Need some bright ideas to solve this problem

[cjard]

Hi guys

My father in law has had underfloor heating fitted to his new build. In the upstairs the existing chipboard floor has been battened with 20mm battens. Aluminium trays are placed between the battens and pipe (16mm) laid into grooves in the trays. So far so good, but having come to fit the next layer of chipboard flooring over the top of this arrangement, it turns out that the clips that hold the pipes down are 22mm high!
Thus, problem is the new floorboard rests on the occasional clips rather than on the battens as intended. not ideal

So far the routes I've considered are:

Get some strip wood, or thin sheet material like hardboard, rip it into strips on the table saw and pack every batten on top (stapler would do) to bring the level up a few mm to give clearance

run round with a few tubes of stickslikesh*t and glue the pipes down (pump it into the seam between pipe and floor, near a clip) then when it's gone off, pull the clips out and lay the flooring



Has anyone any other ideas? I'm reluctant to take an angle grinder with flat wheel to the top of the clips in case the pipe gets damaged..

 

[Burnerman]

Hmmm not the best, this one......I would guess if you increased the clearance between the heating pipe and floor, the efficiency would be reduced big time.
What's the thought of removing the pipe temporarily, grinding the clip down, and then popping the pipe back in?
John

 

[cjard]

Its an option.. Its just that there must be a thousand of them! :/

Your point has made me consider another way though.. Some form of retaining device that isn't as high as the clips.. Builders band would do I daresay and it could be made to span multiple pipes..

 

[Burnerman]

I've no personal experience of this, but I have seen the hopeless installation of my neighbours system.
I can't see any problem with your builders band idea, even using cable ties to hold the pipes down sounds reasonable.
No way would I be raising the floor level unless it was absolutely unavoidable!
John

 

[catlad]

They do sell a floor dampening rubber for joists that would bring the level up, Its for acoustics purposes really.

 

[cjard]

Might cut with a knife too, thanks catlad I'll look for it

 

[Newboy]

Don't use builders band - as the pipework moves under imposed load or through expansion and contraction there's a small chance that the band can damage the pipe

 

[geraldthehamster]

Can't you replace the battens with 25mm battens?

 

[cjard]

Not a chance g, because that would mean winding approx 6000 screws out, detaching 400 aluminium spreader plates stapled to the battens, scrapping 200 quids worth of timber and paying the joiner to cut and re lay a new set of battens (at 250 quid plus).. No way the client would go for it, unless the co that installed it were to take a punch on the nose. I get the feeling they're going to try and wash their hands of it

 

[cjard]

Just considered throwing a mortar mix Down on the pipes to hold them in place and remove the clips after it sets. Could also use brick band.

Gonna see if the glue idea has legs, I think

 

[ey143]

What UFH system is it out if interest?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Just go with some 5mm battens fixed to the top of the existing. Anything else seems like a bodge. Laths are available off the shelf in 5mm thick.

 

[cjard]

Mo

Whet UFH system is it out if interest?

Not sure how to answer. Pex a 16mm in spreader plates

 

[ey143]

Mo

Whet UFH system is it out if interest?

Not sure how to answer. Pex a 16mm in spreader plates

Sorry misspelt that, I meant what make did you go for and what type is it? Our ground floor will eventually be the type under screed but I'm looking at options for the first floor and loft area, and trying to find an affordable solution, maybe the overlay system by Wunda Floor heating, but I will lose approx 28mm of my floor height in total (18mm plus ply so approx 28mm).

 

[cjard]

My father went for pex a 16 mm pipe in heat spreader trays, between battens on top of his existing timber floor, manufacturer unknown ( the heat pump provider arranged it). The valves and manifolds are emmeti ( installer rated them), and the control system is heat miser neo. In terms of what it cost, it's tricky to extract because it was all quoted together. I think the UFH was about 8k installed, which on the one hand I think is mental but on the other seems on par with mine

Mine so far is ground floor only, pert Al pert or maybe pert Al pex and emmeti manifolds, heat miser neo on the way too

The installer for FILs side used to deal a lot with wunda and stil gets called / pestered regularly by them but he now refuses to deal with them after some of their kit failed, they blamed everyone but themselves and wouldn't send a replacement part (it was something cheap like a thermostat or actuator) so he decided to make a point of voting with his wallet..

Wunda do some good prices on stuff, and I've no direct experience. They advertise in all the big self build mags so they probably have a great sales machine

I'm not keen on the height loss so I'm thinking to have a go at fitting it under the existing floor. Two industry professionals are now telling me this is hard, slow, costly and is not worth doing. Apparently it's not worth fitting spreaders/pipes before the first set of floorboards go down (ie between joists) because of the health and safety risks either so the overfloor solution is apparently the best