Securing interrior wall to concrete floor with hydronic heating

Question

I purchased my current property before all of the buildings were completed. As such, I have a 60x80 outbuilding that has the plumbing roughed in for a bathroom, but the bathroom was not installed. I am currently planning on completing the bathroom, but have never completed a project like this.

I will need to secure my new walls to my concrete floor. In the past I've used tapcon type screws to ensure that the base plate is secured. With the concrete floor having hydronic heating installed, I am fearful of damaging the heating system. What is the best method to attach the walls in this type of situation? Is construction adhesive sufficient for this task?

NOTE: Floor heating system is not installed yet (Still missing boiler and related components), so using heat / thermal camera is not an option.

Answer 1

If not prohibited by building code in your area, you could just use construction adhesive ("Liquid Nails") instead of screws/nails to attach the wall to the floor.

I've seen that stuff peel the top of concrete away when removing it, it grabs pretty well.

Unless your walls are going to see some heavy duty use like very heavy items hung from them, or a heavy door (like a garage door) mounted in them, construction adhesive should work just fine.

Answer 2

Get an infrared camera and run the heating system. You will easily be able to tell where the pipes are and avoid them when drilling.

Answer 3

Rent / borrow or buy a flir-type heat sensing camera. You’ll discover exactly where the tubes are and where it’s safe to drill.