Underfloor heating

twenty8

Just wondering does anyone know if you can put carpets over underfloor heating.

I am getting a heat pump installed with the underfloor and someone just mentioned to me that you should not / can't have carpets.

Anyone know??

The Hill Billy

Carpets on floors with UFH would significantly reduce its effectiveness.

To all intents & purposes you would be putting a layer of insulation between your heat source and the area that you wish to heat. Not a wise move.

If you want carpets - go for standard rads.

yop

You can get a special underlay for the carpets, not highly recommended but I know guys with that setup and no issues since they used the right under lay

The Hill Billy

What does the special underlay do?
You'll still have carpet above it which will prevent the heat from rising as effectively as it would on a non-carpeted floor.

CJhaughey

Heat rises that is an immutable law of physics.
If the UFH is working the room will be warm if it isn't the room will be cold.
If you fit carpet all that happens is that the process of the floor cooling down is slowed down which is not a bad thing.
I think a lot of people haver an idea that if they can't feel the heat from the floor that they are getting short changed, not really understanding that UFH is not about warm floors but more about lack of rads and a more even heat distribution.

The Hill Billy

I know what you're saying CJ - but still think that carpet over UHF would significantly reduce its overall effectiveness to such a degree as to not be worth installing it in the first place.

A bit like installing north-facing solar panels. Why bother if you're not going to optimise the heat source?

yop

I see what you mean but as CJ says UFH is not just to give u warm toes when walking around the house, even if you have timber you will not feel a "warmth" off the floor, with tiles you probably will.

Carpet in general is porous, the underlay they use and the standard felt underlay supplied with most timber flooring is not, therefore your heat is restricted.

If you have the correct underlay with your carpet I don;t think you will get quite the same return but you will be getting heat.
UFH coverage means that you don;t need high temperature to heat the room as you do with rads.

CJhaughey

Hill Billy wrote:

I know what you're saying CJ - but still think that carpet over UHF would significantly reduce its overall effectiveness to such a degree as to not be worth installing it in the first place.

A bit like installing north-facing solar panels. Why bother if you're not going to optimise the heat source?

You are comparing apples with oranges when you say that north facing solar panels are the same as fitting carpet in a UFH system.
Insulation does not stop heat.
It slows it down and depending on how efficient the insulation is it may take a long time for the heat to escape.
If carpet is such an efficient insulator why isn't it fitted in all roofs and walls in all new houses?
How can a small thin layer of wool with hemp backing stop heat from coming through the floor?
The heat will not go down far as long as there is sufficient insulation under the slab/screed.
But in the end of the day the heat will still come up and through and heat the room.
I have UFH and solid pine floors of 19mm with a layer of that white PE foam underlay which is also a good insulator and while my floor is not warm to the touch the room is not cold.
ergo the UFH works.

bro'

I was looking at carpets for my UFH upstairs but decided on wooden floors. This was only because of personal preference for timber flooring and not due to any differences in the thermal properties of a carpet to other flooring material as i believe with proper choice of carpet /underlay it would not significantly effect the heat transfer as noted previously in other posts ...

FYI...check out the Brintons capets link
http://www.brintons.net/cgi-bin/viewPage.cgi?linkName=underfloorHeating

where they refer to UFH and their carpets/underlays.

Viking House

A breathable natural fibre carpet can be used succesfully with UF heating.

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

Hill Billy wrote:

Carpets on floors with UFH would significantly reduce its effectiveness.

To all intents & purposes you would be putting a layer of insulation between your heat source and the area that you wish to heat. Not a wise move.

If you want carpets - go for standard rads.

this is true...
we had carpets and removed them....huge difference to the underfloor heat.

The Hill Billy

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

this is true...
we had carpets and removed them....huge difference to the underfloor heat.

The defence rests your honour.