Piping Bathroom Rad

Tulipout

Changing my bathroom soon and I'll be fitting a new towel rad. I was just wondering if I was to loop the pipes around the floor joists before tiling, would this take the chill out of the tiles. I'm thinking it might act like underfloor heating. Has anyone here done this or do you think there would be any advantage.
Thanks

Calibos

Our downstairs CH and Hot water pipe for the Kitchen pipes come down from the gas boiler upstairs inside the wall of our understairs toilet and then they branch off under the concrete floors to the kitchen, dining room and living room.

The floor tiles in the understairs bathroom and the kitchen tiles between the hall and island where the sink is get warm.

The Balterio Laminate in the hall from the understairs bathroom as far as the dining room and living room doors also gets warm, so much so that the living room door area is a favourite spot for our Shih Tsu to lie.

The concrete floors downstairs have kingspan insulation underneath the slab.

Not sure if your idea would work without the pipe being laid in a screed underneath the tiles. ie. even if you got some foam insulation board and cut channels for the pipe and laid between your floor joists, if theres is a plywood subfloor between the pipes and the tiles, then I don't think much if any heat would make it into the tiles. My balterio laminate is a lot thinner than a plywood subfloor.

You've certainly got me thinking though. I'll be putting in a new family bathroom sometime in the next year or two and turning the old smallish family bathroom into an ensuite for the largest bedroom. I'll be moving a few rads as part or the first floor reconfiguration. Laying a screed over the current subfloor is not an option as it would raise the bathroom floor a few inches over the rest of the floors.

I think when it comes time, I might take this question over to the construction and Planning section of the forums. I know my floor joists were over specced and this part of the house has Steel beams. I imagine I could lift the subfloor and affix batons along the length of the joists a few inches below the top of the joists. Then affix a plywood subfloor to those batons between the joists below the level of the top of the joists. Then lay a water proof membrane over these strips of subfloor and over the top of the joists. Then Styrofoam panels with channels for the CH line. Then screed and tile the floor. and still be maybe 5mm below the levels of the landing floor outside the door.

Wonder what the Plumbing/Heating guys think of this idea??

Dtp79

Calibos wrote: »

Our downstairs CH and Hot water pipe for the Kitchen pipes come down from the gas boiler upstairs inside the wall of our understairs toilet and then they branch off under the concrete floors to the kitchen, dining room and living room.

The floor tiles in the understairs bathroom and the kitchen tiles between the hall and island where the sink is get warm.

The Balterio Laminate in the hall from the understairs bathroom as far as the dining room and living room doors also gets warm, so much so that the living room door area is a favourite spot for our Shih Tsu to lie.

The concrete floors downstairs have kingspan insulation underneath the slab.

Not sure if your idea would work without the pipe being laid in a screed underneath the tiles. ie. even if you got some foam insulation board and cut channels for the pipe and laid between your floor joists, if theres is a plywood subfloor between the pipes and the tiles, then I don't think much if any heat would make it into the tiles. My balterio laminate is a lot thinner than a plywood subfloor.

You've certainly got me thinking though. I'll be putting in a new family bathroom sometime in the next year or two and turning the old smallish family bathroom into an ensuite for the largest bedroom. I'll be moving a few rads as part or the first floor reconfiguration. Laying a screed over the current subfloor is not an option as it would raise the bathroom floor a few inches over the rest of the floors.

I think when it comes time, I might take this question over to the construction and Planning section of the forums. I know my floor joists were over specced and this part of the house has Steel beams. I imagine I could lift the subfloor and affix batons along the length of the joists a few inches below the top of the joists. Then affix a plywood subfloor to those batons between the joists below the level of the top of the joists. Then lay a water proof membrane over these strips of subfloor and over the top of the joists. Then Styrofoam panels with channels for the CH line. Then screed and tile the floor. and still be maybe 5mm below the levels of the landing floor outside the door.

Wonder what the Plumbing/Heating guys think of this idea??

There would be too much heat in the pipes. A mixing valve would have to be used. Underfloor heating pipes couldn't be 70 degrees in the screed!

Calibos

Dtp79 wrote: »

There would be too much heat in the pipes. A mixing valve would have to be used. Underfloor heating pipes couldn't be 70 degrees in the screed!

Scratch that idea then

I just assumed all the valves and things on underfloor heating installations was to do with zoning or something.

I assume that my situation downstairs with my concrete slab floor heating up like underfloor heating in certain areas is only OK because a concrete slab can take the heat from the radiator pipes better than a screed?

Dtp79

Calibos wrote: »

Scratch that idea then

I just assumed all the valves and things on underfloor heating installations was to do with zoning or something.

I assume that my situation downstairs with my concrete slab floor heating up like underfloor heating in certain areas is only OK because a concrete slab can take the heat from the radiator pipes better than a screed?

Probably yes. And there not layer out in UFH formation either

rightjob!

just install a devi mat

shane0007

Calibos wrote: »

Scratch that idea then

I just assumed all the valves and things on underfloor heating installations was to do with zoning or something.

I assume that my situation downstairs with my concrete slab floor heating up like underfloor heating in certain areas is only OK because a concrete slab can take the heat from the radiator pipes better than a screed?

Once you get above 55C there is a real risk of cracking the screed & probably the floor tiles. Above 60C and you will most certainly do so. You could use an ICV array to limit the temperature.

Tulipout

Thanks for the replies lads.
Looks like the Devi mat would be the best option.