North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Archive for the ‘Underfloor Heating’ Category

Many people want underfloor heating in their homes, but do not want to go through the cost and hassle of hiring a professional to install it.  That is where an underfloor heating kit comes in.
 
An underfloor heating kit can come in one of two varieties: loose wire or mat.  A loose wire kit is a little more difficult to install than a mat kit.  This kind of underfloor heating kit should only be used by those who have a room that is an unusual shape and needs a highly customised underfloor heating system to be installed.
 
Mat underfloor heating kits are considerably easier to install and fit most rooms.  The average kitchen, bathroom and living room can all be fitted with a mat underfloor heating kit.  That is because these rooms are commonly square or rectangle shaped.
 
Underfloor heating mat kits are extremely simple to use.  The kits come with mats that need to be placed under the floor to provide heat.  These mats simply need to be rolled out.  The required wiring is already in place and does not need to be shaped or altered at all.  Installation is as simple as rolling out the mats and setting them in place under the floor.
 
The mat kits are designed for regular rooms, but that does not mean they cannot be customised at all.  Using the mats, it is possible to cover only part of a room, or only the sections of a room that need to be covered.  The mats are a set size, but the homeowner can use as many or as few as they feel is necessary to heat the room.

Measuring the Floor

When installing an electric underfloor heating system it is important to measure the floor accurately and take account of fixed units, such as kitchen islands, showers, baths and bedroom units.  It is also important to ensure that the area is not thermally blocked, as this can lead to a build up of heat, which could damage the floor.  Once the total area has been measured 10% should be deducted to make allowance for the perimeter.

With some systems, a single underfloor heating thermostat can be used to control the temperature.  One great advantage of this is that a connection is only required at one end.

Preparing the Floor

Newly laid concrete sub-floors must be allowed to cure naturally and a thin layer of levelling compound should be used to achieve a level surface.  Timber floors must be clean and level and plywood over-boarding may be used where necessary.  Sealant should be applied to the porous sub-floor before the application of adhesives or levelling compounds.

One key point that you have to remember when installing underfloor heating is that the warmth travels both upwards and downwards.  Therefore, to improve the performance of the heating system and to speed up initial warm up times good quality underfloor heating insulation should be used between the sub-floor and heat source.

Laying the Underfloor Heating System

If heating mats are being used, only the mesh backing should be cut, never the cables.  The manufacturer of the mats will provide information on the gap required between the walls and cables.  Once the mat has been laid, resistance readings should be taken with a multimeter.  The manufacturer will supply all the necessary information on the correct readings.

To prevent damage to the cables, foot traffic over the area should be restricted until the top layer of flooring has been laid.

Underfloor heating is an efficient, low cost way of heating indoor spaces using radiant heat instead of convected heat emitted by heat sources such as radiator networks, wood, gas, oil or coal burners or electric heaters. Underfloor heating is normally either based on a system of underfloor water pipes or electric cables or mesh.

The commonly stated advantages of underfloor heating are greater than the disadvantages. The former include the longer lasting heating effect of underfloor heating compared with convected heating, the lower cost over the long term of using less power to achieve the same or better heating levels, the saving of indoor space, as all the equipment is placed under the floor, and the relative ease of installation, which can be completed on a DIY basis by using underfloor heating kits.

Nonetheless, underfloor heating can have its drawbacks. With equipment being placed under the floor, faults in the system or even regular maintenance of the system entails having to open the floor to reach the water pipes, electric cables or mesh. In water underfloor heating, also known as wet underfloor heating, maintenance is necessary to empty the system of air as well as to repair any leaks.  That having been said such faults are relatively rare.

Also, underfloor heating can take a longer time to get up to temperature, meaning rooms may have to be pre-heated, although cooling down periods are also long. Placing furniture on top of underfloor heating can, in the long term, damage it by drying it out or by causing it to ‘sweat’.

New build homes can benefit greatly from having underfloor heating installed prior to the flooring being laid.  It is also possible to install underfloor heating systems into existing homes, although it is not as straightforward.

