Underfloor Heating
THE TILE SOURCE guide to underfloor heating

Underfloor heating in a house or office provides a new sensation in heating. Traditional radiators convect heat upwards which then circulates round a room resulting in warm and cold drafts. Often your head will be in the warm air while your feet will feel cold. Underfloor heating uses the whole floor to heat a room which creates an even heating effect and does not create drafts.

Here we provide guidance on the various systems helping you to make an informed choice. Whatever the system do not cut, pierce, puncture or screw anything to the finished floor that may damage the underfloor heating cable or pipe. All Magnum Electric Underfloor Heating cables are electromagnetic current free; computers, TVs and other electrical items will have no interference. All Magnum enerFoil, Magnum enerMat and Magnum enerCable systems come with a Lifetime guarantee.

Schlüter Bekotec Therm Hydronic Underfloor Heating
Schluter Bekotec Therm Hydronic Underfloor Heating
This water based underfloor heating system has an extremely thin screed of between 35mm and 37mm thick. When compared to other water based underfloor heating systems Schlüter Bekotec Therm has a much lower carbon footprint. Because it's screed is so thin (other systems are normally 65mm or more) the water used for heating is much cooler, normally only 35 degrees centigrade is required! At this temperature the system can work very effectively using an ultra efficient air or ground heat source pump and supplemental heating with a solar panel can reduce it's carbon footprint and heating bills even lower. The thin screed also means that a room will warm up much more quickly as it is no longer necessary to heat a thick screed before the room starts to warm. It is also possible to run cool water through the system in the summer to cool a floor.

The thin screed can also be of benefit where there are restricted room heights, and there is a saving in drying times, labour and material costs.

To obtain a quote you will need to send us your plans (these may be sent electronically to sales@thetilesource.co.uk). A detailed quote will be produced that will also provide detailed heat loss calculations, and a full plan showing the precise layout of all the pipes and fittings. You will need to provide details of the insulation used in your house's construction, the types of glazing, the height of the rooms and which way they face.

The Schlüter Bekotec Therm underfloor heating system is best suited to new builds, complete housing re-furbishment or new extensions. 		Magnum Electric Underfloor Heating
Magnum Electric Underfloor Heating
The unique low voltage Magnum enerFoil underfloor heating has the benefit of being the easiest type of underfloor heating to install. The foils are glued to almost any clean, dry and smooth surface with an acrylic adhesive, the surface of the heating foil is then primed ready to fix tiles, natural stone and laminates. The foils are powered by a transformer which only requires a 13 amp socket. Magnum Electric underfloor heating is more suited to smaller rooms like bathrooms, utilities or toilets and will require secondary heating such as a towel rail heater. At only 0.2mm thick they will not raise the finished floor height. They can also be used safely as part of a tanked wet room installation, which is very helpful in helping to dry out all the splashes!. To improve efficiency fix Marmox tile backer insulation board under the foil on un-insulated floors.

Why not also add a mirror de-mister foil? A range of small foils are available which can be fixed to the back of your mirror to keep it free from condensation for very little cost.

Enermat
240 volt underfloor heating system
Enermat Underfloor Heating
Magnum enerMat underfloor heating can be used as a primary heat source and is rated to 150 watts per m2. The cable is Teflon coated for extra durability and tested to 4,000-10,000 volts. At only 4mm thick finished floor levels will hardly be affected. Marmox tile backer board should be fitted underneath the Enermat on un-insulated floors or timber floors. This type of system is bedded directly into Ardex Arditex NA free flowing smoothing compound, is fully controlled by a sophisticated digital thermostat and requires an electrician to make the connection. Once laid the adhesive needs to be cured before the heating is turned on. This system is used for larger rooms like kitchens and conservatories, often as part of a re-furbishment.

Enercable
240 volt in-screed underfloor heating
Enercable Underfloor Heating
The Magnum enerCable is buried in the screed providing a very effective and cost effective method of providing primary underfloor heating.

These systems are usually installed by a builder and connected and tested by an electrician. A sophisticated digital thermostat controls the heat and the time the system operates, this allows a wide variety of flooring such as tile, stone, wood, carpet and vinyl to be used. The screed and tile adhesive need to have fully cured before the system is first turned on. These systems are normally used in new buildings and are particularly effective in conservatories.
If you are still not sure what type of underfloor heating is right for you, ring us now!