Working with a Radiant Heat Concrete Surface

Radiant heat flooring is a situation you may encounter if you live in a colder climate. Radiant heating is the process of embedding tubing in a concrete surface (i.e. interior floors for room heating and exterior slabs to melt snow and ice) and then having hot water or electric heating transmit through this tubing to warm the concrete slab.

The challenge posed by radiant heat flooring is that of not harming the tubing during the preparation stages. Since the floor has tubing running approximately 2” down throughout the floor, you cannot cut the floor for tension relief.

Preparation of a radiant heat floor must be mechanical. Use of acid on a radiant heat slab may cause damage to the tubing. Crack repair procedures can be utilized by forming a small “V” channel in the slab along the crack line and injecting the Fast Crack 1431. Once the mechanical preparation and crack repair is done, the installation of the CTI System can proceed as normal.

Once the CTI System has been installed, it is recommended that the radiant heat unit not be used for a minimum of 30 days. This allows the CTI System to cure and so the rapid heating of the concrete caused by the radiant heating doesn’t damage the surface.