Floor heating systems can be bought in kit form for those who want to lay it themselves, although it is possible to call in a professional to install it for you.  Employing a professional company such as Floor Heating Online also means that the work will have a guarantee, so if anything goes wrong you can call on them to rectify the problem.

It is a good idea to install your under floor heating system prior to laying a new floor.  However, if you decide, at a later date, that you would like under floor heating then it will mean removing the existing flooring, installing the heating system and then laying a new floor.

Underfloor heating can be installed under many different floor coverings, but the most popular are tile or laminate.  That is because these surfaces are well known for being cold under foot.  Carpeted floors are not really suitable for this type of heating system.

There is no need to worry about the floor becoming wet, because underfloor heating is completely waterproof and there is no risk of electrical shortages or electrocution.  Each room can b individually controlled by its own thermostat, so some rooms such as children’s bedrooms or bathrooms, may be set to a higher temperature than other areas of the home.

The first people that we know of to make use of wet underfloor heating were the Romans, more than 2,000 years ago.  They built furnaces in empty spaces below the floor, similar to a cellar.  When the furnaces were lit, the warm air would rise up and heat the floor of the room overhead.

In the modern era, it was in the 1960s that electric underfloor heating was first tried.  Builders would encase the warming cables in concrete.  These cables were heated during the night, when electricity rates were less expensive.  However, this method turned out to be more expensive to run than traditional systems and less efficient.  The floors were too hot first thing in the morning and then became too cold by the time evening came around.

Today’s underfloor heating systems use a combination of radiant and convected heat.  This creates a comfortable atmosphere at a temperature setting that is actually lower than that of a traditional system. 

Traditional heating systems force the heated air up to the ceiling, above your head, where you cannot benefit from it.  Over half of the warmth from underfloor heating is in the form of radiant heat, which is evenly distributed across the floor.  Therefore, the warmest air is at the level of your feet, not high above your head.

Underfloor heating systems can be used under a variety of floor coverings including carpeting, hardwood, laminate, tile, stone and linoleum.  It can be installed during construction of a new home or added to a single existing room or a new addition.

Electric underfloor heating is the ideal way to warm the floor in your bathroom, kitchen or any other rom in the house, very cheaply.  Underfloor heating is easy to install and an underfloor heating kit can be purchased at many of the larger DIY shops.  Underfloor heating kits are sold complete with a set of instructions and are safe to be installed by a competent person.  There is no need to employ professionals to do the job.

Electric underfloor heating is suitable for use under tiled floors, which are notorious for being cold to bare feet; it also makes a nice touch in a conservatory or bedroom and makes walking around the home barefoot a pleasant experience.

Electric underfloor heating systems are connected directly to the mains and are extremely safe.  Independent thermostats control the system, so you can warm the floor to a temperature to suit you.  Underfloor heating is not designed to heat the whole room, like central heating radiators, it is only intended to warm the floor slightly and take the chill off while walking around.

Underfloor heating is perfect for bedrooms on freezing winter mornings, as the initial cold feeling when put your bare feet on the floor can be extremely uncomfortable.  The underfloor heating can be set to warm all through the night or to come on a short while before you are due to get up, so the floor is nice and warm when you get out of bed.

DIY underfloor heating is a simple project for anyone who is capable of following a manufacturer’s instructions.  When selecting your underfloor heating kit be sure to ask if it is safe for the type of flooring you intend using it for.  Wet underfloor heating systems can be used with almost any type of flooring.  If your underfloor heating is to be added to only part of your home, you should also ask if it is compatible with the heating system you already have in place.

The materials required for your DIY underfloor heating project should be of high quality, but simple.  Everything you need should be available from your local builders and plumbers merchants.  There are no specialised components or construction methods required, just normal supplies and techniques.

A good DIY underfloor heating system should be quick and easy to install.  They generally take about a third as long as installing a radiator system and less skill is required.

