Underfloor heating

[Agile]

Electric UFH is a grid of resistance element wires installed immediately beneath ceramic tiles.

So the thermal resistance between heat emitter and tile is very low. Consequently faster heat up. Furthermore very little thermal mass to be heated up before the tiles.

With wet UFH on a suspended floor there are several ways of achieving the UFH. A common way is metal spreader plates beneath a wood based sheet supporting the tiles. This wood sheet has considerable thermal resistance.

With pipes embedded in concrete screed, either on suspended or solid floors, there is significant screed thickness above the pipes. So again significant thermal resistance between pipe and the tiles.

Coupled with the problem that in a screed the heat has to warm up all the screed before the temperature can be transferred to the tiles. So a long warm up time.

Tony

 

[MJGas]

Electric UFH is a grid of resistance element wires installed immediately beneath ceramic tiles.

So the thermal resistance between heat emitter and tile is very low. Consequently faster heat up. Furthermore very little thermal mass to be heated up before the tiles.

With wet UFH on a suspended upper floor there are several ways of achieving the UFH. A common way is metal spreader plates beneath a wood based sheet supporting the tiles. This wood sheet has considerable thermal resistance.

With pipes embedded in concrete screed, either on suspended or solid floors, there is significant screed thickness above the pipes. So again significant thermal resistance between pipe and the tiles.

Coupled with the problem that in a screed the heat has to warm up all the screed before the temperature can be transferred to the tiles. So a long warm up time.

Tony

Set back and decent controls mean anything to you?

 

[Agile]

The OP is only interested in having warm toes without slippers or a rug.

General heating is going to come from his towel rail!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Set back and decent controls mean anything?

 

[PullerGas]

Who said it was first floor?? Did I miss that?

 

[DP]

The OP is only interested in having warm toes without slippers or a rug.

In that case time to heat is of no consequence
Is that what the OP wants, warm toes?

 

[Agile]

Who said it was first floor?? Did I miss that?

He did not tell us.

So I wrote my explanation to cover both situations.

Tony

 

[PullerGas]

But Tony the thermal resistance is greatly reduced when the wooden floor is in direct contact with the heated screed. But you're right SkoolBoy physics, wood is a poor conductor of heat.