Quick UFH installation question!!

NextSteps

Hi all - the plumber is installing UFH coils in the house now, and there are 2 things he's done I'm dubious about:

1. He has put coils under where the kitchen units, including the fridge, will be. He says this is standard but it doesn't make sense to me.

2. The coils are quite deep, ie will have to be covered in at least 2" maybe 3" of concrete to achieve the floor level.

Can anyone tell me (quickly) who's right? Would really appreciate advice on this one as it's hard to put right after!!!

billy_beckham

Definitely a bad idea to have the heating under cabinets,fridges and other electrical units ie dish washer etc. Appliances will heat up and food will go off quicker!!

65-70 mm is normal depth for pipes so i'd say that end of it is ok...

yop

Definately not under units, fridges, toilets, sinks, baths, stairs, showers etc. Would I guess he is new to UFH or at it for years>?

eoghan.geraghty

There is a good argument to putting the heating circuit under the kitchen units as if you don't, that part of the screed/floor will be cold and rob the heat from the warm part delaying the heat getting to you.
This is recent thinking on the matter to my knowledge.

NextSteps

eoghan.geraghty wrote:

There is a good argument to putting the heating circuit under the kitchen units as if you don't, that part of the screed/floor will be cold and rob the heat from the warm part delaying the heat getting to you.
This is recent thinking on the matter to my knowledge.

Confusing. He hasn't put coils under the units-to-be but he has on the other side of the kitchen where the fridge and one larder unit will be - says this is necessary to continue the loop. There are 4 coils under the fridge. I'll have to go over there and lie in front of the concrete pourer until it gets sorted out either way, I suppose. Damn.

How bad will it be if they're left there?

billy_beckham

eoghan.geraghty wrote:

There is a good argument to putting the heating circuit under the kitchen units as if you don't, that part of the screed/floor will be cold and rob the heat from the warm part delaying the heat getting to you.
This is recent thinking on the matter to my knowledge.

What we did to stop that happening was install insulation between the "warm" and "cold" sections of the floor, about 15mm i think. It was the same stuff as we put around the edges to stop the heat transferring to the walls.
To my mind there is no point heating a section of the floor that is covered by white goods and kitchen cabinets.....

qazxsw

Another runner might be some rockwook between the finished floor and the base of the cabinet (benind the kickboard, out of view) That way all the floor will be heated but unheated concrete wont be robbing heated concrete of its heat, and the rockwool will protect the contents of the lader a small bit. Of course this won't help if you have a fridge / freezer standing directly on the floor.

Plumber should be able to loop pipes around the area where the fridge is going to be, he'll have to do that type of thing for toilet bowls anyway - otherwise how would you drill a hole in conrete aftrward to screw the toilet bowl to the tiles ?