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Underfloor heating.
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I am thinking about getting it for the kitchen. Has anyone got it? Is it any good? and is it easy to install? Will be getting a sparky to do it.
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I have just had it installed in my new bathroom and en suite and it is wonderful. We were advised to leave it on a low setting all winter and adjust the temperature to a higher setting if we were having a shower or bath. Up to now that has worked well for us. The one thing we had to do when it was installed was not to walk on it for 48 hours so we had the bathroom done first and then the en suite a few days later, so I don't know how you would get around that with it being your kitchen.We have had ceramic tiles layed on top so I expect they wanted it to dry out and settle.
A couple of comments, then some suggestions.
It might help to explain that there are 2 types - water-based pipes that run in the floor and electrical matting. You are wanting the latter type.
It won't be relatively cheap to run if you are operating it on expensive peak-rate electricity.
Next the insulation under the floor. If your house is newer then 4 years old then you will have a higher standard of insulation under the floor. This prevents your expensive heat being conducted downwards and lost into the subsoil below your house (never wondered why the creepy-crawlies enjoy finding places to overwinter snuggled up close to the outside walls of a house?). This is going to be a particular issue for you if you have a solid concrete slab screed on the ground floor – less of an issue if you have wooden floors on the ground floors (as older houses did). The very fact that you are heating the floor makes this important. It is not an issue for the answer given above because in the first floor bathroom the floors are wooden anyway. Yes, do use these insulation boards your OH has found but see the clearance issue below. To give you some idea, my house has 100mm thick insulation board to stop me losing much heat downwards - you won't be able to achieve this much because of the height issue but do put in what you can.
It might help to explain that there are 2 types - water-based pipes that run in the floor and electrical matting. You are wanting the latter type.
It won't be relatively cheap to run if you are operating it on expensive peak-rate electricity.
Next the insulation under the floor. If your house is newer then 4 years old then you will have a higher standard of insulation under the floor. This prevents your expensive heat being conducted downwards and lost into the subsoil below your house (never wondered why the creepy-crawlies enjoy finding places to overwinter snuggled up close to the outside walls of a house?). This is going to be a particular issue for you if you have a solid concrete slab screed on the ground floor – less of an issue if you have wooden floors on the ground floors (as older houses did). The very fact that you are heating the floor makes this important. It is not an issue for the answer given above because in the first floor bathroom the floors are wooden anyway. Yes, do use these insulation boards your OH has found but see the clearance issue below. To give you some idea, my house has 100mm thick insulation board to stop me losing much heat downwards - you won't be able to achieve this much because of the height issue but do put in what you can.
Clearances. You need to make sure that the depth of the heating mat (probably 5mm or so) plus the depth of the tiles you will have to put on top will give enough height clearances - or the capability to cut wood off projecting doors etc.
Mat rating. Electrical mats come in different ratings. Suggest you fit one rated at 200W per square metre. You can always turn the thing off but you can’t get more heat out of an under-rated mat. Make sure the system comes with a decent control with a thermostat.
Adhesives. Be guided by your installer, of course, but he should be installing with a very flexible adhesive because the temperature variation of the floor will otherwise cause the tiling to come loose on the surface below. Installing on wooden floors requires even more specialist adhesives. Common-or-garden tile adhesive from B+Q just won’t do.
Mat rating. Electrical mats come in different ratings. Suggest you fit one rated at 200W per square metre. You can always turn the thing off but you can’t get more heat out of an under-rated mat. Make sure the system comes with a decent control with a thermostat.
Adhesives. Be guided by your installer, of course, but he should be installing with a very flexible adhesive because the temperature variation of the floor will otherwise cause the tiling to come loose on the surface below. Installing on wooden floors requires even more specialist adhesives. Common-or-garden tile adhesive from B+Q just won’t do.
Bulidersmate recommendation at 200W/square meter will give you a running cost figure for the system you intend to install. Work out the heated floor area in square meters and multiply by 200W to give the total power.
Based on a 5 metre square kitchen floor area, each hour of operation (at full power) will consume 1kWh – costing around 10p/hour at typical unit costs.
Based on a 5 metre square kitchen floor area, each hour of operation (at full power) will consume 1kWh – costing around 10p/hour at typical unit costs.
Thanks builder and Hymie. The area to be covered is approx 2 meter. It's floor boards at the moment and luckily we have no door (it was a glass one but OH kicked it open when his hands were full and it hit the fridge and smashed) They told us it would take about an hour to heat up but looking at the booklet if we get the boards it's 60% more efficient.
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