Infrared heating to warm floor? If not, what?

[wilco88]

Am I totally wrong in thinking that if i mount an infrared heater on the ceiling of a kitchen that has a concrete floor, it will warm up the floor and make it feel like underfloor heating?

Or would it warm up your head when standing under it but not really warm the floor?

Ceiling height is 2.3m.

Concrete floor is approx 150mm thick. No insulation under it and no vapour barrier etc. Just plain old 1960's concrete.

Stupid idea?

Don't want to have to take up concrete floor and put wet underfloor system in.

 

[flameport]

IR heaters will be useless, they are intended to heat people from a distance.

Wet UFH can be installed over an existing concrete floor, examples: https://www.underfloorheatingtrades...ating/underfloor-heating-kits/overlay-systems

 

[wilco88]

IR heaters will be useless, they are intended to heat people from a distance.

Wet UFH can be installed over an existing concrete floor, examples: https://www.underfloorheatingtrades...ating/underfloor-heating-kits/overlay-systems

OK good to know.

Problem with wet UFH is that it will create a floor height difference.....but i guess that's something i will have to figure out!

 

[JohnW2]

Or would it warm up your head when standing under it but not really warm the floor?

It would warm up your head (possibly to an uncomfortable, or worse, extent) a lot more than it warmed up the floor.

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

Problem with wet UFH is that it will create a floor height difference.

As little as 18mm, depending on the system used.

Electric UFH isn't zero height either.

 

[JohnW2]

As little as 18mm, depending on the system used.

True, but even that would bring the ceiling height down to less than 2.25m - which might possibly raise issues.

Slippers are quite a good way of keeping one's feet warm, and have very low running costs

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

Infra-red will pass through some glass, so aiming is important, it also passes through air, so yes likely it would heat the floor, however with mothers wet room we decided on under floor heating mainly to dry the floor, it was a failure, the time it took to re-heat the floor after a shower was far too long, ½ hour before floor got the slightest bit warm, so unless one mopped the floor, 1½ hours to dry, it did not heat the room, without the towel rail on it would be freezing, however one benefit was warmer to the feet, and this had nothing to do with UFH it was due to the 9" of insulation fitted under the floor before the UFH and tiles were laid.

A standard floor is a big heat sink, lucky heat raises so we don't notice, but job one however a floor is heated is to insulate under the floor, in mothers case the whole floor was dug out, the drains repositioned, and then the insulation fitted, so floor needed digging up anyway, but even if not 9" of insulation, it needs at least an inch, in the main total is more than one can accommodate without digging up the floor, or loads of heat is wasted heating the ground under the house.

There are some properties with solar panels etc, where heating the ground actually works, in essence a storage heater, and I think new builds start life with an insulated floor, but if an insulated floor it would not be cold to start with.

 

[JohnW2]

... we decided on under floor heating ... one benefit was warmer to the feet, and this had nothing to do with UFH it was due to the 9" of insulation fitted under the floor before the UFH and tiles were laid.

It would probably have felt even warmer without the tiles.

One of the most important things which determine how warm one's feet feel is not so much the temperature of the floor as the thermal conductivity of the floor covering - a tiled floor at ambient temperature will feel much colder than, say, a carpeted or even wooden one at the same temperature (due to heat conducted away from one's feet)

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

In this house the central heating pipes clearly go under the shower room floor, so often nice and warm, but would not pay for under floor heating in other rooms, in fact while house hunting we found a lovely house which had under floor heating fitted by the sellers late husband, and we rejected the house as a result, as it seemed likely there was no insulation laid first. So what she thought was a selling point actually put us off.

 

[Tigercubrider]

My kitchen is in a mid 50's semi.
Originally the floor was Lino tiles, after many refurbs it's had the tiles lifted, and a skim of flooring compound then a thickish cushion floor. It's not cold to me.

There are nor radiators in the kitchen and very little use of the oven. Anyway, my heating packed up about 5 years ago so I might be a bit more tolerant of cooler temperatures.

I'd lose the ceramic floor and use cushion floor or some kind of laminate?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

True, but even that would bring the ceiling height down to less than 2.25m - which might possibly raise issues.

Slippers are quite a good way of keeping one's feet warm, and have very low running costs

Kind Regards, John

We have a concrete raft ground floor, all we have is a mix of carpet with underlay, laminate with underlay and modern lino(?). I normally for me, is walking about bare foot, except when I accidentaly kick some furniture. My feet are never cold.

 

[JohnW2]

We have a concrete raft ground floor, all we have is a mix of carpet with underlay, laminate with underlay and modern lino(?). I normally for me, is walking about bare foot, except when I accidentaly kick some furniture. My feet are never cold.

Indeed. As I recently wrote ...

One of the most important things which determine how warm one's feet feel is not so much the temperature of the floor as the thermal conductivity of the floor covering - a tiled floor at ambient temperature will feel much colder than, say, a carpeted or even wooden one at the same temperature (due to heat conducted away from one's feet)

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

I'd lose the ceramic floor and use cushion floor or some kind of laminate?

If you can great, the quarry tiles were fitted in mothers kitchen so if the water went off she could safely rake the fire from stove onto a shovel and carry it outside, non flammable floor was important. I have brushed the coals across the floor and out the back door when the fire bars dropped.

In the 1950's cooking on coke was common, specially in a steel working town, where small coke was cheap. Today we tend not even to use gas, and with induction electric no wasted energy so kitchens stay cool, great in summer, not so good in winter.

 

[JohnW2]

If you can great, the quarry tiles were fitted in mothers kitchen so if the water went off she could safely rake the fire from stove onto a shovel and carry it outside, non flammable floor was important. I have brushed the coals across the floor and out the back door when the fire bars dropped.

Fair enough, but we were talking about bathrooms and, even back in the days/places you're talking about, I don't think that 'hot coals' were much of an issue in most bathrooms

Kind Regards, John