Radiant Flooring

Radiant heat is actually an old technology. It's common knowledge that the ancient Romans used it to heat their public baths. In more modern times, the Europeans have relied upon radiant heat for over 60 years. In fact, it was servicemen returning from World War II who first spread the word about under floor heat to their fellow Americans. Many radiant floors, most using copper tubing buried within concrete slabs, were installed and used successfully in the 1960's and 70's. But they all suffered from one primary problem...longevity. Copper within concrete is highly susceptible to corrosion and a lifespan of 50 years for a radiant floor was considered exceptional. Today, modern plastics not only share many of the heat emitting properties of copper, but also provide greater flexibility, corrosion resistance, and a lifespan of over 100 years. Of these modern plastics, polyethylene is by far the best and most commonly used material. Below is a photo of our most versatile and highest output tubing. With 7/8" Durapoly XL PEX (XL stands for cross-linked) you can expect a heat output of at least 50 BTU's per foot in a slab on grade installation and 40 BTU's per foot in a floor joist application. Our 7/8" PEX is potable (Underwriters Laboratories ANSI/NSF-61) and ultraviolet resistant for protection against sun damage during installation. It is available as either standard PEX tubing or as a PEX tubing with an oxygen barrier.