up the wire mesh to get it into the concrete better.
@@reypolice5231 We do not pul it up with the tubing in a 4" floor it will get damaged. We use fibers to strengthen the concrete.
Nice job
Thank u so much I'm doing a 80 x60 shop great work my friend
Dude these are great videos. I like the Nick names Karl with a "k" and big biscuit.
Thanks Tyler. I try and make them educational but also fun to make and watch. Appreciate the comment bud. 👍😊
Great video
Thanks. 😀
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! I Don't need to put stone down first?? I can go right on compacted soil?
great videos! I am doing a 36x40 barn. 1450 sq ft, based on what I am learning from you...3/ 500' loops of 1/2" pex will work fine. could you tell me which header/manifolds and pump with accessories I need? Thanks for what you do here! please and Thank You for any help!
In this video , and this section , was that apartment section framed off, with interior partitions, my point is , I guess it is carefully measured , so the bottom plates anchors , do not hit , tubing, in one of your videos could you show this. - the drawing and explanation was fantastic great work ,, and thank you for taking your time out , to teach people , thank you so much , you are an asset to youtube,
Best video on pex ever
Hey , do you like the mesh wire plastic chairs. To raise the wire and tubing up a little.? .
I have an outdoor wood boiler. It is an open system. I have room to add a heating coil in the boiler. Will it need a holding or pressure tank?
After you set grade for the foam board did you have to compact the dirt/sand?
Just wanted to wish and the Boyz a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I have an idea…. For New Year’s Eve… you and your crew make some of those famous rebar protectors.
What kind of temperature prob do you bury in to the concrete, or do you just use a wall thermostate for temperature control of the area?
Hi Ron, I love all of your videos. I try to be as practical as I can be, I think you do the same. I'm an old carpenter in Maine who had to retire for a few reasons. I want to install radiant heat in my house, no, not in concrete but under my floor. The Pex isn't that expensive, the heat source is and so are all of the other stuff to make it work "right". I like this approach to having one zone. I'm going to watch and re-watch your videos on radiant heating.
kzhead.info/sun/qruQlqp9iWuJo68/bejne.html Hi Roy thanks for the comments This new video should be helpful to ya.
Killer Video scoped out some others u have done 👍👍👍 also I subscribed keep up Excellent work 👍👍👍
Thanks Brad I'm glad you like the videos and subscribed. I appreciate that bud.
How did you fasten the foam board to the edges? it looks like you may have used a screw with a large washer? or was it a specific fastener? Looking at doing this same set up in my project. Great video! Thank you!
AMAZING video, thanks for sharing!! So just to clarify, if you have 1 foot spacing, you will use 1 foot of tubing per sq foot? And is there concerns about longevity of this system to leaks or other failures? It seems like there's no repair once the concrete is poured.
New sub. I want to build my own garage / shop with an apartment upstairs. Its in the mtns of Colorado. The main house already has radiant heat and it’s amazing. Want to do the same and have a heated garage. Excited to watch your channel.
Thanks for subscribing Michael.Sounds like a sweet project bud. Hit me up if you have any questions. 👍😊
Well thats super interesting, didn't know all about this aspect
Thanks. Glad you liked it. 👍👍
Definitely a good video. We're working with a company in Vermont and they want me to use 7/8 pex instead of a smaller size and use 16-18 inch centers. What are your thoughts on these specs? We're using an outside wood boiler to heat the water. We're in TN.
If it was me I would just run the 1/2" oxygen barrier pipe on 1 foot centers and keep the runs around the same length. No longer than 500foot loops and it will work awesome but make sure to use 2" of closed cell polystyrene foam under the concrete.
Good video.
Thanks Man. Hope people get my Joke about the 6’ ladder. 😊
Is there enough concrete over the top of those that you don't have to worry about nailing down the wall plates?
