Difference between revisions of "Underfloor Heating"

Latest revision as of 01:13, 7 February 2011

See the Central Heating Design article for pros and cons of underfloor heating compared to radiators etc.

The use of warmed floors to heat spaces goes back at least to the Romans who used hypocausts to heat buildings using wood as fuel. Modern Underfloor Heating systems ("UFH") can be designed and installed as part of a wet hydronic central heating system or can be separate Electrically heated areas.

The following regards wet CH-based systems:

Suppliers

Uponor

Uponor (formerly Wirsbo) are long-established suppliers of UFH.

Their web site's pages carry the now-common indication of the path through the document tree to the current page e.g.

Products > Underfloor Heating > PEX 15 Pipe

but you can't always get further along the path from a given page! Instead you have to use the pop-up menus from the navigation bar on the left of the page.

Requires (free) registration for PDF datasheet downloads including:

Uponor supports installation in screeded solid floors, suspended floors with spreader plates or with their proprietary system using metallised bubble-wrap backing, and floating floors with 50mm panels.

Continental

Continental are a significant established supplier of UFH in the UK.

Their wesbite details the range of products which includes multi-layer AluPEX pipes and 5-layer PEX pipes. Their founder (Chris Ingram) is Chairman of the Technical Committee of the UK trade associaition, UHMA.

Downloads available include:

Latest industry news and advice on floor coverings is available

Continental systems support installation in screeded floors, fit from above or below systems for timber joists, suspended floors and floating floors.

Hepworth

Hepworth (formerly Bartol) are another long-established supplier of UFH in the UK.

UFH Guides avalable as PDFs including:

floor construction
floor layouts
training guide 'benefits' and installation practise
conservatory pack simple packaged kit for single solid-floored rooms using flow-limiting temperature valve in return circuit

Supports solid, suspended and floating floors.

Polypipe

Polypipe UFH systems (widely available in DIY outlets e.g. B&Q)

Floor types supported include overlay 18mm thick using 12mm pipe.

John Guest

(Makers of Speedfit).

Their UFH web page gives a comprehensive guide to:

basics of UFH
solid floor construction
design principles
controls
heatloss (with R values for different surface finishes)
pipe layout
output tables
installation practise

Nu-Heat

Nu-Heat supplies integrated underfloor heating, heat pump and solar solutions. With over 60 floor constructions the underflor heating can be incorporated into screed, floating and suspended timber floors.

- Floor coverings

- UFH Design Process

http://www.nu-heat.co.uk/

Warm water underfloor heating works by pumping a controlled flow of warm water from any heat source through plastic tubing embedded in the floor. Because the emitting area is large, sufficient warmth is provided even on a cold winter day with no need for supplementary heating.

Osma

http://www.osmaufh.co.uk/

Rehau

http://www.rehau.co.uk/building.solutions/underfloor.heating/floor.systems/floor.systems.shtml

Royalle

Supply a range of typical UFH systems but also make a thin (15mm or 25mm finished) screeded system based on zinc-plated steel honeycomb which, it is claimed, can be laid over existing wooden floors, even those in poor condition. The system is also claimed to have relatively short warm-up and cool-down times.

Floorheater

System comprising thin "poly" panels grooved for PEX pipe with bonded foil heat diffuser. Panels can be cut with a craft-knife, and glued, screwed or nailed onto surface.

Also available in thicker "Easy Panel" incorporating insulation.

