Contemplating this for my house build, the water type, with pipes being laid in the concrete screed and possibly upstairs too between the joists. Was wondering wether anyone has experience of it, good or bad, and how it may compare to a conventional radiator setup. Im aware that it doesnt react as quick to a radiator would with the screed needing time to warm up (and cool down!) hence the system needs to tick over to keep the screed upto a certain temp which is my main concern, ie running costs. Any input welcome......
hmmmm underfloor heating too me is just a gimmick and in these times of high energy prices maybe a little extravagent. try slippers
Mother in law has it in her conservatory Seems ok but it's only under floor tiles Personally I just strap a hot water bottle to each foot..... Works a treat :lol:
Never known it to be placed in screed but its a few years since by building technology HND and subsequent QS degree. I am aware of another method where its laid in polystyrene bats under the floor. Supposedly extremely expensive to install - but the level of warmth is stunning - Running costs supposed to be less as the room is heated as a whole, and not just where the rads are.
Well it has its advantages, no radiators determining where furniture is, runs on cooler water than your typical radiator system and since the pipes are laid in the screed it acts as a storage heater keeping warm for quite a while, especially with the levels of insulation in a new build. My main concern is it has to keep ticking over constantly to hold the screed at a level where it can reach its desired temp quickly. Anyone with first hand experience out there.......
Working in the Industry I am a big sceptic of UFH. Main reason being maintainability after installation, water based systems can be problematic if not installed correctly and the electricity based ones are not cheap to run, especially in these trying times of rip off energy tarrifs. Again once the floors have been screeded and tiles etc laid down thats it im afraid from a maintenance point of view ! Finaly theres the heat controlability, it takes a good time for them to get to temperature and heat the floors surface area, then nearly the same time again to cool the surface area down unlike a conventional rad or electric panel heater which are quicker to manage the heat output. I beleive systems and methods are slowly improving with time but im a traditionalist and wouldnt reccommend it over a wet piped or electric based heating system!
I fit bathrooms and kitchens and wouldnt recommend water based under floor heating. I only use electric. And its not that expensive.. And if you fit it right then why would you have to do any thing to it to maintain it?!? Make sure you dont have a moving floor.. If its concrete great, it can be screeded in level.. If its wood, then youll possibly need a sub floor. You can now get a huge orange roll of plastic with tons of raised pockets so tiles/grout wont crack with slight movement..Its called "EasyMat" makes instillation quite easy aswell. Dunno how it works but its great!! It takes 20/30 mins to heat up the tiles as it has to heat up the screed aswell. But all depend on what tiles you have.. 22oc/30oc are good noticeable heats.. I would deffo recommend it.. Then you wont have to walk on freezing cold tiles.. You got any more questions matey let me know
Certainly not a straight forward decision, dont want to miss the chance of installing it now (read "when at that stage") and then wishing i had done it, but then again there are too many unknowns at the moment. Sure all the companies that supply it all praise it and more so say its cheaper to run, but struggle to get my head round that when it has to tick over 24/7. ScoobyR, for what reason do you not recommend water based systems?
They dont have to run 24/7.. My customers just turn it off when they dont want it on in both kitchen and bathroom. To start with, electric underfloor heating is a lot cheaper and easier to install. With a water based heating system the supply and fit of a new boiler alone could cost you around £2,500! Electric underfloor heating is also a lot quicker at heating up, by using Fastwarm® thermal insulation initial heat time can be reduced to 15-20mins. Not to mention the improved efficiency provided by the physics of having your heating radiate from the floor and the system’s energy saving digital thermostat. Under floor heating is ideal for ceramic or stone tiles enabling you to have your heat when and where you want it. Even if you were to use water based heating under the floor you would incur extra costs as you would still need a boiler and increased floor elevation to fit the pipes. In conclusion though probably the biggest advantage of electricity is the servicing prospects: Electricity cables don’t leak and they don’t burst when they get cold. When you’re not paying a plumber between £35-£60 call-out charge just to look at the damage water has caused to your home you’ll know you’ve made the right decision. 8)
Something else for you to consider if you are building a new home is your energy consumption / efficiency wrating which will be graded accordingly dependent on the type of construction and materials / insulation & energy used, im sure you have looked into this from a HIPS perspective if not its worth bearing in mind to achieve a best possible graded build which will assist in your future sale and no doubt resale value.
ScoobyR, some valid points and most of which i agree with, when retro fitting. However this is a new build so no boiler swapping, floor levels no problem and forgot to add my brother is a plumber/gas installer but hasnt had any experience with UFH, fitting will be a piece of piss, its the running costs that im more interested in right now. Kris, the house is a timber frame build with a brick outer. The timber frame company work out most of the thermal efficiency and as im sure your aware with it being a timber frame they are very efficient, what with a 50mm cavity between brick and frame and then a frame full of insulation, 150mm iirc, it will no doubt be upto todays efficiency standards. cheers for all your input guys. 8)
