Very experienced in the installation of underfloor heating we can help you whatever the floor construction. From self build or extension to retrofitting we have the knowledge to assist with deciding which system best works for you and the expertise to carry out the installation.

So which system is best for you and your property?  Well that depends on numerous factors with the first one being what is the floor construction.  There are lots of different ways that floors are constructed and depending on what yours is will reduce the options.

There are 3 basic different kinds of underfloor heating with these being, we will look at these in more detail below:-

1. A system where you clip or staple the pipes to insulation and then a screed will be put over the top.
2. An over floor system, perfect for using as a retrofit system. Can be used on suspended or solid floors.
3. Used on suspended floors only this uses aluminium panels stapled to the joists and the pipes clipped into the panels.

So in a little more detail we look at the various different system.

The first system on the list above is probably the quickest and most affordable to do, where the pipes are stapled or clipped onto the insulation.  This system is most commonly used as part of a self build or new extension that is being constructed.  The floor makeup is usually a concrete slab, the damp proof membrane, PIR rigid insulation (such as Celotex), a vapour barrier, the underfloor heating pipes, the screed and then the final floor finish.  Typically as a company we would come in once the builder has got the stage where the insulation and vapour barrier is down. We would then staple the pipe to the insulation, through the vapour barrier, the way the pipes are stapled down is follows a plan very closely in order to cover the room as thoroughly as possible with all the pipes going back to the manifold.  Once the pipes have been fitted and connected to the manifold the system will get pressure tested and remain under pressure ready for the screed.  The pipes used for this are usually 16mm in diameter and set at 150mm from pipe centre to pipe centre, this distance ensures a good coverage of heat and keeps warm up time down to a minimum.  In some larger rooms and when the heat source might be a heat pump the 150mm can be reduced further to 100mm, this allows us to heat larger spaces that may have very high ceilings and lots of glazing, only really necessary is the heat source is a low temperature one such as a ground source or air source heat pump.  The the system is pressurised the screed wants to go down fairly quickly to prevent any damage to the pipes.  A traditional sand and cement screed could be used but more typically these days a much lower profile liquid screed is often used.  With a low profile liquid screed the thickness can be as little as 36mm.  By having such a low profile screed with pipes set at 150mm, or in some cases 100mm, this leads to a very rapid warming up time.  Whilst this system is most commonly used on newly constructed floors it can also be used on existing solid floors but does require the existing floor to be broken up and removed which can be a large undertaking  which is why on existing solid floors it is more common to use an over floor system as detailed next.