When most people think about heating pads, they remember lying around with sore muscles and a warm pad wrapped around their arm, leg or back. They can be used to supply localized heat therapy to virtually any part of the body and provide generous help to the healing process. What many may not realize is that this same idea can use heating pads to provide warmth under the floor on which they walk, especially tile and wood floors that seem to be reluctant to pick up warmth from the air.
The idea of warming the floors has been around almost forever as many castles used hot water under the stone floors to remove the chill from the rocks. Today, heating pads can be used under a variety of floor coverings to take the chill off the floor and help provide heat for the entire house. How large or how many heating pads will be needed will depend on the size of the room and the type of flooring under which it is to be installed.
Typically, homeowners will install heating pads under ceramic tile flooring either between the floor joists or directly under the tiles to provide radiant heat to the flooring. They can be used to heat the entire floor or only specific areas of the floor where the family has more opportunity to walk without shoes, such as in the bathroom around the tub or shower.
Different Materials Used For Different Applications
There are many different types of electric radiant heating pads and they can be installed for a variety of applications. They can be installed between the floor joists under the floor, but they tend to radiate heat in all directions, which can allow heat to be lost in whatever area is beneath them. In basement installations this should not be an issue but when heating pads are installed in a crawl space, it could lose a lot of the benefits to the outdoors.
Many homeowners installing laminate wood flooring will install heating pads under the floating floor and connect the thermostat and power supply in the basement or in a utility room. The room temperature is controlled by a separate thermostat and heating source but the warmth generated by heating pads will help reduce the cost of the regular heat source, essentially not adding costs to heat the floor. However, if they are being installed in a room where exposure to water is possible, proper sealing of the floor is necessary to eliminate the potential for water damage.
