Residential Design - Installation Guide - We Make Radiant Simple

Oct 25, 2026

Residential Design & Installation Guide presents an overview and step-by-step approach to designing, installing, and commissioning radiant floor heating systems. It covers system principles and benefits, practical applications across electric cable and hydronic configurations, and essential components such as tubing, manifolds, and mixing valves. Detailed guidance addresses site preparation for concrete and wood substrates, system design elements including heat loss and tube layouts, plus installation procedures like pressure testing, splicing, and start-up treatment. Control, wiring, thermal mass, and floor covering integration are also included.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages70

Reading Time2 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1: Introduction

History of Radiant Heating

How it Works

Advantages of an Infloor Heating System

Chapter 2: Applications

Electric Cable

Hydronic Heating: Infloorboard

Hydronic Heating: Concrete

Hydronic Heating: Therma-Floor (Gypcrete)

Hydronic Heating: Radiant Trak

Chapter 3: Components

Tubing

4-Way Mixing Valves

Copper Manifolds

Brass Manifolds

Chapter 4: Site Preparations

Concrete Slabs

Wood Subfloor with Therma-Floor (Gypcrete)

Wood Subfloor with Infloorboard

Warmboard

Wood Subfloor with Staple Up with Emission Plates (Radiant Trak)

Precast Concrete Subfloors

Chapter 5: System Design

Heat Loss

Required Floor Output

Floor Coverings

Actual Floor Output and Delivery Water Temperature

Tube Spacing and Total Tube Required

Number and Length of Tube Circuits

Water Flows

Circuit Head Pressure

LoopCAD OEM Design Program

Chapter 6: Installation

Manifold Installation

Tube Layouts

Tubing Installation

Sleeving Details

Calculations

Tube Pressure Test

Splice Instructions

Chapter 7: Control Options

Control Strategy

Cast Iron Boilers

High-Efficiency Condensing Boilers

Water Heaters

Ground-Source Heat Pumps (Geothermal)

