Health Concerns with Underfloor Heating

Quack13

I'm new to this board..so firstly 'Hello All'.

Was speaking to a builder friend of mine today as am starting to build the house in May.
I mentioned that I was thinking of getting an underfloor heating system in the house on both ground floor & first floor level.

He then told me that he had heard of 'Health Concerns' regarding building your house with underfloor heating. He said that it had to do with your blood circulation and the fact that the heat in the house is at a constant.

Not being an expert in these fields I as curious if anyone on here has heard such things. I cannot seem to find any info online about this and it does sound a little crazy.

sunnysoutheast

Hi there

Underfloor heating has been in use since Roman times with no ill effects that I've ever heard of. We have UFH downstairs.

What does he think the purpose of a thermostat is? He'll probably be on about the electrical wiring giving you cancer or something next.

To me it sounds like typical builder speak for "bit complicated/expensive, don't want to get involved, think of an excuse".

Good luck on the house build, make good use of the scars people on here have got from building before you. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

SSE

Quack13

Cheers for that SSE.
Yeah thats the impression I kind of got. I also think his source for this was a plumber....who maybe isnt too comfortable with the whole UFH heating thing.

bauderline

Its a good job you didn't post that today, I would have laughed my ass off !

The ambient nature of underfloor is in fact much healthier than rads !

P.

mrs aol

There are studies to show that underfloor heating is not good for you. Mind you some of it was carried out on horses! If you search you'll find lots more info. I was thinking of underfloor heating until I looked into the health side of it. I'm not qualified to know if it's unfounded or not but it was enough to put me off.

sydthebeat

mrs aol wrote: »

There are studies to show that underfloor heating is not good for you. Mind you some of it was carried out on horses! If you search you'll find lots more info. I was thinking of underfloor heating until I looked into the health side of it. I'm not qualified to know if it's unfounded or not but it was enough to put me off.

can you link to any study where its shown to be 'unhealthy'???

i must say it doesnt make any sense... convector radiators create air currents in a room disturbing dust etc which isnt good for respiration. Also convector rad systems heat from top down, which doesnt make sense considering we are warmer towards our head and colder towards our feet.

any opinion ive ever seen on UFH states its much healthier than convector rads...

davgtrek

I would like to see a genuine study of underfloor to assess the bacterial growth on the surface of the floor and whether its worse or the same as with rads. From my reading bacteria grows best between 20-40 degrees which is the zone that UFH is in.

We have small kids and both work so its not a good solution in that case as its most effective throughout the day when the house is empty and is too slow to boost later in eve when you may want heat. It will boost but at a cost.

There are two very frustrating aspects to building in my experience. This is a broad statement ( there are exceptions ) but have it in the back of your mind.

1: builders,plumbers etal know very little about the science of building and have never been taught in a technical capacity. so they will try to push what they know or sell or install on you rather than thinking globally about what might be best.
Go into your typical electrical wholesalers or light shop and ask what the 3 digit number on all fluorescent bulbs means. for eg. a lot have 830 or 840.
They won't have a clue !!! and this is where all lighting is heading !!!!

Best talk to Architects or Engineers or here/net and you'll get better answers.

2: Its extremely difficult to get impartial advice on building products.
Its nearly impossible !!!

good luck with build

sydthebeat

bacteria / mould forms when certain factors exist in an atmosphere.

What Microorganisms Need to Grow

FOOD – Proteins and Carbohydrates

ACIDITY: Pathogenic bacteria grow best in foods that are slightly acidic (pH of 4.6-7.5)

TEMPERATURE: Pathogenic bacteria grow best between 41°F (5 deg C) and 135°F (57 deg C) (the danger zone). This is why leaving food at room temperature for several hours is very dangerous. Note: Foods left outside the danger zone doesn’t necessary kill microorganisms, for example, refrigeration temperature doesn’t necessary kill microorganisms but just slow their growth.

TIME: When organisms are given favorable temperatures, proper nutrients and water they can double in population as quickly as every 20 minutes. If foods are left in the danger zone for 4 hours or more microorganisms can grow enough to make someone ill.

OXYGEN: Some microorganisms need oxygen to grow and some can grow in the absence of oxygen.

MOISTURE: Most microorganisms require water to grow therefore they grow well in moist food. Potentially hazardous foods grow best with a .85 or higher water activity level.

(source: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-17929.html )


In a properly constructed dwelling there would not be a build up of moisture, as building regulations require an engineered ventilation solution capable of restricting condensation. bacteria and mould will only form on surfaces that have been constructed in such a way as to allow condensation to form on them ie bad thermal bridges etc.
Also, bacteria will form on food where protein and carbs are avaliable, so the prevention of this is down to the daily cleanliness of the inhabitants.

The temperature side of this is interesting. Obviously both convector rads and UFH heat rooms within those levels stated (5 - 57 deg C) but more importantly, both system heat the internal room atmospehere to THE SAME TEMPERATURE !!!! Therefore the risk of temperature being a factor is the same for both rads and UFH. This goes to show that it is the other factors which are more pertinent to bacterial growth than choice of UFH or rads.

If anything UFH heats the concrete slab to such a degree that the condensation point is deep within the floor make up, where as rads may heat a concrete floor to allow the condensatin point form on the surface. This would be compounded if an insulative floor finish such as carpet or timber floor underlay is used. Typically, the installation of UFH requires a significantly greater level of underfloor insulation than a rad system, thereby driving the dew point even deeper into the construction.

The inital point about convector rads creating air currents still stands. Therefore convector radiator systems used within rooms that have inadequate ventilation, poor construction resulting in thermal bridges and insulative finishes poses a significantly greater risk to inhabitants health that UFH.

davgtrek

That's an interesting point on moisture for bacteria growth.
Also good scientific info supplied.

I suppose I am basing my scepticism on the typical ( family based ) wear and tear of a floor that has shoes , food , spillages , dust , bits kicked under furniture,couch etc.etc being on a hot surface for hours on end before cleaning or hoovering.

The continentals habit of slippers at the door for you when you remove your shoes has some sense I guess.

sydthebeat

regarding the 'time' factor.... generally teh closer you get to 57 deg the faster the rate of multiplication.... now, UFH never reaches that temp!!! whereas rads operate in the region of 50-65.... therefore again a rad system is more likely to produce bacterial growth is food is left closer to a radiator than if left on a floor with UFH.

i think the 20-40 temp zone youre talking about is more applicable to legionairres bacteria, which form in water, and more specifically water systems. This is not a factor in UFH as the system is a closed, buried system. Also a frequent flush of the system at 66 deg will kill the bacterium. i dont know if this is required however.

tomnellu

hai is there any health issues for electric heating

Gumbo

tomnellu wrote: »

hai is there any health issues for electric heating

Yes, the risk of a heart attack from the shock when you get your ESB bill :eek: