Heating pipes - how deep below a wood floor?

[ChrisR]

I've got to advise some folks about their place, so asked a new-build plumber how deep they go with plastic pipe to avoid problems due to locally heating the wooden laminate type floor. He advised having the (plastic) pipe in insulation then covered by 70mm or so of screed.

Seems a bit excessively cautious - any one ever had problems with stripy floors?

 

[doitall]

70mm is the recommended screed to avoid cracking etc.

DO a search on "radipex" will put a sample in my pocket for our next dinner

 

[ChrisR]

Does that mean 70,mm of screed with the pipe within a tube, and at the bottom of the screed - ie covered by half that 70? Or 70 above the tube? Needs a drawing really!

What the folk have done is make a trench in the existing screed down to the dpm, about 50mm, and put polypipe in corrugated trunking stuff. Plan is to go over the lot with about another 25mm.

So it's, er,

________________________________________
_________________ ............... ________________25mm ___
.................................. \............./..........................................50mm
................................... \__O__/ ............................................___



(ignore the dots.......)
where the O, wot is ye pipe, should be bigger

 

[doitall]

Corrugated trunking stuff is what I'm talking about, and is well insulated, Oak and laminated floors should be dried and acclimatised for up to a month at room temperature before fitting.

Additional protection could be covering the pipe with vermiculite

 

[ChrisR]

Ta, but I went to all that trouble to ask you about the depth!!!

 

[doitall]

I avoided the screed question on purpose because I need to ask the plasterer the best stuff to use.

An extra 25mm added to the existing will crack unless a laytex type bonding is used, personally I would fill the chase with vermiculite, and lay the floor over that.

will ask on monday and let you know

 

[WoodYouLike]

Oak and laminated floors should be dried and acclimatised for up to a month at room temperature before fitting.

4 to 5 days is normally sufficient. A new screed or concrete underfloor needs 30 days per inch to dry before you can safely install wooden flooring on top of it.

 

[ChrisR]

I'll turn the heating on, that'll speed it up