Alternative Systems

Solar Gain

Zoning

Chapter 8: Wiring

Electric Control Box

Wiring Options

Infloor Single Zone Switching Relay

Thermostats

Warm Floor Applications

Wi-Fi Thermostats

Chapter 9: System Start-Up

Purging

System Treatment

Infloor System Treatment / Formula 10

Chapter 10: Thermal Mass & Floor Coverings

Suspended Floors

Existing Concrete Slab

Concrete Slab On or Below Grade

Floor Coverings

Installing Tile or Marble over Therma-Floor

Installing Infloor Heating Systems in Mortar Beds

Installing Hardwood Floors over Infloor Heating Systems

Glue-Down Laminated Hardwood

Floating Floor

Solid Hardwood

Nail-down Sleeper System

Carpet and Pad

Chapter 11: Mechanical Boards

Chapter 12: Appendix

Residential Design & Installation Guide We Make Radiant Simple America’s Authority on Radiant Heating Systems and Designs for over 30 years Table of Contents page 2 | Table of Contents [www.infloor.com](www.infloor.com) Chapter 1: Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………….…………… 4 History of Radiant Heating………………….….………….…….…….….…….….…………………… 4 How it Works….………….………….…………………….….….….….….……….….……………………. 4 Advantages of an Infloor Heating System…………………….….…….…….…...……………… 5 Chapter 2: Applications ………………………………………………………………………………………….……………… 6 Electric Cable……….…………….….…..…….………….….…….….….….………….…………………… 6 Hydronic Heating: Infloorboard.………….………….….…………….……….….…….….….…… 6 Hydronic Heating: Concrete.……….…………….………….…….….….…………….……….….… 6 Hydronic Heating: Therma-Floor (Gypcrete)……….….….….….…………………….…….… 6 Hydronic Heating: Radiant Trak….…………….………….….……..….….…….…….….….……… 7 Chapter 3: Components………………………………………………………………………………….………….………… 8 Tubing…….……….….……………….………………….….….……….….………….….….….…….……… 8 4-Way Mixing Valves……………….….……….….….…….….….…….…….………….…….………. 9 Copper Manifolds……………….….……….……….…….….….….…….….…….….……………….… 10 Brass Manifolds…….………….….…….….……….….…….………………….…………….……………. 11 Chapter 4: Site Preparations ………………………………………………………………….……………………………… 12 Concrete Slabs……….….……….….….…….…….……..….….……….….….….…….….….….……… 13 Wood Subfloor with Therma-Floor (Gypcrete) ..….….…………….…….……………….….… 13 Wood Subfloor with Infloorboard……………….….….….……….….……….….….……….…… 14 Warmboard………………….………………….…….…………….…………….………………..……….… 14 Wood Subfloor with Staple Up with Emission Plates (Radiant Trak)….……………… 15 Precast Concrete Subfloors…….….….…………………….………….….….….……….….….….… 15 Chapter 5: System Design …………………………………………………………………………………………….….…… 16 Heat Loss..…….…….….…….…….…….…….…….………………….…………………….………….…… 16 Required Floor Output………….….….…………..…….……….……………….…….…………….…. 17 Floor Coverings.….………………..….….………….….….….…….….…………….….….….…….….… 17 Actual Floor Output and Delivery Water Temperature….…….……………………….…… 18 Tube Spacing and Total Tube Required……….………….……….….……….…….……….….… 19 Number and Length of Tube Circuits…….…………………….…….….……………….………… 19 Water Flows…….….…………….………….….………….…………….….….….………….….….……… 20 Circuit Head Pressure.….………….………….….……….………….….………….….………………… 20 LoopCAD OEM Design Program…….…….……………………….….……………………………… 21 Chapter 6: Installation …………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… 22 Manifold Installation….….………….…………………….…………….….….………………….……… 22 Copper Manifold Installation….….….….….………………..….…….….….….…………………… 22 Brass Manifold Installation…….…………….…….….….……………….….………….….………… 23 Tube Layouts………………………………..….…………………………….………………………………… 24 Tubing Installation….……….……….….…..……………….….….….…….….………….….….….… 24 Sleeving Details……….………….…….…………….…………………………….….………….……….… 25 Infloor Residential Design & Installation Guide Table of Contents | page 3 Table of Contents Chapter 6: Calculations………….…………….….….….….…………….…………….………….….….…….……….… 25 Tube Pressure Test……….…………….………………….…….…….……….….….….…………………. 26 Splice Instructions….….….….………….………….……….…….………….…….…….…….…….…… 27 Chapter 7: Control Options………………………………………………………………………………………….…………… 28 Control Strategy……….….….…….…….………………………….……….….…….………….…….….… 28 Cast Iron Boilers….…….……….……………………….………….…….…..…….….….…….…….….… 28 High-Efficiency Condensing Boilers….………….…….….…….………….….….….…….…….…… 29 Water Heaters….….…….…………….…..……………….….…………….….…………….…….…….…… 29 Ground-Source Heat Pumps (Geothermal)…….….………………………….….….…………… 30 Wood/Coal Fired Boilers…………….…….…….…….….…….….…….….….….….….….……….… 30 Alternative Systems….….….…………….….………………….…….…….………………….….…….… 30 Solar Gain…….………….….…….….……………….…….…….….……….…………….……………….…… 31 Zoning..….……………….….…………………….….…….….….….……….………….….….……….…….… 31 Chapter 8: Wiring ………………………………………………………………………………………………….….….………… 32 Electric Control Box….….……….….….….….…….………….….…….….………

FAQs

What kinds of radiant heating system applications are covered?

The guide covers electric cable applications and multiple hydronic heating approaches, including Infloorboard, concrete installations, Therma-Floor (Gypcrete), and Radiant Trak configurations.

Which components are described for building a radiant floor system?

Key components include tubing, 4-way mixing valves, and manifold systems such as copper and brass manifolds.

How does the guide approach system design and installation?

It presents heat loss and required floor output, tube spacing and circuit sizing, and water flow considerations, then follows with installation steps such as manifold setup, tubing layouts, pressure testing, and splicing instructions.

Oct 25, 2026

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