Underfloor Heating

[Redhanger]

We are planning an extension which will contain a largeish hallway which we would like to tile.

I asked a gas engineer about underfloor heating and he basically completely poopooed it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on it? Can tiles be warm enough without it?

We are replacing our boiler in anticipation of our extension so need to make sure whichever one we chose is compatible with underfloor heating (unless they all are, I’m not sure).

absolutely LOVE it. especially if you are having tile floors. Its a bit pointless under carpet, but that is the only reason I wouldnt do it.

There are several types, and you need to have someone who knows what they are doing as it is REALLY difficult to fix if they bollocks it up installing it.

We have it a work and it’s lovely - really toasty warm feet and we sometime lie on it for a back warm (only on break though)

We’ve just left an apartment which had underfloor heating, including carpets. I would say it was the most efficient and cheapest form of heating we’ve ever had. HOWEVER, it’s essential that you understand how it works. So, for example, it can take at least 2 hours for the temperature in a room to start to rise. Also, it will keep heating the room for about 2 hours after you turn it off, so it may get too hot if you don’t turn it off earlier. This is also affected by the outside temperature.

In the end I used an internal weather station to track how the temperature in the room changed, and then worked out the timings. During the winter we would have it on on from say 6am and off at 10am. Generally we wouldn’t have it on again, unless it was really cold outside, and even then, we would put it on at say 4 or 5pm in the bedroom for about an hour and a half, otherwise it was too hot at bedtime. We had a thermostat in each room

Thanks all of you.

I’m not sure what to do now. I could contact some companies but the place I want to put it doesn’t exist yet so it’s hard to discuss it. I don’t want to go ahead with a new boiler etc to then find out we should have got something else.

I understand you should leave UFH on low most of the time rather than switching on and off. It won’t be really to heat the room (we may still have a radiator), just to take the chill off the floor.

You really won’t want a radiator as well as underfloor heating. That’s mad! You get a huge bonus by not having walls taken up with radiators! Also underfloor heating is more effective than radiators because it’s all over - not just under a window! You simply won’t need both.,

We have a wet system run by air source heat pumps. Before that it was oil. You need to get a plumber round and show them your plans. They will then calculate what size of boiler you need taking into account your plans. The water runs through pipes embedded in the floor and they heat up. Therefore a plumber with experience of this form of heating can help you plan the system and advise on the boiler output.

The best form of flooring is ceramic or stone tiles. After that, engineered wood will work and then some carpets that are ok with underfloor heating. If they are too thick, they absorb the heat and you won’t feel it! The odd rug is ok though. Don’t keep turning it off and then on if you can avoid it. Set the thermostat to a comfortable level and make sure your extension is well insulated. You will then not need a high temperature. It also stays warm for longer. It is worth doing if you choose the best flooring and insulation.

We love it and have a mixture of carpets and posh laminate (kardean I think). As others have said it works differently so you have it on low all day and so you just have a nice constant warm temperature. Ours is only on in winter

You can have normal radiator heating running off the boiler and then put down electric underfloor heating mats in a specific place. Maybe discuss with your builder rather than the gas engineer.

@BubblesBuddy thanks, I wasn’t sure if that actual space would be warm enough without a radiator? Sounds like that won’t be the case though.

Wet underfloor heating and calculations for boiler output is best done by a plumber. Gas registered obviously but they should know about calcs for boiler output. You also need a floor screed prepared for pipe installation so that is an issue for the builder.