Radiant Subfloor Panels--New Options for Light Commercial Heating
As concern for employee health and comfort has proven to be a good business practice, more companies are installing radiant heating systems in the workplace. Increased worker productivity, reduced fuel consumption and operating costs of heating systems, and flexibility of interior design and equipment layout are reasons why light commercial and institutional builders and specifiers embrace the radiant heating concept. Easy to handle radiant subfloor panels, designed to be installed on top of an existing subfloor, have become a popular retrofit solution due to their very low 1/2" profile and efficient heat output. This, combined with their ease of handling and the ability to provide the benefits of radiant heat without the use of concrete, has led to the use of radiant subfloor panels in new wood frame construction as frequently as in retrofit situations.
A number of years ago, I developed a wood panel system made of 1/2" CDX plywood attached to an aluminum back. Each 48" long panel, available either in 7" or 10" spacing, has a groove down the center to accept a single run of PEX tubing. The tubing snaps into the groove and sits on the aluminum back. When warm water is run through the PEX tubing, the aluminum spreads the heat evenly throughout the panel. A U-Turn panel is used to reverse tubing direction.