To install UFH in the hallway or not?

TamsinC

Thinking about putting UFH in the downstairs - was thinking not in the hallway then read an article that said yes! It would be wet not electric and powered by a ground source heat pump. Any one done this and have any advice?

lg13mza

We did the whole of our bungalow before moving in. Not from ground source. I wouldn't go back to radiators.

System

Why would you not?

TamsinC

lg13mza wrote: »

We did the whole of our bungalow before moving in. Not from ground source. I wouldn't go back to radiators.

Thanks - do you find the hallway itself good with UFH?

the_r_sole wrote: »

Why would you not?

Well, I was thinking you tend to not spend much time in the hallway - it's a passageway to other rooms, so therefore maybe not worth the cost to install the system. But I am happy to be proved wrong.

System

But you have heating in your hall usually? there's no point in having a big cold area in the middle of the house... the point in ufh is that you have have a fairly consistent temperature over a large area so that it's comfortable rather than point heating like traditional rads

TamsinC

Yes we already have radiators - so the space won't be a big cold place just a different form of heating - this is retro fitting not new build - fitting wet UFH is quite expensive when you already have a heating system in if you aren't going to spend much time in the space.

I'm not trying to be difficult, I understand the concept - however, we have massive stone walls dividing the different rooms, the hallway heat is not going to be adding to any other room other than the upstairs landing (which will be on rads). So my question remains, any advice to help me decide rather than just batting the question back at me please?

System

How are you planning on fitting the ufh? It would normally be pipes run in a screed, so if you're not doing the hallway you will either have a step down or need to build up to maintain a level floor throughout, if you are.going to be running rads off the same system you're going to have to have a bit of faff with high temp and low temp loops from the same source...
If you are putting in wet ufh as an improvement, it's a massive expense, it doesn't make sense to leave out the hallway, I've never seen a wet system split to miss out a hallway, presumably you are heating rooms all around the hall and the pipework will need a route through there rather than through the stone walls?

TamsinC

the_r_sole wrote: »

How are you planning on fitting the ufh? It would normally be pipes run in a screed, so if you're not doing the hallway you will either have a step down or need to build up to maintain a level floor throughout, if you are.going to be running rads off the same system you're going to have to have a bit of faff with high temp and low temp loops from the same source...
If you are putting in wet ufh as an improvement, it's a massive expense, it doesn't make sense to leave out the hallway, I've never seen a wet system split to miss out a hallway, presumably you are heating rooms all around the hall and the pipework will need a route through there rather than through the stone walls?

Thank you - that makes sense. Another question if you don't mind, the hallway leads into living room which then leads into the dining room (welsh long house) but each have two steps up and into the rooms due to the house being on a slope. Does this mean it is more difficult/impossible to put uhf heating in. I'm not sure how it would work? Many thanks.

theonlywayisup

We have UFH in our converted barn - it goes across 3 levels and is on one wet UFH system. However, the caveat being, we converted our barn from the start and the pipes were laid clipped onto the floor insulation and then the screed was laid on top. The level changes meant the pipes were fed down (naked) steps/level changes (if you see what I mean). No issue and as others have said, I would never go back to standard heating after 15 years with UFH.

TamsinC

theonlywayisup wrote: »

We have UFH in our converted barn - it goes across 3 levels and is on one wet UFH system. However, the caveat being, we converted our barn from the start and the pipes were laid clipped onto the floor insulation and then the screed was laid on top. The level changes meant the pipes were fed down (naked) steps/level changes (if you see what I mean). No issue and as others have said, I would never go back to standard heating after 15 years with UFH.

This is fab - thank you - we will be taking up all flooring and seeing what state the concrete slab is in - the steps are covered in flooring too (on all faces) it may be we take that off and see if they are stone underneath - all exciting. At least I now know it is doable. DO you have an upstairs in the barn and did you take it up there if you do? I am umming and ahhing about that as I know it doesn't work so well in timbers BUT it doesn't work so well in radiators either. Is it literally 6 of one and 1/2 a dozen of the other?

theonlywayisup

TamsinC wrote: »

This is fab - thank you - we will be taking up all flooring and seeing what state the concrete slab is in - the steps are covered in flooring too (on all faces) it may be we take that off and see if they are stone underneath - all exciting. At least I now know it is doable. DO you have an upstairs in the barn and did you take it up there if you do? I am umming and ahhing about that as I know it doesn't work so well in timbers BUT it doesn't work so well in radiators either. Is it literally 6 of one and 1/2 a dozen of the other?

Yes we have it upstairs too. We do have wall rads (towel ladders) in all bathrooms but no actual rads in rooms. Our whole floor surface is limestone, we don't have timber floors and I don't know how that would work. Our ladder rads are fed from the same boiler but on a different timer (on in the summer to air towels while the floor is off) so I'm guessing the same but different system (not helpful I know but I'm going from memory and the day-to-day workings).