underfloor heating - any good?

JohnnyF · 10 Dec 2006

Hi, I've seen some posts saying underfloor heating takes a while to heat up. Is this just for electric or water as well?

Also, I've read it is not economical to install in an existing property. Why is this? We live in an end terraced (currently with a combi boiler) and are thinking of extending so there will be some upheaval. We have mainly wooden floorboards downstairs. Could it not just be laid out over this with another floor on top? Or is here more to it.

Roughly do you know what it would cost to have it put in (downstairs only - lounge, breakfast kitchin, dining room and maybe conservatory) and to have the existing radiators pulled out?

ta
__________________________________
lynda, moderator

please note forum rule 9

dan the man · 10 Dec 2006

check my post in your projects for pics.

You couldnt just run it over your wood floor as will loose heat downwards. Its all about insulating below so the heat HAS TO GO UP..thus it warms your room etc...

A lot of hard graft digging the floor up for me as earth. But for joists u can get setups that hang insulation in between etc etc..

not sure on costs as mine diff to yours. I had to get a skip for the 6tonne of earth etc.. screeding cost me 400 aswell.

whereas yours will lie in between the joists so no screeding just boards over the top. Insulation u will have to buy which will xost as will the pips and manifold or valve for the control

Paul Barker · 10 Dec 2006

I don't fit it but it is possible to buy a product complete with beneath insulation that would all sit on your floor, then there is required a new floor covering. The companies doing it have product available for your needs.

There is quite some expense involved probably materials cost £500 per room.

Slightly lower heating bills as due to the nature of the heat, gradualy rising from your feet to warm your body as it passes in a room sized blanket, instead of draft round your ankles as convection of radiators causes circulation around room with warm and cold zones.

More comfort.

Installation costs much higher.

From a cost accountant's point of view the payback period on the savings due to mentioned above would probably be worse than the savings from solar heating and would never get approval in industry as a capital project.

If you are loaded you can afford the comfort. If you are not, ill spent precious resources, you would make more money investing the capital sum in lpg conversion for your car, or sticking a pin in the ftse 100 and selecting 5 shares.

Worse still if you are borrowing the money the small saving would no way cover the discounted cost of capital.

arbitrary · 30 Dec 2006

I was in a very energy efficient flat recently that had underfloor heating. It was lovely in that there was a nice warm floor for bare feet and no apparent cold spots or drafts; just nice even warmth through out. The flat is quadruple glazed (!!) and very air tight; when the kitchen extractor fan is turned up to high the air pressure in the whole flat drops! There is an air exchange system that runs 24/7 that continually pulls a small amount of air from each room and replaces it with outside air that has been heated by the out going air. But I'm getting away from the topic...

Water Systems · 30 Dec 2006

phelix said:
I was in a very energy efficient flat recently that had underfloor heating.

If it was very energy efficient it would not have UFH

It was lovely in that there was a nice warm floor for bare feet and no apparent cold spots or drafts; just nice even warmth through out. The flat is quadruple glazed (!!) and very air tight; when the kitchen extractor fan is turned up to high the air pressure in the whole flat drops! There is an air exchange system that runs 24/7 that continually pulls a small amount of air from each room and replaces it with outside air that has been heated by the out going air. But I'm getting away from the topic...

Best that the UFH was ditched and a copper coil heater battery installed in the Heat Recovery ducting. Much cheaper.

HarrogateGas · 30 Dec 2006

Water Systems said:
phelix said:

I was in a very energy efficient flat recently that had underfloor heating.

Click to expand...

If it was very energy efficient it would not have UFH

It was lovely in that there was a nice warm floor for bare feet and no apparent cold spots or drafts; just nice even warmth through out. The flat is quadruple glazed (!!) and very air tight; when the kitchen extractor fan is turned up to high the air pressure in the whole flat drops! There is an air exchange system that runs 24/7 that continually pulls a small amount of air from each room and replaces it with outside air that has been heated by the out going air. But I'm getting away from the topic...

Click to expand...

Best that the UFH was ditched and a copper coil heater battery installed in the Heat Recovery ducting. Much cheaper.

Much of what you speak is true, shame about your poor line at the bottom of every post. What exactly are you hoping to achieve with such a line? I fear your are encouraging DIY folk to progress way out of their league. I agree you state you must be competent but how many storys have you heard about DIYers changing a tap washer or radiator valve and getting extremely wet. They thought they were competent enough and they got wet, not the end of the world I know. They can mop up water and change their clothes but if they stick fingers into things they think but do not understand, which are gas related, they can die.

If someone died as a result of reading your misleading line, would you admit to having partial blood on your hands?? Could you rest easy?

You are brave putting such a misleading comment up, not because it winds up some Corgi engineers on here but because you could be sentancing some poor, big headed DIYer to his/her grave.

Im amazed the moderators have not picked up on this, it blatently encourages people to 'have a go' at gas work and it could prove dangerous or lethal.

arbitrary · 30 Dec 2006

Water Systems said:
phelix said:

I was in a very energy efficient flat recently that had underfloor heating.

Click to expand...

If it was very energy efficient it would not have UFH

Geothermal heat would seem to be fairly energy efficient...

Agile · 30 Dec 2006

phelix said:
Geothermal heat would seem to be fairly energy efficient...

Only if you live over a thermal spring in NZ or Iceland where you can use it directly !

If you have to use electricity to extract it as in the UK it then becomes much less efficient because its low grade heat coming in at about 5°C and being increased to about 35° which helps but is still too low a temperature to heat much directly without topping up with electricity or gas.

There will be some who dont understand the technicalities who think that you use 1 kW of electricity and get about 4 kW of heat. Others who are more clever will understand the wider implications!!!

Tony

doitall · 30 Dec 2006

Tony, if you make a point of being at the Birmingham show, we will have great pleasure in personally demonstrating to you a working system.

We are there for the week but Argi are going up on the 28th Feb 07

Water Systems · 31 Dec 2006

phelix said:
Water Systems said:

phelix said:

I was in a very energy efficient flat recently that had underfloor heating.

Click to expand...

If it was very energy efficient it would not have UFH

Click to expand...

Geothermal heat would seem to be fairly energy efficient...

But very expensive to install, so not worth it in 95% of cases. And not as energy efficient as the COP makes out as the ground cools.

bab · 31 Dec 2006

Seems to be a difference of opinion on geo between Doitall & Agile .Can u both enlighten me on ya opinions. 2 weeks be fore Christmas 1 laid 1800m of ufh pipe in a barn thats havin a heat pump connected up to it by the supplier. I was only plumbing by numbers so what should we expect. Pipe at 100mm centers in a 75mm screed & on 75mm kingspan up in a 25mm screed.

Bigburn · 31 Dec 2006

I have a neighbour who diyed his own dx system in his 4 bedroom detached two storey dwelling.
It seems to run efficiently and I have been told his yearly bill for the electricity to run the pump is 600 euro.
Considering oil would cost double this I dont think he,s doing to bad.
I had a look at it and seen it running. It doest have all the frills a brand name would have but it has all the right components and works.
He just converted a second hand condensing unit that was used in a shop and fitted a PHE to do the condensing and diverted the hot gas from the unit condenser to the plate condenser.
He also fitted a coil in his attic and used this as cooling in the summer but informed me if he was doing it again would not have went to the trouble and expense of this as he hardly uses it.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

underfloor heating - any good?

Water Systems

Water Systems

Similar threads