Before you purchase an underfloor heating kit, read the instructions.  It is essential that they are easy to understand and simple to follow.  Diagrams, illustrations and photographs are very helpful.

If you have any doubts, you can still use a DIY underfloor heating kit.  You simply buy the kit and then hire a plumber and an electrician to install it.  It would also be helpful to hire a contractor to help you choose the right kit for your situation and possibly to oversee the entire project.  There are also tradesmen who specialise in installing underfloor heating systems who can handle the whole job for you.

Certain floor coverings benefit greatly from having underfloor heating.  They include tiled floors, which are well known for being cold under foot and laminate floors that do not hold the heat as well as natural wood flooring.  There are several types of underfloor heating systems to choose from.

Electric underfloor heating and water underfloor heating are both suitable for eco-friendly, solar powered homes.  Underfloor electric heating is powered directly from the mains supply and the cables are extremely thin, around 3mm in diameter, so there will be no problem with floor levels once the laminate has been laid on top.

Water underfloor heating is powered using the hot water from the water tank or heated from the home’s boiler, in the same way that the mains hot water is heated.  Both underfloor heating systems are cost effective, but it is better to lay the system prior laying a new floor.

Removing laminate flooring to install underfloor heating in is an option, but many people find that the flooring does not go back down properly afterwards.  For anyone considering replacing a laminate floor, that would be the ideal time to install an underfloor heating system.

The provision of an underfloor heating thermostat in each room means that temperature can be controlled and temperature set individually.  Conservatory underfloor heating temperatures, especially in winter, may need to be set higher than elsewhere in the house.

Underfloor heating can be laid without the help of a professional and it is possible to buy DIY underfloor heating kits in many of the larger hardware and DIY stores.

Modern underfloor heating is a type of heating system which uses conducted and/or radiant heat to control interior temperature from under floorboards, stones, paving, tiles, etc. This method of heating can trace its origin to the Roman use of hypocausts to heat public and private buildings.

Originally, Roman underfloor heating was either a municipal technique, used to heat public buildings such as baths, or restricted to particularly wealthy households. It later spread out across the Roman Empire as it expanded to colder regions.

Hypocausts – which stands for ‘heat from below’ – entail the raising of the floor on pillars or stacks, which left open spaces and ducts running below the floor. The heat from a furnace would be funnelled through these spaces as well as up in spaces between the outside walls to further rooms on the upper floors. Great care was taken that such funnelling would allow the smoke and hot air to exit at designated points in the walls so as not to poison the internal space or pollute it with smoke.

Hypocausts are often regarded as the first major use of internal and/or domestic heating. Later developments of the technique in the Islamic world resulted in the use of pipe systems rather than open ducts to eliminate further the chance of indoor pollution.

Nowadays, the most common types of underfloor heating use hot water pipes, known as wet or water underfloor heating, electric cables, known as electric underfloor heating, meshes or film heaters.

Underfloor electric heating has been widely used in Northern Europe for the past couple of decades, and in recent years it has begun to spread in popularity in the United Kingdom. It is not only common to see underfloor heating kits installed in new construction projects but also during renovations where existing properties are updated to reflect modern technology. As with almost every other aspect of home improvement there are a wide variety of choices available to the average consumer when it comes to choosing what exactly they want to customise in their home.

The beauty of an underfloor heating system is first and foremost the simple fact that the floor itself becomes the heat emitter. Rather than heating the home as radiators have done in the past, where the actual emitters are mounted on the walls themselves and are heating from the ceiling down, underfloor heating systems work by heating the home from the floor upwards. This is a far more efficient manner that not only reduces the cost of the electricity bill every month (another of the many reasons they are so popular), but also allows for complete control over the internal temperature of a house with the aid of an underfloor heating thermostat . As every homeowner can testify, the home is the one place where everyone should feel completely comfortable, and the more elements that you can accurately control the better the comfort levels.

With such a variety of easy to fit DIY underfloor heating systems to choose from on the market today it is quite a simple matter to improve your home with such an installation project.