Thank you for the great videos ... I like the straight-forward explanations. I'm working on building a 36x80 barndominium currently in western NY. I've seen so many different opinions and approaches to concrete thickness and mesh/rebar. I like that you are also in the NY region and trust that you build based on what has worked year after year. I notice you lay down the mesh before the tubing. Can you explain why you go that way ... is the mesh for strength or just to hold the tubing down? Also, I'm planning to go 4" thick with my concrete ... does that sound good to you, and if so, what PSI concrete would you use? My garage area will only have normal everyday vehicles in it.
4” is light I’d do 5.5” just using 2x6 forms
Dumb question because I don’t know how the system works but how come you can’t run from the manifold like you did the first couple loops continuously through the entire floor until you get back to the manifold without cutting. At the splices are you using pex crimp fittings? Thanks
I sure would like to know how thick my concrete would need to be if I plan on having a semi on top of it. Would 5½ inches still be thick enough??
I was just wondering why you wouldn't pull the mesh up into the concrete? Doesn't it have to be in the middle of the concrete for strength? I am about to do a floor and would really like to know the reason not to. Also I see others do a pressure test on the tubing as they pour. Is that not neccessary? Is there different qualities of tubing what do you recommend? Really appreciate your videos. Thanks and hope you can find the time to help me out with information.
What insulating foam board are you using? Is it two inches thick? Anything special about it?
How long did it take you three to put down tubing on the 30x40
What do you charge per square foot or how do you charge for labor to install the piping
Im going to be doing a 2k sf slab. I can run 4 loops at 500' without issues?
What supplies the water through the tubing? This seems like something that an outdoor wood boiler would be able to heat.
I saw a video with wire over tubing. This seems much better.
Not sure how they tied the tubing up. Could do 2 mats one over one under?
can yo upost some amazon links please if you can. items you would recommmend on suppply list i am looking at redoing a recreational room that was added on and do concrete self leveler to do epoxy floor coating, and found this video on radiant heating, you made it easy to seem capable, but my floor already done built 20 years ago i am converting to new full kitchen.
Great video. I think I've watched all your videos. I do have a couple questions. I've heard the wire mesh doesn't do any good if it's not pulled up into the concrete. I've also seen guys using the staplers to attach the PEX to the insulation. Will the PEX still heat properly if it's at the bottom of the slab? Would it be better to use the mesh and pull it up as the concrete is being poured with the PEX attached? Just want to get the most efficiency out of the in-floor heat. Any thoughts? I'm planning on 4" concrete/4000# mix. Thanks for all you do for us first timers!
It works real good on the bottom of the concrete. Do NOT pull it it up or it will get damaged and you will get a leak in your system. I have never damaged a line or had a leak in 15 years of pouring radiant slabs.
What an explanation. 🙏🙏
Thank you buddy. 😊
Thanks for the vid...I'm going to 'go at it' myself here in the spring with the confidence built from this video. It'll be a 5 or 5 1/2" slab and I was thinking of pouring 10" deep by 6" wide around the inside perimeter so critters can't sneak in. I'll stick a vertical insulation board the full depth to keep the outside cold out. Are there any other considerations (inside or out) with a perimeter deeper than the rest of slab? Also, for this basic installation, what all pex tools (or other) are required? Thanks
You should be fine with the thicker edge. Thats just like a monolithic slab. I don't use very many tools to do pex just a tubing cutter and thats about it. We hand roll it out. I'll send you another good video to watch also. 👍😊
kzhead.info/sun/gMt6etGZn2KXoYU/bejne.html
How do you price this job with Polly/ ridged foam and radiant floor.
Thanks, great explanation on running the tubing. Would there be any advantage to using 3/4" PEX, and do you have any vids on building the manifolds? Nice work!
Thanks. I think 1/2 is easier to work with and less expensive.
kzhead.info/sun/g5mpp7yofayNaWw/bejne.html
I am curious why you wouldn’t run 4 - 300 ft loops to avoid the 200 ft of waste off the 1000 ft role? What is the optimal cover?
