Installation

• 1). Excavate the area where the concrete slab will be, making sure the ground is level and firm. Pack down the soil with a tamper to get the best results from the finished slab. Install forms around the area.
  
  
• 2). Lay insulation to cover the slab area. Insulation should lay flat and smooth against the ground. This will prevent heat from escaping into the ground and direct it upward through the slab and into the home.
  
  
• 3). Lay rebar to strengthen the floor. Bars should be spaced 18 inches apart and should be placed in both directions to form a checkerboard pattern. Tie the bars together at each intersection with rebar wire. Alternatively, use fiber-mesh reinforced concrete for the slab and you can eliminate the need for rebar.
  
  
• 4). Lay wire mesh on top of the rebar. This will provide a sturdy base and help to ensure correct placement of the tubing.
  
  
• 5). You will likely install several zones if you are heating a home. Creating zones allows the heat to be distributed easily and more efficiently, since hot water doesn't have to run through one length of tubing but is able to run through several tubes at once. Typically, the living areas will be on one zone and the bedrooms on another. Beginning at the point where the boiler and manifold will be, lay tubing down the length of the first zone, going away from the wall where the boiler-manifold operating system will be located. When you reach the end of the floor, curve the tubing around and continue laying it in the opposite direction, leaving about a foot of space between rows. Make sure the tube is not kinked at the turn. Continue laying tubing back and forth in this manner until the zone is complete.
  
  
• 6). Begin at the operating system location again to start another zone. Run the tubing straight to the beginning of the next zone and lay in a back-and-forth pattern.
  
  
• 7). Repeat Step 6 for additional zones.
  
  
• 8). Tie tubing to the mesh with heavy-duty zip ties at regular intervals to keep the tubing in place.
  
  
• 9). Pour concrete slab over the tubing.
  
  
• 10
  
  Hire a professional plumber to hook up the radiant tubing to the operating system. In most states it is required by law that a certified plumber connect the system to ensure safe and proper operation.