Continental UFH offers installation guidance

Continental Underfloor Heating suggests seeking impartial advice in order to select an installation method that best suits individual project requirements.

Rapid growth in the underfloor heating (UFH) market has led to the introduction of products which enable the installer to cut down on installation times.

Ground floors in most new builds are screeded floor constructions with UFH typically installed in the screed.

For wooden suspended floors, there are many alternatives and each installation method has its own merits and application.

Pug mix solution: method of installing UFH in suspended floors is using a pug mix.

Insulation boards are placed between the joists and held in place with battens.

The UFH pipe is then clipped into place, and the joist must be notched to allow the pipe to pass from one ceiling void to the next.

A dry mix of 8:1 dry sand and cement is smoothed over the pipe work and tamped level with the top of the joist.

This system allows good heat transfer from the UFH pipework to the floor surface.

This method, combined with tighter pipe spacings, allows for the flow temperatures to be kept as low as possible to improve the Coefficient Of Performance (COP) of the heat pump.

The weight of the sand/cement mix adds approximately 28kg/m2 for joist spacing of 400mm.

When notching is not an option: Where notching is not permitted, it is advisable to use an over-joist construction, where battens are fitted to the top of the joist and insulation is fitted flush with the top of the joist.

This means the batten is notched to allow the UFH pipe to run from one joist section into the next.

Heat diffusion plates for upper floor installation: The heat diffusion plates, also known as spreader plates, method is a lightweight system and considered an easy method of installation.

It only gives 85 per cent coverage as compared to the 100 per cent the dry sand cement method delivers.

Heat diffusion plates for floating floors: Another upper floor installation method is using aluminium heat distribution or spreader plates, in conjunction with insulation boards.

For this type of floating floor the spreader plates fit into grooved insulation boards, the insulation boards are laid down and the heat diffusion plates are fitted on top.

UFH pipe is then slotted into the heat diffusion plates and the floating floor fitted above this.

Using a layer of builder's paper between the plates and the floating floor will reduce expansion noises.

Heat diffusion plates for between the joists installation: This method can also be used between the joists, with the plates being fitted to bridge the gap between the joists.

Insulation is fitted beneath, in combination with battens to support the insulation and plates.

The pipework is then pushed into the plates, with notching to allow the pipework to go from one joist area to the next.

The flooring is then fitted over the top, fixed down to the joists.

Heat diffusion plates for fit-from-below: A fit-from-below plate is fixed to the underside of an already installed floor.

The pipework is pushed into place with the insulated boards fitted from below and secured tight against the fit-from-below plate with battens.

The Slimfix installation method: Another upper floor system is to use Slimfix, a radiant reflective foil, which reflects the heat from the UFH pipework back up to the underside of the floor.

The reflective foil is unrolled across the joists and allowed to hang down approximately 50mm below the top of the joist.

Clips are then fitted over the joist so that the pipework is suspended in mid air above the foil.

This system is light and simple to use and quick to install.

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