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Client Stories. Installation Videos. Privacy Policy. How Does Underfloor Heating Work? Heated Floors Floor heating is the modern heating solution — creating the perfect temperature, making you feel warm and comfortable from the moment you enter the room.
Recommended for you:. The pipes are evenly laid in loops around the entire room, which gives you that beautifully even heat.
The pipes are laid on the sub-floor and clipped onto insulation boards. All testing of pipes should be carried out at this stage. Once the pipes are installed and tested, they should quickly be covered by the screed or dry mix — this is to avoid the risk of damaging the pipes and also because if temperatures drop suddenly it will prevent the water in the pipes from freezing.
Underfloor heating pipes laid and ready for a concrete screed. A concrete screed laid over the pipes should be a minimum thickness of 75 mm. This is also the minimum thickness required where you are planning to grind your screed if you are opting for a polished concrete floor. Ideally, you should use at least 50 mm of polyurethane insulation for the underfloor heating system.
This is very high quality insulation and can be used for both concrete and timber suspended floor constructions. Insulation should be laid underneath the sub-floor to ensure heat does not escape into the ground, although in some cases it is laid on top of the sub-floor.
If laying a concrete screed, it should be allowed to fully dry out before turning on your underfloor heating system for the first time. The company laying the screed will advise you on the best wait period — if you are planning to have your concrete polished, let them know.
It is also vital that the temperature is brought up very gradually. This will help prevent the concrete from cracking. Underfloor central heating is at its best beneath a solid or polished concrete floor, where the latent heat builds up and is slowly released by the thermal mass. Concrete is an excellent conductor of heat and retains heat really well. This is why underfloor heating works so well for polished concrete floors. Electric underfloor heating is often cheaper and easier to install than wet underfloor heating.
However, the running costs can be three times higher. It is often a good idea to install electric underfloor heating in a small, single area like a bathroom or en suite, where it may be difficult to install wet underfloor heating. One of the most common — and worst — uses for electric underfloor heating is in a conservatory. Typically these areas need a lot of heat and are used for relatively long periods of the day compared to a bathroom.
Then running cost becomes the key issue and the extra trouble and expense of a wet system is well worthwhile. If you are opting for a whole-house underfloor heating system, there will be separate pipes running into each room. The effect of this is that UFH heats the room from the ground up, providing even heat across the whole room, eliminating cold spots and thereby providing more comfort.
It also means that we feel warmer sooner. In a new build, the extra cost of underfloor heating relative to the whole build cost is seldom a deal breaker. However, installing UFH in a renovation project can be hugely disruptive and expensive as it often involves taking up floors that may otherwise be best left alone, or raising the floor level, which may have implications on the joinery doors, skirting etc.
Low-profile systems tend to have smaller diameter pipes and run at a higher temperature. This means that the floor will heat up and cool down far more quickly than conventional underfloor heating. Where underfloor heating is added to an existing radiator system then a different control system will be needed. Luckily, wireless thermostats some of which can be controlled with a phone app make installation far easier. These figures will vary depending on the size of the property, the amount of heating the building needs and whether it is a new build, renovation or conversion.
This isn't necessarily more expensive than electric underfloor heating systems, and in fact, some of the more advanced electric systems will cost more. Potentially yes, but this will be dictated property by property, room by room, depending on heat loss and whether the output from an underfloor heating system is larger than this loss figure.
Radiators are cheaper to buy, they are well understood and there is a huge choice when it comes to size, style and installers, but they are less efficient and take up floor space. While underfloor heating has a higher initial expenditure than radiators, don't let this put you off. The running costs are generally far lower for UFH than radiators. It's worth noting too that underfloor heating systems have a lifespan of 50 years plus, while the average radiator will only last between years before becoming inefficient.
The thickness of the floor screed during your installation process will make all the difference.
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