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Water Underfloor Heating
Welcome to Water Underfloor Heating website. This website promotes information on the integration with eco heating technologies including:
- Underfloor Heating Kits
- Condensing Boilers
- Air Source Heat Pumps
- Ground Source Heat Pumps
- Solar Panels
Complementary Heating technologies can be utilised with all of our Water Underfloor Heating Kits which can be purchased at Trade Prices using our sister e-commerce website. Please click here to view our online video on Water Underfloor Heating (7 mins in duration).
Typical Water Underfloor Heating Kit System from UFH1
1 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING PRE-INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS
Pre-installation requirements - Check your order corresponds with your invoice. Your CAD drawing and pipe schedule (this is to optimise roll lengths and will tell you which circuit to take of which roll). Check you have the appropriate fixings for the installation & insulation. Check your floor construction corresponds with the CAD drawing & fixings The installation of this equipment should be carried out by a competent person and in accordance with the relevant, Building Regulations, Model Water Bylaws and the
Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations. Installers should read instruction manuals manual carefully. Responsibility for finished system function and operation rests with installers.
Please pay attention to the following points. Make sure you understand the design and pay careful attention to pipe spacing. Where pipes pass through walls they must be sleeved. CAD drawings normally contain information on pipe centres and pipe run lengths. Please ensure all timber joist notching complies with building regulations. A calculation of the total amount of pipe required to complete the installation should be made before you order. Please make sure you optimise pipe supplied by calculating - before cutting - optimum lengths to be cut from each roll.
Water Underfloor Heating can supply pipe shortages as a result of mistakes or failure to optimise pipe cutting. Make sure you fit the expansion edge insulation strips. Please check you have been delivered all components to complete installation in accordance with these instructions. Make sure the system is filled in line with instructions and pressure tested to 6 bars before the floors are put down. This procedure not only ensures the system is watertight but helps to maintain the pipe shape during the screeding process. Prior to the beginning of installation work, windows and doors should be in place and interior walls finished in order to ensure correct location of pipework The subfloor must be clearly swept and free of mortar residues before underfloor heating system boards are put in place, to ensure that moulded floor templates lie evenly on the subfloor. Other trades should be excluded until installation is completed.
1.1 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING SCREED SUBFLOOR
Screed Subfloor - The subfloor below the water underfloorheating system must not contain joints, steps or cracks, etc. The working surface of the screed subfloor should be swept clean and be free of surface irregularities, mortar residues, pipes and pipe slots. Only under these conditions is a uniform flooring construction ensured.
1.2 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING MOISTURE BARRIER
Moisture barrier - A moisture barrier may be required for basements or cellars. The barrier protects against ascending and lateral moisture. In all cases, the decision to install a moisture barrier depends on the particular construction circumstances and should be made on a case-by-case basis. The sealing of building components should then be carried out. If using Polystyrene floor insulation in selecting materials it should be ensured that only solvent-free polystyrene compatible materials are used. Compatibility with Styrofoam is an absolute requirement. Tarred cardboard or patching and sealing
water underfloor heating installation should be undertaken with care as certain solvents may not be used. Best suited for such purposes are asphalt-coated sealing tapes and plastic foils. Abutments should be overlapped and heatsealed.
1.3 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING EDGE INSULATION STRIPS
Edge insulation strips permit the free expansion of flooring screed and prevents the transmission of impact sound to adjacent walls. The edge insulation strips must extend from the subfloor to the upper edge of the flooring layer and allow at least 5mm for movement of the flooring screed. The water underfloor heating edge insulation should be applied against all ascending construction elements such as walls, door frames or columns.
1.4 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING EXPANSION STRIPS
IMPORTANT: No single area of screed should exceed 40m². Edging strip to form an expansion joint should separate areas greater than this. Create expansion joints by inserting a section of edge insulation strip between two system boards. Joints are to be placed:
- Above existing building expansion joints at corresponding positions and in matching lengths.
- As field borders.
- As edge joints against all adjacent building elements and built-in fixtures.
Both flow and return pipes are run through the screed expansion joint and sleeved 400mm minimum either side.
2 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING FLOORING SCREED
Standard flooring screed (1:4 with fibres is recommended) can be applied over water underfloor heating floor heating systems. The thickness of concrete layers used in the various constructions corresponds to the
stability category specified for residential buildings. In most cases, a layer of 70mm (50mm above the upper pipe surface) is appropriate for direct embedding of the system. For flooring screed subject to increased stress and strain, e.g. warehouses, workshops, etc., flooring screed thicknesses are to be adjusted upwards according to actual static conditions. Depending upon the intended use, a special construction configuration may be required. Anhydrite concretes containing anhydrite binders as specified in DIN 4208 have no negative effect on floor heating system components. The low heat conduction factor should be taken into account, however. When using anhydrite concrete, appropriate insulation should be
applied to protect against inflowing concrete.
2.1 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING INSULATION
Aggregate: gravel sand 0/8mm Mixture, cement: aggregates = 1:4 + fibres. By weight (50kg cement = 225kg sand = approx. 26-28 shovels) + fibres. + 16-18 litre water to mix it (water quantity depends on moisture content of sand). Water Underfloor Heating can be permanently built into solid concrete or screeded floors. Insulation is built into the floor as required by current Building Regulations.
