I have a detached garage that I use as a gym, but during winter, the floor gets freezing cold. I currently run propane for heat, but I want to install electric heat mats under my gym flooring to warm it up during the day. My idea is to keep the floor from being close to freezing when I work out at night. Has anyone done something similar? I'm looking for a basic DC controller that can connect directly to the heating panels without needing an inverter, as most commercial options only come with AC controllers. I know things like wire length and gauge matter, and I'm mindful of the heating wire's durability under gym mats. My floor is layered, and I'll use my router to create space for the wire. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
To tackle your cold floor issue, I recommend getting 1/2 inch pink foam to insulate the floor, followed by 1/4 inch oriented strand board on top. This setup will help retain heat better! You could either place your gym mats over that or finish with some vinyl laminate flooring on top. That way, your propane heating system will work more effectively. If you want to get really fancy, heating mats under the laminate could do the trick, too!
The electric wire mats are an option, but keep in mind they can be pretty inefficient and primarily a resistive heating system. You'd usually get better efficiency out of a heat pump. Around here, basic floor heating mats run on 12v DC, which is suited for smaller setups like caravans, so if you have the proper supply and current, you should be fine!
Just curious—when you say you're using your router to make space for the wire, what does that exactly entail? What’s your floor made of? I’d be a bit wary about placing heavy gym gear on an electrical base.
This is similar to my current setup, but I’m trying to avoid heating the space constantly with propane. I’m looking into using some cheap/free solar panels since half my roof faces south. My plan is if I can set this up right, the floor will generate heat during the day for free and keep the place warm enough when I hit the propane at night without it getting too cold first.