Should I Control My Radiant Floor With A Slab Sensor

Any cooler surface in contact with the slab will try to steal its heat.

Should i control my radiant floor with a slab sensor.

The thermostat operates the radiant floor to maintain the floor temperature. This easy to install thermostat is a direct replacement for the tekmar thermostat 509. It is impossible to control a slab with floor sensor only. People do it of course but it s a very poor method of control.

The floor sensor will allow the floor to come up to a comfortable and constant temperature while the primary heating system takes care of the air temperature. For concrete floor radiant heating systems the warm water tubing or electric heating elements can either be embedded within the slab on grade anywhere from the bottom of the slab to within 2 inches of the surface depending on the design and installation technique or fastened to the top of a concrete subfloor and then covered with an overlay. It s possible to retrofit a replacement floor sensor into the grout joint. If you have a floor heating system installed under a tile or stone floor and the floor sensor fails your grout joints can help.

The thin casing allows for retrofit installation between tile spaces if necessary. This will allow the floor sensor to get an accurate reading without adding to the floor elevation. A floor control is also used when the primary purpose of the radiant heat is floor warming. Some people may want to warm a tile floor.

Your slab must vary in temperature to change its output depending on how much heat you need. The result of using a slab sensor is that although the air temperature may overheat under certain conditions and may underheat under other conditions the floor temperature. Use the grout joint for repairs. The insulation phase is crucial for a radiant floor.

Bottom line for good hydronic radiant floor heating system temp control performance one needs to use slab outdoor air and indoor air temp feedback. This why the tekmar thermostat has these temp feedbacks. A floor sensor is a fixed setpoint. Mainly heated slabs radiate outward rather than downward so insulation on the edges of the slab is most important.

Remember that your slab will be about 75 degrees f. One also needs to carefully read the installation instructions for the thermostat and properly set all the settings. Simple up and down buttons and a display with large type make this thermostat easy to read and use. This sensor is designed to provide a thermostat with the ability to maintain a minimum slab temperature or help to limit the maximum slab temperature.

Others may want to simply make a room more comfortable.