IMPORTANT: Insulation thickness to comply with local building regulations and to satisfaction of Building Inspectors.
2.2 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING FLOOR IRREGULARITIES
Where piping has already been installed on a subfloors prior to system board installation, a compensation layer of Styrofoam can be laid to provide a level surface on which to place the system boards. System boards GTFN-F and GTFN-D can be cut with a profile cutter to fit over existing piping segments, which is a cost effective alternative to the construction of a compensation layer. In no case, however, should granular fillers (e.g. sand) be used to build a compensation layer, as they are subject to hollowing, which can easily cause damage to pipe systems.
2.3 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING PRESSURE TESTING
A test of a water underfloor heating system seal is performed at a pressure of 6 bars before flooring screed is poured. This pressure is to be maintained until screed application is completed in order to ensure that any leaks are identified immediately.
3 WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING FLOOR TYPES
To ensure & achieve optimal heat output and temperatures, you require good contact between the floor structure and floor covering with no air gaps.
Generally speaking thick cork & soft woods are not suitable for floor heating. Watch out for some of the new laminate boards and their means of fixing to the floor and the underlay they use. If this is too thick, (it should not exceed 2mm), it will insulate
your floor.
Concrete, screed, natural stone, slate and ceramic or quarry tiles all allow excellent heat
transfer and heat output. Linoleum and Vinyl must be no thicker than 5mm.
Important: ensure when gluing Lino/Amtigo to the concrete or screed, the concrete or screed is dry and all moisture is out. Get the heating running to dry out the floor. Failing to do this could cause condensation on the underside of the flooring.
Carpets - All carpets are suitable, however, the total carpet thickness should not exceed 12mm. If the carpet has a foam backing it must not be more than 3mm. Underlay is not necessary, the
function of underlay is to prevent wear & tear on the underside of the carpet, however usually a thinner, cheaper type is used - approx 3mm with no air pockets. The carpet can be laid loose, tensioned or glued to the floor.
Chipboard, Ply, Wood, Laminate flooring - good contact with the floor is essential, avoiding air gaps, membranes for laminate flooring, must not be thicker than 2mm with no air pockets. Start up the heating to dry out the concrete or screed - ensure the concrete or screed is dry with all
moisture out prior to applying any wood finish.
Hardwood flooring - wood should have a moisture content of not higher than 10%. The total wood thickness should not exceed 22mm, ensure the concrete or biscuit is dry and all moisture is eliminated, prior to applying any wood finish - start up the heating to dry out the concrete or screed.
4 INSTALLING WATER UNDERFLOOR HEATING PIPEWORK
According to the floor construction method specified the following types of fixings are available.
- Water Underfloor Heating floor templates Plastic board with studs to clip the pipes in between.
- Plastic staples: Pipes stapled to an insulation which has a woven or plastic membrane attached to it.
- Timber hammer clips: Plastic clips with nail attached, for use with joisted floor
- Clip rails: Plastic rail nailed through the insulation on to the concrete floor by means of a plastic nail in to a pre-drilled 8mm hole.
Identify and familiarise yourself with which method you are using. Make sure site is clear of water and debris, clear any rubbish and sweep clean the entire area. Water under floor central heating can be permanently built into solid concrete or screed floors. Insulation is either built either into or laid onto the floor as required by current Building Regulations. The following instructions show how to install your underfloor heating system on a solid concrete or block and beam floor. On a ground floor a minimum of 65mm foil backed insulation should be laid on top of the concrete slab or block and beam floor. The damp proof membrane should be laid below the concrete slab On a first floor a minimum of
30mm foil backed insulation should be laid on top of the block and beam floor. You only need another membrane above the insulation if you are having a liquid screed instead of a dry screed. Ensure the insulation is laid flat and that there are no gaps in the insulation.
IMPORTANT:
Prior to installing the manifold or any pipe you should have a clear understanding of either the CAD drawing with pipe layouts or, if you do not have a CAD, where you intend to fix the pipes and at what pipe centres. Tip If installing without a CAD then draw out your design on a piece of graph paper to a suitable scale that fits your room. It is important that pipes do not cross over and no circuit is greater than 100m long. As a guide you will need pipe at the following amounts.
- 100mm centres 10m per 1m²
- 150mm centres 6.7m per 1m²
- 200mm centres 5m per 1m²
Mark your manifold position on the paper and then draw in your circuit. Circuit patterns can be form one of those below. The pipe loops can be laid out in various patterns however the optimum pipe layout is
normally achieved by mixing the flow and return pipes so that the pipe with the highest flow temperature is adjacent to the pipe with the lowest return temperature. This is commonly referred to as a reversed return or counter spiral layout. Serpentine patterns allow for the hottest water to border the exterior perimeter (highest heatloss areas). The water temperature is highest at the coldest walls and will decrease as it flows through the pipe towards the centre of the room.
Email: sales@underfloorheating1.co.uk
Web: www.underfloorheating1.co.uk
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