How do you detail garage door radiant slabs?.....Boilerpro

Tom Manton

You could pour the slab to the inside of the garage door, then pour an apron separated with a thermal break. That doesn't sound like it's worth it in your case though with all the cracking issues from frost, you would have to make sure the subgrade was extrordiarily preped for the apron (drainage, stone bed, insulation, ect.).

I've had really good luck installing unheated slabs in unheated garages on 2" foam, we've reduced cracked slabs to virtually nothing with good prep and foam. I also live in one of the worst areas for heaving (heavy poor draining soils, high water table, deep frost).

On the door detail, we usually just accept the heatloss in this area and run the slab out under the door. You can insulate the front of the slab or even the front wall of the garage foundation. I also like to run insulation at a 45 degree angle downward below grade away from the building, I usually will forgo insulation on the top of the wall where the slab crosses so I can mechanically tie the slab to it with rebar or bolts.

Boilerpro_5

Your Thoughts????

This always seems to be a bad spot. Contractors want to poor the interior slab over the footing with no thermal break. Also, slabs often crack here in unheated garages, (probably due to frost heaving of the slab but not the footing). I'd like something better.

Boilerpro

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Rich L.

Snowmelt

I just look at this spot as a mini snow melt option. I explain it ahead of time to my customers and that they will never have issues with garage doors sticking shut from ice and snow. Generally in our area the slab sticks out about six inches past the door and I keep my tubes back from that outside edge approx twelve inches.

Unknown

Yup,I do nothing between as well. I thought about wood or expansion joint material but worried about water infiltration and deterioration of the materials from driving over them etc. over time, so I just butted them up together. I did keep my tube a foot away from the edge in those spots, it was 6" away from edges all the rest of the way around.

hot_rod

It's not much

but 1/2" foam between the garage and drive way helps with a thermal break and an expansion joint.

Concrete supply shops have this plastic H channel to cover the foam edge. After the pour pull the top tab and squirt a urethane caulk in that seam to water proof and provide expansion.

Slab to footing could have a 2" foam horizontal beeak. around here they merely thicken the slab under the doorway, down about 12- 18"

hr

singh

Maybe this

http://www.energyedgeforms.com/index.htm

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"