ᐅ Basement Renovation After Water Damage: Is Installing Radiant Floor Heating a Good Idea?

Dear Forum,

I had to completely gut my basement after damage caused by rainwater.

After removing the floor coverings and screed, as well as the old radiators in the basement, I now have about 2.30 m height (7 ft 7 in) available in the partially basemented area of my timber frame house built in 1969.

My question is whether it is possible to install underfloor heating here with this installation height?

Also, how much insulation do I need to add underneath the basement floor to avoid significant heat loss? How many centimeters should I plan for at a minimum, and is this feasible with a basement height of around 230 cm (7 ft 7 in)?

At the same time, the old, now defective gas boiler will be replaced with a heat pump. My roof is equipped with a photovoltaic system with 14 kW peak and an 11 kW battery. In the upper living area, old radiators with sufficient surface area are installed, and underfloor heating is no longer an option there. So the heat pump will probably need two heating circuits: one for the high flow temperature in the upper living area and one with a lower temperature for the underfloor heating in the basement, correct?

Thank you very much for your insights!

So, if you only have soil and concrete beneath, I would estimate a total construction height of at least 15cm (6 inches) for a standard setup with underfloor heating embedded in the screed in order to achieve some insulation. However, insulation is necessary even without underfloor heating if you want to heat the basement... If you use a thin-layer system due to the relatively low height, it adds only about 3cm (1 inch) on top of the insulation. So you might get down to around 10cm (4 inches) total. There are also heat pumps with two heating circuits available. However, there is also the option of using special mixing boxes that connect to the standard circuit.

Thank you all for the many helpful tips. Which thin-layer system would you recommend that is still affordable?
Have a great weekend, everyone!

cptcrazy schrieb:

Which thin-layer system is recommended but still affordable?

Affordable is relative (they are all expensive). Then I also wonder about the energy efficiency in general. Is the basement insulated from the outside?

If you search on Google for thin-film underfloor heating, you will find many options. It is important that a high-quality, oxygen-tight pipe is used. If you choose a thin-film system to avoid losing too much ceiling height, you will also need load-bearing insulation underneath. This insulation is usually glued as well. However, what needs to be considered is typically specified by the system manufacturer.