Floorheater web site

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+''See the [[Central_Heating_Design#Underfloor|Central Heating Design article]] for pros and cons of underfloor heating compared to radiators etc.''
+The use of warmed floors to heat spaces goes back at least to the Romans who used [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocaust hypocausts] to heat buildings using wood as fuel. Modern Underfloor Heating systems ("'''UFH'''") can be [[Central Heating Design|designed]] and installed as part of a wet hydronic [[central heating]] system or can be separate Electrically heated areas.
+The following regards wet CH-based systems:
 == Suppliers ==
@@ Line 8: / Line 14: @@
 |-
 | Their web site's pages carry the now-common indication of the path through the document tree to the current page e.g.
-  Products > Underfloor Heating > PEX 15 Pipe
+:  Products > Underfloor Heating > PEX 15 Pipe
 but you can't always get further along the path from a given page! Instead you have to use the pop-up menus from the navigation bar on the left of the page.
 |}
@@ Line 19: / Line 25: @@
 Uponor supports installation in screeded solid floors, suspended floors with spreader plates or with their proprietary system using metallised bubble-wrap backing, and floating floors with 50mm panels.
+=== Continental===
+[http://www.continental-ufh.com Continental]  are a significant established supplier of UFH in the UK.
+Their wesbite details the range of products which includes multi-layer AluPEX pipes and 5-layer PEX pipes. Their founder (Chris Ingram) is Chairman of the Technical Committee of the UK trade associaition, [http://www.uhma.info UHMA].
+Downloads available include:
+* [http://www.continental-ufh.com/download/CUFH_quote_form_web_r311007.pdf Free quote form]
+* [http://www.continental-ufh.com/download/CUFH_bro07_web_download_r311007.pdf Brochure]
+Latest industry [http://www.continental-ufh.com/news.asp news] and advice on [http://www.continental-ufh.com/floorcovering.asp floor coverings] is available
+Continental systems support installation in screeded floors, fit from above or below systems for timber joists, suspended floors and floating floors.
 === Hepworth ===
@@ Line 27: / Line 47: @@
 * [http://www.hep2o.co.uk/ufh/UFHFloorLayouts.pdf floor layouts]
 * [http://www.hep2o.co.uk/ufh/TrainingGuide.pdf training guide] 'benefits' and installation practise
+* [http://www.hep2o.co.uk/ufh/UFHConservatoryPack.pdf conservatory pack] simple packaged kit for single solid-floored rooms using flow-limiting temperature valve in return circuit
 Supports solid, suspended and floating floors.
 === Polypipe ===
-[http://www.polypipe.com/POLYPIPE/pp_html/floor/floor_main.html Polypipe UFH systems] (widely available in DIY outlets e.g. B&Q)
+[http://www.polypipe.com/polypipe/products/building-products/ufch Polypipe UFH systems] (widely available in DIY outlets e.g. B&Q)
+* [http://www.ufch.com/ Trade site]
+** [http://www.ufch.com/Downloads/02-dandi-guide.pdf Design and Installation Guide] [PDF]
+* [http://www.freeyourwalls.com/ Consumer site]
-Floor types supported include [http://www.polypipe.com/POLYPIPE/pp_html/floor/floor_02-04-02.html overlay] 18mm thick using 12mm pipe.
+Floor types supported include [http://www.polypipe.com/polypipe/controller?action=BP-Products&categoryID=283 overlay] 18mm thick using 12mm pipe.
@@ Line 42: / Line 64: @@
 (Makers of '''Speedfit''').
-Their [http://www.johnguest.com/linkpages/UFHinstADV.htm UFH web page] gives a comprehensive guide to:
+Their [http://www.speedfitufh.co.uk/ UFH web page] gives a comprehensive guide to:
 * basics of UFH
 * solid floor construction
@@ Line 53: / Line 75: @@
 === Nu-Heat ===
+Nu-Heat supplies integrated underfloor heating, heat pump and solar solutions. With over 60 floor constructions the underflor heating can be incorporated into screed, floating and suspended timber floors.
+- [http://www.nu-heat.co.uk/s.nl/sc.7/category.18/.f Floor coverings]
+- [http://www.nu-heat.co.uk/s.nl/it.I/id.172/.f?sc=7&category=40 UFH Design Process]
 http://www.nu-heat.co.uk/
+Warm water underfloor heating works by pumping a controlled flow of warm water from any heat source through plastic tubing embedded in the floor. Because the emitting area is large, sufficient warmth is provided even on a cold winter day with no need for supplementary heating.
 === Osma ===
@@ Line 62: / Line 91: @@
 === Rehau ===
-http://www.rehau.co.uk/building.solutions/underfloor.heating.shtml
+http://www.rehau.co.uk/building.solutions/underfloor.heating/floor.systems/floor.systems.shtml
+=== Royalle ===
+Supply a range of typical UFH systems but also make a thin (15mm or 25mm finished) screeded system based on zinc-plated steel honeycomb which, it is claimed, can be laid over existing wooden floors, even those in poor condition. The system is also claimed to have relatively short warm-up and cool-down times.
+* [http://www.royalle.co.uk Royalle web site]
+* [http://www.royalle.co.uk/max4therm_underfloor.html Max4therm thin system]
+=== Floorheater ===
+System comprising thin "poly" panels grooved for PEX pipe with bonded foil heat diffuser. Panels can be cut with a craft-knife, and glued, screwed or nailed onto surface.
+Also available in thicker "Easy Panel" incorporating insulation.
+* [http://www.floorheater.co.uk/ Floorheater web site]
 [[Category:Plumbing]]
 [[Category:Heating]]
+[[Category:Floors]]