‘Dry’ underfloor heating in downstairs loo

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We have a small downstairs loo which needs renovating (new loo/basin, replastering and new flooring). It is ridiculously cold in their. Previous owners had a small wall mounted electric heater which is fairly hideous and I want a different heating solution. No room for s radiator and I don’t want all the hassle of ‘wet’ heating as I think all the pipe work and upheaval that will require will make it too expensive.

Do you think dry underfloor heating will be an ok solution? Don’t know much about underfloor heating - was thinking of getting the electrician to come round and quote me for it but am trying to find out the advantages and disadvantages first.

Tia.

Ridiculously cold in there !!

if it is very small, the amount of floor space not taked up by the WC and stuff may be insufficient to lay an electric mat.

What are the dimensions?

how many external walls does it have?

is it a concrete floor?

Is the electric heater capable of heating the room? what power is it?

What kind of flooring are you thinking of having? Might need to have a fidbox installed (if it's a wood floor!) to monitor the humidity, moisture and temp in the room! Also if you're getting a ceramic floor you'll need to monitor the heat so it doesn't get too hot and crack the tiles. Think underfloor heating is a great idea in a bathroom!

Thanks for the replies. It’s got tiles at the moment and was hoping to replace with engineered wood. It is a very small room - maybe about 1mx2m but will check when we get back tonight. There is one external wall.

Not sure if the electric heater is sufficient to heat it - it probably is but the loo has never worked since we moved in so it’s being used as storage at the mo. It looks ugly though and I’d like to get rid of it (I’ve taken it off the wall at the mo I got more storage stuff in).

The electric heater which was there looks like one of these:

www.screwfix.com/p/manrose-hconht-freestanding-convector-heater-2000w/855FT?kpid=855FT&ds_kid=92700029063352744&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=CjwKCAjwiN_mBRBBEiwA9N-e_tU-Fdng7LToStmzy3J1qIy1Bxi4dBFby6fHE_Rm0Lq0mM4zU_mRURoCIREQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If the room is too small for electric under floor heating then I could ask the electrician to quote for the hallway as well where the toilet leads out into. That has a radiator but is still quite cold. Hallway is fairly spacious though so would add more to the cost.

Sorry, forgot to mention that I don’t know if it’s wood floor boards or concrete under the tiles. I’ll have a stamp around in there this evening and try to chisel a tile off.

electric heating is very expensive to run., For a little WC it is tolerable, if you have a thermostat. for a hall, probably not, especially if it has one or more doors to let draughts in, and a high ceiling up the stairwell for warm air to rise up.

Thanks a PigletJohn. So, really, the room size needs to be of the ‘Goldilocks’ variety - not too big and not too small?

Do you have a best guess of how small is too small? And if s concrete or floorboards underfloor makes it unsuitable?

p.s.

your 2kW electric heater is ludicrously oversized.

A 300W heater would do for such a small room.

For example

they only seem to do 250W which would probably be OK.

Are you in Aberdeen or in Truro?

IIRC the smallest electric heating mat is about 1 sq metre, and must not have things on top of it, such as a WC.

You would have to have the floor taken up, and re-tiled afterwards. So not a cheap job, if that's OK. Take the opportunity to have the room renovated, new WC, basin, accessories, tiles, light fitting, redecorate. change the door if it is a cheap hollow one. Replaster the ceiling if it is cracked or artexed. Have a new silent extractor fan installed, wired to come on with the lightswitch. New mirror. Concealed wall safe.

There is not enough room in a WC to work round the fittings once you have done a partial renovation.

I just had a look at these and the 300W mat needs 1.5 - 2 sq m fllorspace.

Would a wall hung wc help free up some floor space for the heating?

usually they are spaced out from the wall on a frame and false wall with the cistern inside it, so they don't actually take up less room. you just can't see the cistern.

Oh. WC is 75cm by 205cm - unlikely to get mats that narrow?

the wires are fixed to a mesh grid. It's possible to cut the grid and turn the mat into an "L" shape, for example to go round a corner. You can bend the wires, but you can't cut them, they are a sealed assembly.

Have a look at the instructions, or mail the makers, they might have some guidance.

But I agree, it doesn't sound like it will fit.

Thanks PigletJohn.