Awesome!
Thanks Ed. 👍😊
THANKS Bondo!! Do you have a video on the simple header for this type of self balancing system and related water heater once it’s complete? We followed your Pex layout and it was easy. Now we’re ready to get it all connected and operational Thanks!!!
kzhead.info/sun/f82dk9B5nWSFd6c/bejne.htmlsi=0SOVLU0sUKn7tlFa Glad the tubing video helped ya.
So I’m a bit stupid did the dirt under the foam get packed down then u added your foam boards down looks like you won’t add gravel for the concrete
Whats the point of the wire mesh under the poly? Wont it essentially be below the concrete instead of in it?
Can you review different systems like Uponor?
What manufacture recommends 400' per loop? Seems ultra excessive for decent flow.
Do you need to get a permit for this and have the local inspector sign off the work at certain steps along the way?
Hey Bondo, Love your videos, especially the ones about radiant floor heating. I was wondering if you could do the same thing in reverse and use a chiller to make the rooms cold?
From what I remember that could cause condensation/moisture problems.
What's the price on a 30 by 40? Was wanting to do a two story but wasn't for sure how tall I could go
Great video. New sub.
Thanks Zeke. I’m glad it was helpful and thanks for subscribing and your comment. 👍
Thank you for a very informative video. It’s my first video watched about this system and I’m yet to learn more. What is the thickness of the poured concrete on the in floor heat?
5-1/2" thick thanks.
How do you anchor your walls in the apartment end without puncturing your radiant pex ?
Are you saying a 50 gallon water heater will work as a boiler for this? What about In freezing temp?
Great video! If this was a smaller floor, say 400 sf or so, would you still need to split it into 3 even loops 150'? Or could you run it with a single 400' loop circuit? Also, I wasn't clear on exactly how you determined 400' sections for this... it's a 1200sf floor, and most places say for 12" spacing to do 1:1 pex per sf, so I would have assumed 300ft circuits. You obviously know what you're doing, just curious if there's a formula you use for planning this..?
This must be one reason: Maximum loop length which is 250 feet for 3/8-inch PEX, 300 feet for 1/2-inch PEX and 400 feet for 5/8-inch PEX
With a 30x60, I would just divide it into 2 sections of 30x30 and do 300 ft loops?
Thank you for this great video. I will be building a 48 x 30 pole barn and plan on using this method to heat it. I was curious what diameter tube you are using? Maybe you mention in the next video but if not can you please tell me about the rest of the system, pump, heater, etc.... Im going to keep watching just in case you already covered it.
Hi there. The tubing is 1/2 “ oxygen barrior pex tubing. you can order it online at Supply House. There are many ways you could heat the water but a 50 gallon stainless steel gas water heater is my favorite. The HTP Phoenix light duty is about the best for the price. We use Taco 009 pumps for most systems we set up. 👍👍
@@bondobuilt386 where is the best place to buy a htp water heater? does it produce alot of condensation?
What about nails when you want to build a wall or move one ? Won’t a Ramsey nail go through a tube?
You've got way too much space between the tubing for a hydronic heating system. What is your heating source going to be for this system?
This may have been asked but are you using Pex A or B tubing. Also how thick was your concrete pour ? I’m doing a 30 x 40 slab and was thinking the foam board only needed to be 1/2 thick but now I’m seeing 2 inches. Don’t think after packing my minus I will come up with that much extra room to do a full 6 inch pour and I didn’t want to lose an inch of concrete
You could use 1-1/2 " of foam and 5-1/2" of concrete? I would not go any thinner even if you have to take some stone out. We use oxygen barrier tubing from supply house you can order it on line.
This looks good. Now, show us the pump setup.
Thank you.
You certainly welcome Mike. 😊
Bondo is there a video that follows this one up and teaches us everything we need to know to hook it up to a water heater