Anyone used levelling compound with wet UFH on upper floors of house?

[ey143]

I'm thinking of using levelling compound across the first and second floor of my home as part of the rebuild project, to encase the wet UFH pipes that we will be running within the egg shell style housing that the pipe fit into. The eye shell type housing will be clipped onto the existing original wooden floors or tongue and groove boards / plywood that is in the rooms. On top of the hardened leveling compound will go underlay and carpet (up to 2 tog). Wet room areas will be tiled.

Other than the levelling compound being a permanent fixture after being installed, has anyone else actually decided to go down this route rather than using plywood as the final structural floor on top of the pipes. The reason for the levelling compound is of course to stop feeling the voids and ripples of the pipes and the need for a structural floor to go on top.

 

[mointainwalker]

For whatever reason you are looking at a solution that is maximising the costs - are you aware of that your "egg-shell" housing presumably means some kind of (rather expensive ) spacing/insulation for the piping ? Additionally your self-levelling mixture is very expensive per mm and its self-levelling effect may well be hindered because of the the "pyramids" of your "housing".

If money is no object, then the above is irrelevant. If it isn't, think a bit longer .

 

[cjard]

I've come across a few people who have screeded (liquid) the upper floors for a variety of reasons; thermal mass, acoustic, UFH heat transfer but the house needs to be specifically designed for it, as doing so adds about 100kg/sqm to the loadings (50mm thick). The solution you're considering isn't so thick but check with the manufacturer that it's ok to use with flexible floor coverings such carpet/won't suffer cracking and break up

Is this for install onto an existing floor? is the floor underside accessible? What sort of heat loss does/will your house have?

 

[ey143]

I don't know about heat loss calcs but as part of the whole home renovation we have insulated the property on the inside of the outer walls where possible and had new double glazing and new insulation in the loft area.

The existing floor is, depending on the area of the house, tongue and groove, original floor board or heavy duty ply.

The total height of the profix panels http://www.profixpanel.co.uk/profix-panel.php is 15mm and contains a 12mm pipe at 150mm pipe centres. The levelling compound has to be 3mm higher than the panel to give structural strength.