Has Anyone Installed Radiant Heating Under Tile?

[RickO]

I'm pondering replacing the carpet and vinyl in my coach with tile and am concerned that it will be too cold. Has anyone installed radiant heating coils/pads under their tile floors?

I may end up going with a floating laminate floor instead but the same question applies.

I know that most of those with factory installations of heated floors love them but that's a whole different animal.

Any insights would be appreciated.

[JerryForwood]

Check the Amperage required. I think you will find it will use up more than you will want to spare, especially if you have a 30 Amp system.
Jerry

[RV Wizard]

The R factor of insulation in the floor will have a lot to do with the temperature of the tile floor. I have never found our floor to be cold but have not only good insulation in the floor but the compartments are very well insulated as well. My furnace vents are in the toe kicks of the cabinets and I have them blow across the floor too. At the vents the floor is very warm!

[beaverjim]

have you looked into duraceramic tile by congoleum. really nice stuff. it is a composite base with a true ceramic coating that looks and feels exactly like true ceramic tile, you can install it with or without grout,will not crack due to vibration or flex of the coach. the real good news is that its about 50 to 60% warmer on the feet due to its composite base. really great looking stuff! it will be the next part of our renovation. good luck with your project.
jim

[DonnaB]

Just another thought for you....

Now, when I first get up and the furnace has been off all night....eeek, it's cold. We have tile from bedroom to front door and it can feel cold in the winter. However when we have the furnace (AquaHot) running, the floor right in front of the bathroom sink and the kitchen sink is more than warm....nearly hot. It really depends on how warm you keep your home as to how warm the tile becomes. We do not keep our thermostat very high, usually 67, but at that temp the tile feels comfortable. I'm sure the insulation factor in your floor has some bearing too, but ours is good.

[RickO]

Thanks all. As always, great insights.

The power draw was my main concern and wanted to see if there were any out there with experience with this. I'm sure I can work it out from data sheets but it may be a deal breaker.

I will look into the duraceramic product. That sounds interesting.

I'd love to have aqua hot but... don't, and the insulation of the floor is an issue. My coach is on a FL Evolution chasis which has the storage bins which come out with the slides. It's great for access but exposes the middle section of the floor to open air under the coach. I've seen threads on insulating the floor and will check those out again.

Thanks all!

[Gary RVRoamer]

American Coach has offered that as an option for quite some time - friends have a 2000 American Dream with the heated tile feature and it works great. I also know of a Country Coach that has it.

[76dc]

I have it front and back on all tile floor and like it. I try to stay away from areas that require me to use heater.

[caymann]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonnaB Just another thought for you.... Now, when I first get up and the furnace has been off all night....eeek, it's cold. We have tile from bedroom to front door and it can feel cold in the winter. However when we have the furnace (AquaHot) running, the floor right in front of the bathroom sink and the kitchen sink is more than warm....nearly hot. It really depends on how warm you keep your home as to how warm the tile becomes. We do not keep our thermostat very high, usually 67, but at that temp the tile feels comfortable. I'm sure the insulation factor in your floor has some bearing too, but ours is good.

Is this a diesel based (such as Aqua Hot, Hydro Hot etc) or propane based (such as Twin Temp) heating system. I am not talking about the regular propane based forced hot air furnace.

If this is the propane based (such as Twin Temp), what is the propane consumption like in gallons/hour?