Underfloor Heating

TM Hughes & Son have been installing Underfloor Heating for three decades.

We have a team of experienced Gas Safe Registered engineers with a wealth of experience in this area.

Our engineers install both wet and electric system Underfloor Heating.

Underfloor Heating is arguably the best Heating for efficiency and comfort. Each room is heated evenly from the floor up over the entire surface.

Nothing beats a warm floor in the middle of winter produced by hidden coils that ‘snake’ under the floor—a better alternative to radiators that take up wall space and work harder to heat a room.

Underfloor Heating burns less energy to heat the same area as radiators making it the most energy-efficient form of Heating.

Wet pipes or electric coils are fitted under the floor, and once installed, the systems pretty much maintenance-free. A highly efficient heating system that’ll save you money on energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.

Underfloor Heating makes radiators obsolete every room will take on a new dimension looking and feeling larger.

Underfloor Heating is highly desirable to homebuyers and renters. It’ll add value to your home and make it easier to sell and rent.

Wet Underfloor Heating Systems

• Wet system Underfloor Heating is the most energy-efficient form of Heating, cheaper to run than electric underfloor Heating and conventional central heating systems.
• Wet systems are, however, more expensive to install than electric systems.
• Compatible with all floor types (concrete, stone, suspended, floorboards etc.) and flooring (tile, wood, carpet, vinyl etc.)

Pipes are fitted over Celotex insulation, so all heats retained, and none escapes. Pipes are fashioned in a snake-like pattern to ensure the whole rooms heated. They’re held in place with individual clips attached to the Celotex.

The Celotex’s insulated with a polythene sheet, and screeds poured over the Celotex and pipes. Once set, the pipes are permanent. Screed takes time to heat but is an excellent heat retainer. This is why it’s widely used with Underfloor Heating systems.

Sometimes screed isn’t an option, and a wet system has to be fitted on top of existing flooring. In this instance, if the floors are going to be laminate/wood, we’ll install floating floor panels that are made from XPS insulation and covered in aluminium foil. The panels have pre-cut grooves where the pipe sits. Flooring is then fitted directly over the top.

If your going to lay ceramic or stone floor tiles, then solid floor panels are used. Solid floor panels work in conjunction with tile adhesives so tiles can be set directly on top.

Homes with suspended floors have Celotex fitted between the joists, which are all notched so the pipe can sit between the joists. Screeds then poured over the pipes between the beams.

Alternatively, both aluminium plates or joist foam boards can be used to fit between joists with built-in grooves for the pipes and are self-insulating.

Running pipes between joists ensure there’s no ceiling height loss, sometimes essential when fitting Underfloor Heating in properties with low ceilings.

Electric System Underfloor Heating

• Electric Underfloor Heating systems are cheaper and less complex to install than Wet Underfloor Heating systems.
• Electric Underfloor Heating systems are more expensive to run than Wet Underfloor Heating systems.
• Electric Underfloor Heating will work with any floor type.

How Electric Underfloor Heating Works

Electric cables run under the floor. These cables omit heat. The cables are hard-wired into the electricity supply. The cables are available pre-installed to mats rolled out over the floor or as a loose cable that can be connected and fashioned in any shape.

There are various types of Electric Underfloor Heating mat available. Whether you choose a mat type or loose cable will depend on your room’s size and shape and the flooring you’re going to lay on top.

Electric mats are laid then tiles or wood flooring can go over the top. It is generally available in wattage of 100-200w electric coils ‘snake’ and can be removed in places for awkwardly shaped parts of rooms.

Electric mats can also be screened. Mats are laid, wired in, and screeds poured over the top. Once set, you can use any flooring you wish.

If you want to heat under the carpet or vinyl tiles, then foil Underfloor Heating mats are the best option. They are exceptionally thin designed to work in conjunction with carpet and tiles.

When the Heating of small spaces is required, then the loose cable is usually the cheapest and most efficient option.

Wet Or Electric Underfloor Heating?

• Electric systems are the cheapest to install
• Wet systems are the most efficient and most economical to run
• The Electric system is the most affordable in the short term, but a wet system will save you money on your heating bills and as wet systems last a very long time, a wet system will be more economical in the long run
• Homes without a wet central heating system will have no other option than Electric systems

Installation

TM Hughes & Son Gas engineers can install both wet and electric Underfloor Heating in any property type, from newly built homes to listed buildings. Our engineers have undertaken many installations over the years and have the combined skill and experience to install your Underfloor Heating to a high standard.

How we’ll install your Underfloor Heating system will depend on your property, existing heating system, your existing floor type and the flooring you intend to lay.

We have several different stringent procedures for fitting all types of Underfloor Heating.

Service

To ensure your Underfloor Heating performs at full capacity, it’s recommended that the systems checked annually. A good time to undertake these checks during your annual Boiler Service

Underfloor Heating Checks include

• Manifold
• Pump
• Thermostat
• Fittings
• Washers
• Seals

If any leaks are found, fittings are tightened. Worn seals and washers are replaced. The pumps checked for performance, and the thermostats tested. Any faulty or old parts are replaced quickly and easily.

Underfloor Powerflushing

Occasionally Underfloor Heating pipes become built up with ‘sludge’, a combination of limescale, rust oil and other debris created within heating systems. The sludge will prevent your Underfloor Heating system from Heating at full capacity.

Sometimes pipes become blocked with limescale which prevents the correct flow of water and Heating. A Power Flushing machine will clear any sludge build-up or blockages in your underfloor pipes.

A machine’s attached to the system that pumps chemicals continuously through the system until it’s cleared. Old dirty waters removed and replaced with clean water treated with an inhibitor to reduce the likelihood of problems in the future.

Repair

Having problems with your Underfloor Heating? We offer a full repair service. Underfloor Heating has been very popular for a while now, and there are many old systems in the town. While systems are largely maintenance-free as they age, they can start to develop issues.

Don’t worry. Most Underfloor Heating components are above ground and easy to get to, and repairs can usually be carried out swiftly at very affordable prices. Old pumps and manifolds can be replaced quickly and are often enough to get a system back to its full working order. We carry various parts in stock and get most parts the same day from local merchants.

When issues occur underground, we use a thermal imaging camera to detect the issue instantly. The camera shows us what areas are hot and areas remaining cold. Cold areas are identified and tackled; the most common cause is an airlock in the pipes. Once an airlock’s removed, your system will run at full capacity again.

If a pipe’s been damaged, we’ll formulate the best plan of action for removing and replacing the pipe. Underfloor pipe damage is rare and happens only in exceptional circumstances.

Areas Covered

Underfloor Heating Services for Basildon, Canvey Island, Rayleigh, Benfleet, Wickford and the rest of Essex.

Hi, I’m Terry the founder and owner of TM Hughes & Son Gas Services

Please get in touch using the Phone Numbers or Contact Form below

Call – 0800 234 3075