Bathroom Renovation With Radiant Floor Heating
My husband and I decided to renovate the master bath when the pan under our shower sprang a leak. This of course meant the existing carpeting was gone. Hurray!! We chose tile this time around. Seemed like a logical choice – messes could be cleaned up easier from tile than from carpeting. We discussed electric radiant heating and decided that typically the floor would be covered with throw rugs so not to bother. Big BIG Mistake! Nothing will wake you up faster on a cold February morning in the Midwest than missing the rug, finding the tile with your foot.
When you are already down to the sub floor (this is the rough floor before we expose the structure), it is time to install radiant heat. This is what I have learned since we redid our bathroom. Radiant heating is comfortable and when your feet are warm, you are warm. Because the entire floor is heated, there are no warm spots by the heat vent (if the builder decided to put a heat vent in the bathroom) and cold spots farther away. Because of the sense of warmth permeating through your feet, heating your entire body, thermostats are likely to be kept a few degrees lower than forced air systems.
Radiant heat can be hydronic (water) or electric. Hydronic heat is expensive and complicated to install. Electric radiant heat is like putting down an electric blanket. It consists of a series of small wires looped through the area to provide a consistent heat throughout the room and costs far less than hydronic. For a single room, electric radiant heat is the answer and should have been the answer we chose.
To set up an electronic system for our master bath we would have first made a scaled drawing of the space. The wiring does not go under any of the cabinetry, tub, shower enclosure and should be 6” away from toilet and bidet wax seals (don’t even begin to think about melting those guys). This drawing is used to determine how much wiring will be required. ThermoSoft has great directions and pictures from getting started through laying the tiles. This link shows how mats are cut and laid to fit in your space. A licensed electrician will hook up the new electrical circuit (a dedicated 15-20 amp GFCI ) and connect to the thermostat. The wiring is covered with thinset and your tiles are placed on the thin set in the pattern of your choice. The grout is applied and voila a warm AND beautiful floor.
A bathroom size electric radiant heat floor will cost between $400-$700, including the cost of the new tile, and consume the same amount of electricity as 3 100 watt light bulbs.
For more information about radiant heating check out these sites:
Gen-Tran Ovation Automatic Transfer Switch for Generators
