Gas Underfloor heating....opinions?

[The Riviera Kid]

Hi folks,

You lot are probably sick of me by now . Got loads and loads of ideas for our 1990 ex-housing association house that we bought recently.

Anyway, we have a few connected jobs to do. We need a new Combi Boiler, the old radiators are ugly and caked in paint, the radiator pipes are ugly and tacked onto the skirting boards, and the concrete subfloor is uneven.

This got me thinking about how to sort out all of these things in one go, and onto the thought of installing underfloor heating while the floating floor is up.

What I'd like from you lot is some ideas of cost and opinions of whether it'll be suitable for us. Currently our ground floor consists of two rooms 20sqm each, and a small hallway. We're looking to build a conservatory (or single story extension) which would add another 20sqm which we'd like (subject to building regulations etc) to be on the same underfloor heating system.

The house itself is 1990 build, with cavity wall insulation. It's currently timber single glazing, but it'll have new upvc double glazing within the next couple of months. We're only really looking to have the underfloor heating installed downstairs because it could be done while the floor is up, and would solve the ugly radiator/pipework problems. Upstairs the radiators are in better condition and the pipes hidden, and as we have no reason to pull the floor up, I'm happy to leave these as they are.

What sort of rough ball park price could I be expected to pay for 3 x 20sqm rooms? I read somewhere (can't remember where) £400+vat per room. I can't remember if this was supplied only, or supplied and fit.

Skim reading another post on the forum, I've read good and bad. I understand it'll take a longer time to heat up, but should maintain a more even heat once it is heated.

The floor finish will probably be laminate to start with unless the underfloor heating comes in cheaper than expected. I'm guessing underfloor heating would cause laminate to expand more than radiators would, purely as the heat is rising from the floor, should a larger than normal expansion gap be used?

War and Peace over lol.

 

[Agile]

UFH is best in larger rooms.

Its also probably a lot more cost to fit than rads.

It has serious control problems.

I often say that UFH is only good for the retired and libraries and old people homes who are home all day..

Tony

 

[Paul Barker]

It'll cost more than 400 a room, that would be materials.

Your sort of floor requires a lot of work.

As Tony says takes a long time to heat the zone up, no use to a working family alone. but to supplement it add the odd radiator for rapid heat up or a fire, UFH may work for you, but will not likely payback the cost in savings.

If I lived in your house I would fit it for myself plus a full sized rad in the main zone where I want to be warm in the morning. Probably ufh in bedrooms and halls good sized towel rail in bathroom (where underfloor area is useless), main room ufh with supplementary fast heat up such as decent sized rad or fire.

 

[Paul Barker]

By the way our church went ahead and fitted ufh in the chancery against my advice. So now I sit in church on a cold winters Sunday morning for a few hours just as cold as I was before they sp[ent £100k which could have better been spent on missions.

A building not occupied long enough to benefit is not heated by ufh and neither is it cheaper on fuel, because to make it effective involves leaving it on beyond the time more imediate heat sources require to make humans comfortable.

I just siyt in church thinking, what a bunch of fools?

 

[Agile]

The only ( small ) saving from UFH is because the boiler can condense a little more. Carefully controlling boiler setting ( as with weather comp ) can get nearly the same saving anyway.

What does give savings is the insulation fitted under UFH but you dont need to have UFH to insulate the floor!

Tony

 

[Paul Barker]

Well said.

If I had spent the money I spent on solar lining our old house with kingspan I would hget a return in multiples of 10 times that which solar can produce in foggy Scarborough.

Although I plan to go ahead with ufh but I shall leave the radiator system in place, Rads will come on by a stat set lower than the ufh stat to give system a fast warm up, then the ufh will maintain the heat.

 

[DeltaT]

With UFH the heat-loss & floor heat watts per M2 is the big factor, not a job for a DaftyDIY'er!!

Paul, never work for Relatives, Friends, Church or Synagogue.

 

[Paul Barker]

You are right and I didn't do the work, nor would I have.

The problem is I am not someone who sits easy with decision by committe, in our church they have a committe known as a PCC, which I was on for many years.

What happens in PCC's is people not equiped or qualified to make correct deciusions have as much say as people with appropriate experience knowlkedge and qualification, so the result is a battle of egos.

As I have strong abilities but not much ego, decisions go against me to those with poor internal decision mechanisms but large ego.

Not something God would want to form the decision in His organisation.

So I best opt out.

It is the same in all committees.

Someone said a camel was a horse designed by a committe and aparently those who have riden one concurr.

 

[DeltaT]

Paul, sorry to digress, but I noticed in one of your profile photos a nifty angled drill attachment, is it very good & robust. Would you recommend it, if so please post up a link for the product, if you have one??
Thanks
Tricky

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Hi folks, we need to lift the whole floor and replace the radiators anyway, so it was just a thought that it might be a nicer/tidier looking option and worth doing while the floor is up. But, if it's not going to be as warm, I guess we'll stick to levelling the subfloor, putting new pipework in somewhere where it will be hidden (instead of the horrid "tacked onto the skirting boards" look), and putting all new radiators in instead. Cheers all.

 

[weargas]

ufh in a correctly designed system should be better/more efficient than rads. I know!! I live with it!!

 

[The Riviera Kid]

ufh in a correctly designed system should be better/more efficient than rads. I know!! I live with it!!

You in or around Sunderland then weargas? Just with the username I thought.

 

[weargas]

"wear" after the river Yep that's where I live. Jarra born tho

 

[squowse]

you can do a quick response system - pipes in 30-40mm of screed at 100 centres. mine's floorboards on joists with the screed on insulation inbetween the joists.
you would have to do insulation between battens fixed to the slab (you need about 100mm to minimise heatloss downwards) screed to top of battens with pipes in. floorboards or similar over the top. this will probably raise the floor too much for practicality.

 

[muggles]

you can do a quick response system - pipes in 30-40mm of screed at 100 centres. mine's floorboards on joists with the screed on insulation inbetween the joists.
you would have to do insulation between battens fixed to the slab (you need about 100mm to minimise heatloss downwards) screed to top of battens with pipes in. floorboards or similar over the top. this will probably raise the floor too much for practicality.

Just don't turn it up too high or you'll be doing the 'cat on a hot tin roof' dance every morning...