How do I Choose Hydronic Carpet Padding?
- 1). Match the padding and carpet to your subflooring material. Buy thicker, moisture resistant, heating system compliant padding for concrete subfloors. Get the thickest padding that matches the heating system your budget will allow for wood subfloors with hydronic heating. Keep in mind that carpet does have the advantage of shortening the heating season because carpets will keep the floor generally warmer.
- 2
Nothing beats a warm, carpeted floor for comfort on cold mornings.carpet roller image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
Buy lower pile carpeting and do not buy padding that exceeds 3/8 inches in thickness to maximize heat availability. Look to see how you may regain lost heat to the padding and carpet. Refer to the flooring manufacturer's acceptable water heat range. Increase the temperature of the water in the system, in accordance with manufacturer recommendations, to offset or diminish any such heat loss. - 3). Get the padding with the proper thermal resistance rating, R-value, for the particular heating system. Do not forget that most radiant heat floor manufacturers recommend a total R-value not to exceed 4.0. That includes both the padding and carpet together, not 4.0 for padding and 4.0 for carpet.
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R-values over 4.0 surrender significant heat.boots on carpet image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
Calculate your carpet and padding R-value yourself if it is not readily available. Measure the thickness of the carpet, then measure the thickness of the padding. Add these to get total R-value to make sure you are within the recommended allowance of 4.0. For example, if your carpet has an R-value of 1.4 and your pad measures 1.8, the total is 3.2, and you are within the acceptable range for your radiant heat floor. - 5). Confirm with the padding and carpet manufacturers that both are radiant heat safe. Make sure both can withstand extended periods of low but continuous heat. Do not install nylon shag or plush wool carpets with hare and jute coated or polyurethane padding. The possible combination of these four all exceed the recommended 4.0 R-value of the radiant/hydronic heat manufacturers.
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