Electric underfloor heating - do I need a complete rewire?

[PolaDroid]

Hi,

I've bought enough laminate to cover the ground floor but before I lay it I'd like to put underfloor heating throughout. My problem is that I'm not sure if I'd first need to upgrade my electrics.

Untitled

• PolaDroid
• 25 Jul 2013
• 1

Forgive the orientation of the photograph, I've not been able to rotate it!

I'm confident I can lay the heating, but actually wiring it in is beyond my ability, it's my understanding that anything connected to the main board needs to be dealt with by a professional.

So looking at the photograph, do you think it's likely that an electrician will need to upgrade the board before connecting the heating?

If so, how much might it cost, or how much could I expect to spend just on getting the underfloor heating connected, also what kind of questions should i be asking when hiring an electrician?

Cheers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi,

I've bought enough laminate to cover the ground floor but before I lay it I'd like to put underfloor heating throughout.

Why?

What do you think the UFH is going to do for you? If it's "heat the house" then stop now before you waste money on it.

If it's "take the chill off the floor", consider how necessary that is with laminate flooring, and whether it's really worth the installation and running costs just for that.

And think about how you'll manage to lift and replace laminate flooring in order to repair the UFH when it breaks, which it will.

Forgive the orientation of the photograph, I've not been able to rotate it!

C'mon - you can easily find free s/w which will do that, and there's some which almost certainly came with your OS.

I'm confident I can lay the heating, but actually wiring it in is beyond my ability

Just laying it is an electrical operation too, and there are regulations to observe.

Also, what's going to be underneath it?

Have you applied for Building Regulations approval yet?

, it's my understanding that anything connected to the main board needs to be dealt with by a professional.

Not quite correct, but probably easiest and wisest.

So looking at the photograph, do you think it's likely that an electrician will need to upgrade the board before connecting the heating?

No.

That's not to say you shouldn't have things upgraded anyway, you should (there's no RCD protection, for a start), but an electrician could install the heating without using the existing CU or wiring.

If so, how much might it cost,

About the same as a second-hand car.

also what kind of questions should i be asking when hiring an electrician?

As ever, personal recommendations are always the best way to find a reputable tradesman, but if you're having to go ahead without much in the way of those, or references, don't put any store by registration itself - sadly it is possible to become registered with woefully inadequate qualifications and zero practical experience. You don't have to spend long here to see people cropping up who are registered and "qualified", but who are clearly seriously incompetent in reality and who should not be charging for their services.

You are looking for someone to install extensive UFH, and possibly a full or partial rewire, and it may surprise and dismay you to learn that it is quite possible to become a "Competent Person" without ever having done any of those things before, and without having acquired any of the practical skills needed to do them without half-destroying your house in the process.

It's your money, possibly lots of it, and you have every right to ask prospective tradesmen what their qualifications and experience are. Just being listed here is not a good enough guide. No genuinely experienced electrician, with the "full set" of C&G qualifications will mind you asking - in fact he will wish that everyone was like you.

I feel sorry for people who have been misled by training organisations and (shamefully) the Competent Person scheme organisers into thinking that a 5-day training course, a couple of trivial examples of their work and some basic understanding of how to use test equipment will make them an electrician, but not sorry enough to agree with them trying to sell their services to Joe Public.

 

[flameport]

I've bought enough laminate to cover the ground floor but before I lay it I'd like to put underfloor heating throughout.

How is the property heated now? There is nothing in the picture to suggest any electric heating, and that supply may not be suitable for the addition of a substantial extra load.

That cupboard is one of those horrid Clifton/Mantel or whatever things, and is far too small to accommodate an additional consumer unit for an electrical heating installation. Even replacing the existing unit is likely to have various difficulties.

Unless electric underfloor heating is the only option available (it won't be), then it will be a very expensive mistake.

 

[tew1]

electric underfloor heating is only really designed for retrofitting into bathrooms/wetrooms (a small area) to be honest. Maybe new-build homes/flats that have no gas heating of any kind would consider it. It will cost a lot to run. Is there any reason why you wouldn't have radiators/hot air heating? I installed 'wet' underfloor heating in my kitchen, it takes forever to heat up/cool down, and it's totally pointless and horrible and heats up anything the dog leaks out, causing a lovely warm dog smell

 

[MysonHeating]

Depending on how old your property actually is would determine whether you need a complete rewire due to the new regulations however a qualified electrician would be able to tell you whether the work is required and also the cost.

Our electric underfloor heating works on 150watts per square metre.

With regards to the running costs, if you contact your energy provider they will be able to tell how the cost.