Marble Plumbing

Due to modern advances in plumbing – flexible plastic plumbing, efficient insulation and advanced controls, underfloor heating is now becoming a popular and affordable form of central heating. Most underfloor heating systems are installed as the house is being built, but you can now also have it installed in your home to improve your current heating system.

What is underfloor heating

Underfloor heating consists of a continuous length of plastic pipe, which snakes across the floor across one or more rooms of your house. The entire floor space is divided up into separate zones to provide a more efficient layout. Each section is controlled by a roomstat and is connected to a thermostatically controlled multi-valve manifold, which forms the central hub of the system. This manifold controls the flow rate of the separate zones and the temperature of the water. The manifold is installed above floor level and is connected to the boiler via a conventional circulation pump.

Why should I get underfloor heating?

The benefits of underfloor heating are clear when you compare it to a panel radiator system. The underfloor option distributes the heat more evenly and throughout a wider area of the room. This in turn reduces hot and cold spots within your living environment and creates a more comfortable place to live, with the warmest air at your feet and it cools as it rises towards the ceiling.

Underfloor heating is also more energy efficient and costs less to run than other central heating systems as it operates at a lower temperature. As the hot air is distributed evenly you can even set your thermostat a degree or two lower. To get the most efficient heating system, you should combine your underfloor heating with a condensing boiler.

Can I have underfloor heating in my house?

Underfloor heating is usually laid in new buildings, before the floor is laid, however, you can lay underfloor heating by taking up the floor. It can be laid into any type of floor construction, including solid concrete floors, boarded floating floors and also suspended timber floors.

When underfloor heating is being installed into a new building, the plastic tubes are usually set into a solid concrete floor. Insulation is laid over the base concrete and rows of special pipe clips are fixed to the insulation. Then the flexible heating tubes are clipped into place, at the required spacing and finally concrete screed is poured on top.

For underfloor heating in existing buildings you may have to raise floors to accommodate the fit. Underfloor heating can be used alongside your current panel radiator system.

What next?

If you are considering laying an underfloor heating system to heat your house, either as the sole method of heating your house, or alongside your current radiator panel system, get in contact with Marble Plumbing to find out a bit more about the best option for your home. Why not take a look at a recent underfloor heating job undertaken by Marble Plumbing.