Underfloor heating

Wildpoppy40

Hello

Does anyone have experience of underfloor heating? We are having a new kitchen and need new flooring. We currently have tiles (which are cold under foot) and are moving the kitchen around so have to rip them up and start from scratch. We would also remove the radiator.

We are looking at the having electric heating on a roll mat as the primary source in the kitchen but I keep hearing that it is has high running costs even though different manufacturers say it is cheap to run.

We live in a modern house that is well insulated with a concrete floor and will probably put insulation boards down whether we go with the underfloor heating or not. We are having tiles again - possibly granite.

Should we go with it and hope for the best or stick to a radiator? Does anyone have the same and has it increased the bills?

Thanks

Poppy

danofessex

Hello Poppy,
i would recommend you keep the radiator as the electric under floor heating will just keep the tiles warm under foot.
if you lay electric under floor heating, lay levelling compund over the wires to protect them from the trowel.
then use a flexible adhesive and grout.

Moss5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Central-Heating-Kitchen-Plinth-Heater/dp/B001S2FOF0

Your radiator pipes could supply one of these?

MX5huggy

Moss5 wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Central-Heating-Kitchen-Plinth-Heater/dp/B001S2FOF0

Your radiator pipes could supply one of these?

But its unlikely it will fit under an integrated dishwasher!

Wildpoppy40

We have thought of those but I want lights in the plinth so that would remove that option.

I guess we may have to move the radiator to a different wall and see if the insulation board under the new tiles will warm the floor a little.

It would be good to hear from anyone with experience of underfloor heating on a day to day basis.
Thanks

Poppy

premkit

i have installed lots now and have it in 3 rooms. the running cost are low as it gets to temp them switches off then on when it drops 1 deg.
insulation board is a must, the only down side to them is they sound a little hollow when walked on in shoes. the board should be stuck down then lay the mat or ribbon then self level over the wires and tile. dont put the heating on for a week or so after the grout has been done.
also test the mat at every stage.

mackemdave

I moved into a house in Aug which has a mixture of wet underfloor heating and radiaitors.....Give me radiators any day...Under floor takes an absolute age to heat up....This morning the heating came on at 5:30 am at 8am the underfloor heated rooms were still very very chilly and althought room thermostats were set at 18 the room was lucky to be at 15.....Certainly aint finding it cheap to run either....Plumber told me to leave it on 24x7 but after 3 days used 50 units of gas so back to timer 3 times a day...

harryhound

Wet underfloor heating works best in a super insulated home.
With a ground source heat pump, it is possible to use the floor as a night storage heater.
Not suitable for a poorly insulated draughty house.

Does anyone have experience of under floor heating with "Parquet flooring" (wooden strips)?

ozskin

Hi, wet underfloor and electric are very different. I am assuming you are thinking of electric. There are floor warmers and higher output systems, originally designed for conservatories that will heat the room. however you floor construction type and insulation will have a huge bearing on this.
Done correctly then the running costs with modern systems are relatively low, from 1/2p-1p and upwards an hour to run. Done correctly then it can be great.
Unless you have a specific manufacturer instruction to the contrary parquet is a no go, dont know of any parquet that is suitable, as most woods are unsuitable. there is some engineered that is guaranteed underfloor heating suitable but its a tricky area, and as wood is a good insulator, not the ideal material to put on top.

dizziblonde

Not directly related but may raise a smile or two. Worked in a school with underfloor heating in the hall. Had one assembly where we thought the kids were being a little wrigglier than usual - turned out Y6 had found the heating controls and turned it up so they had warmer that expected bottoms! (no harm was done it wasn't dangerously hot - just mildly fidgetty)

CountryGoose

I heat an entire 3 bedroom cottage from a 12Kw condensing boiler, which is running on 1/2 power. Upstairs are radiators, downstairs is wet underfloor with slate tiles on top, throughout.

The house is extremely well insulated - both walls and roof. We were still toasty inside when it was -21C in the cold snap last year.

With underfloor heating, you need to let the heat build up in the floor and not drop away - think of it as a giant storage heater. My rooms are set to 21C 5-8 and 17-22 and 17C for the rest of the time - all day 21C Sat-Sun with roomstats. Turning it off then expecting it to leap up to heat in minutes is a no-no and may lead to cracking in your floor.

With the right controls and the right heat source, you can have a cheap, cosy and efficient system.