Advice on underfloor heating required

clogher71

Hi All

We are having underfloor heating downstairs in our new build, it will be run by a condensing oil boiler, it requires two manifolds. I do not know the differences in the systems/suppliers except for price , companys I have heard of are polytherm, wavin, quality plastics(Cork), Joule Solutions etc., most of these will only supply through a builders merchant. I am looking for information beyond the sales pitch. I understand also the installation is important, I have confidence in the plumber we have. Any advice/info./experiences appricated or even another supplier you have and been happy with, or a way of saving a few euro on buying a good system.

Thank You.

Too broad a question. I think that the best thing to do would be to search the forum for "underfloor heating" and read the threads, there are many.

Good luck

bertie1

clogher71 wrote: »

Hi All

We are having underfloor heating downstairs in our new build, it will be run by a condensing oil boiler, it requires two manifolds. I do not know the differences in the systems/suppliers except for price , companys I have heard of are polytherm, wavin, quality plastics(Cork), Joule Solutions etc., most of these will only supply through a builders merchant. I am looking for information beyond the sales pitch. I understand also the installation is important, I have confidence in the plumber we have. Any advice/info./experiences appricated or even another supplier you have and been happy with, or a way of saving a few euro on buying a good system.

Thank You.

I have under floor put into a new build and think its a great job . The house is always comfortable with it . The plumbing wholsalers sent out house floor plans out to Quality plastics and they sent back a coloured drawing with the different runs , the lengths of pipe, the amount of pipe required , spacing etc. It made laying the pipes easy and each room is controlled by a thermostat. You need to let the electrician know when you are pricing the wiring, what exactly is required for the under floor control. I would definately reccomend it and I wouldn't go back to rads after having it. The one luxury I did put in extra was heated towel rails in the bathroom/ ensuite . This is on a seperate zone

joe slow

Hi Bertie

How do find the UFH on oil? Have been told that it can be quite hard

Thank

j.s

bertie1

The first year we were in the house ( we had no internal doors up) and the oil for a 3000sq ft house was 2600liters for the year , this year the doors are up & the rooms that are not being used are set to 15C and the oil consumption is way back , I would say about 2000 liters should do for the year. All stats were at about 19C in the living area & 16C in the bedrooms. Last year without the doors the heating was running 6 hours a day , now it is down to 3 hours a day & the house is comfortable all day . In comparison with the last house I lived in 1/3 the size of this one , we still used that much oil . So I wouldn't say it is heavy at all. Of course the insulation levels have greatly improved in the last 15 years as wellas the boiler efficiency , we have a condensing oil boiler.

clogher71

Hi Bertie

Thanks for that, its that type of encourgement I need to seal the deal so to speak as to go with underfloor. Did you look at any other systems other than 'Quality Plastics'?. Just wondering whats the difference (if any)between the different suppliers systems (beside price). Most people I ask just say 'Pipes are pipes!'. If there is quality issues with their materials how would a 'lay man' tell the difference, or maybe one type of pipe heats up quicker than another, maybe there are no real answers to the questions I am asking......

davelerave

some systems use mats for laying the pipe on-that's obviously more expensive than basic clips.
there's also steel enclosure's for the manifolds on some systems-great for 'mechanical protection'
some of the cheaper systems cut back on the stats etc.don't think there's much variation in the actual pipe itself.
if you need any detailed info on the electrical side i can try to help but don't know if you need that

clogher71

Thanks Dave, I know some systems are easier to lay than others, I have plumber
on a price so the length of time it takes to install does not affect me too much. Guess at the moment price seems to be the biggest difference between the different suppliers, and there is a big one, also service, two weeks to get a quote from a company here, 5 hours to get one from the U.K.

Mono25

seen a system, i think at self build that was insulation that had grooves cut out for the pipe so slot in, cant remember who made it but it sounded good and obviously more expensive that just the pipes and stpales