Underfloor heating or Big Radiator?

brig001

+1
5mm insulation is nowhere near enough to consider heating the room with it - we have 100mm under ours. If you use the underfloor heating to just take the chill off the tiles, the losses will be less and so will the electricity bill.

HTH,
Brian.

muskoka

I've got a kitchen extension and am finding the one large radiator isn't heating the kitchen adequately. I'm going to have a plinth heater ftted - linked to the central heating system, so guess it will run on gas.....I know it can be done....I just don't know the details yet.

bobthedambuilder

There's a big difference in cost between swapping a radiator and installing underfloor heating. But I guess you realised that anyway ...

Here's a link to a double universal radiator 700mm wide by 700mm high, wattage rating just over 1500W, price £85 (its on page 2). There are others here with higher ratings which would still fit. It would be easiest to swap out with a radiator the same width as the existing one (no alterations to the pipework, you shouldn't even need to drain the system). But if you can't, any plumber (or competent DIYer) can quite easily modify the connections.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/radiators/double-universal-radiators/icat/rconvectrads/

Other suppliers are available.

I don't know how well the carbon film u/f heating performs. I have conventional piped u/f heating in my kitchen which runs off the c/h boiler, and it's great. But installation for this unless you're starting from scratch anyway, i.e. new floor slab etc, is expensive and probably not practical for you.

Electricity is generally acknowledged to be watt for watt the most expensive form of heating, if that's any use to you as regards running cost.

wellused

WE have electrical underfloor heating in our downstairs shower room and it is really warm and I believe that it has the same consumption as leaving a light bulb on all day. If you do decide to install it though make sure to use insulation boards underneath it as it makes a lot of difference.

Innys

wellused wrote: »

I believe that it has the same consumption as leaving a light bulb on all day.

Really? Are you sure? I guess it depends on how big the area being heated is, but I have wet UFH and it costs more than that to run.

wellused

If you use a 100 watt heating mat which is recommended for floors where it is not the main form of heating then as the tiled floor area of our shower room comes to about 2 sq meters it will cost the same to run as leaving two 100 watt light bulbs on, the floor is insulated and so the thermostat set at 32deg is not consuming electricity all the time but switches on and off, this gives a lovely background warmth especially underfoot.

Innys

wellused wrote: »

If you use a 100 watt heating mat which is recommended for floors where it is not the main form of heating then as the tiled floor area of our shower room comes to about 2 sq meters it will cost the same to run as leaving two 100 watt light bulbs on, the floor is insulated and so the thermostat set at 32deg is not consuming electricity all the time but switches on and off, this gives a lovely background warmth especially underfoot.

Ah, that explains it. Your shower room is 2sqm - the area the OP is over 15sqm and my kitchen is around the same size.

So the OP is probably going to end up spending quite a bit more than you on a daily basis to heat their floor.

twokcc

Had the same dilemma when I moved my kitchen to other end of room and replaced existing window with patio doors. I fitted all 3
1) large double radiator- could have made this bigger wish I had now
2) Myson under plinth heater connected to central heating system. This works well and will blow out a lot of hot air (and waits until water is hot enough before it starts blowing), but is very noisy so not really usable if you are using extended kitchen area as seating/watching tv etc area.
3) Soldron underfloor heating. Does not give out a lot of heat and takes a longtime to warm up. Was not able to install any underfloor insulation (1930's house concrete floor) so this was more to do with the installation limitations rather than the product, but also gives a backup if gas supply disrupted

If I was to do it again would forget the plinth heater but install another small double radiator at opposite end of room to existing radiator. Room just to big to expect one radiator to be able to heat it.
Hope this helps


Room size was 5.44m * 3.73m