At what temperature do you feel underfloor heating?

[wilfredolimb]

I have electric ufh in my bathroom, turned it on for first time 3 days ago at 5degrees and have been raising it everyday by 5 degrees, at the moment it's on 15degrees and the tiles are still cold, I'm dreading that it's actually damaged and doesn't work :mad2:

any ideas?

Thanks guys

 

[White Room]

What substrate was on the floor when the ufh was laid

 

[Colour Republic]

do they feel cold or at room temp?

 

[Superally]

assuming you have your central heating on, the ambient temperature in your room will be around 20-22 degrees. Set it between 25-30 and your feet will start to feel cosy........

 

[Ajax123]

Human body temp it 37.5. Your hands will generally hover around 25 degrees although could be anywhere from about 15 to 32. Therefore you will not feel the floor as warm untill it is warmer than your hands (assuming it is your hands you are feeling it with).

The usual surface temperatrue for the underfloor heating in a lounge would be set around 20 to 24 degrees. This will generally give a comfortable feeling. The floor should not feel hot but at best tepid. You should not run it too hot for extended periods of time and bear in mind that underfloor heating run too hot has been linked (tentatively I'll admit) to problems of DVT particularly in the elderly.

 

[MarkyD]

Depends on what the floor temperature is. If you've set the temp to be 15deg and the floor is actually say 17deg the controller wouldn't turn the heating on. If you have a controller with a digital display it should have a readout of what the floor thermistor is reading, set the temp higher than that

HTH

--
Mark

 

[wilfredolimb]

Hi guys thanks for such fast response, the floor is made up of no more ply, mapei fibreplan slc and mapei flexible addy with latex
the tiles feel cold not room temp
the controller is the elecktra OCC2 1991, and I have it set at manual 15degrees, it doesn't have a Reading of what the thermostat is, atleast I can't find it :mad2:
should I just wack the temp up to 25degrees it something?
Thanks

 

[Ajax123]

Hi guys thanks for such fast response, the floor is made up of no more ply, mapei fibreplan slc and mapei flexible addy with latex
the tiles feel cold not room temp
the controller is the elecktra OCC2 1991, and I have it set at manual 15degrees, it doesn't have a Reading of what the thermostat is, atleast I can't find it :mad2:
should I just wack the temp up to 25degrees it something?
Thanks

NO NO NO NO NO! :yikes: - keep building it up slowly else you could thermally shock the tiles and that could crack em.

 

[Colour Republic]

how long ago was it tiled? you shouldn't shock the floor if new keep raising it daily

 

[wilfredolimb]

The tiles were finished over a month ago I waiting around 28-30days before I put the ufh on at 5degrees, you think I could wack it up now or carry on the gradual 5degree rises each day?
Thanks

 

[MarkyD]

Here's a link to the manuals and programming guides. LINK The display does have a temp reading. Pressing both the UP and DOWN buttons together for 3 secs takes you to the INFO screens

When I commisioned my screed I did a week of 1 deg rises to 25deg (was at 19deg when started) left it at that for a couple of days then let it cool for a week or two. When finished my controller (Magnum) has a new floor program which gradually increases the temp to working temp over 20 days

--
Mark

 

[Rob Z]

You should not run it too hot for extended periods of time and bear in mind that underfloor heating run too hot has been linked (tentatively I'll admit) to problems of DVT particularly in the elderly.

Hi Ajax, what is "DVT" ?

 

[wilfredolimb]

Here's a link to the manuals and programming guides. LINK The display does have a temp reading. Pressing both the UP and DOWN buttons together for 3 secs takes you to the INFO screens

When I commisioned my screed I did a week of 1 deg rises to 25deg (was at 19deg when started) left it at that for a couple of days then let it cool for a week or two. When finished my controller (Magnum) has a new floor program which gradually increases the temp to working temp over 20 days

--
Mark

thanks Mark I'll try this when I get home and report back :smilewinkgrin:

 

[Bushwhacker1]

"DVT" - Deep Vein Thrombosis

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Hi m8, you are doing the right thing. Bring the temp up no more than 5 deg in 24 hrs, when optimum temp reached hold for 2 days. Then reduce temp by no more than 5 deg until cold. This will prevent Thermal shock.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Wilfred - Essentially you are doing the right method as already confirmed.
I'am not aware of the system you have - however they all seem to follow the same principles - gradually increase by small increments over a period of time.
We recently commissioned a Thermonet system in a hallway under unglazed porcelain and ontop of Hardie backer boards and T&G flooring. At 16degees the system still hadn't turned itself on after 2 days so the floor was still warmer at that stage. It was only when we increased the setting to 19degrees that it started to work.
Once you feel the effect of UFH you wonder how you managed before!

 

[wilfredolimb]

Hi guys,
thanks for all the helpful responses but still no joy :mad2:
with my OC2 1991 I pressed the up and down buttons and went into info, then app, then flo, which according to the manual should give me a Reading for floor temp but it just shows the temp I've set it on manual.
I've now had it at 20degrees the last 2-3 hours and still can't feel heat, hate to admit it but maybe it's not working?!
Any ideas? Or anyone familiar with elecktra OC2 1991 controls?
Thank you

 

[Ajax123]

Hi guys,
thanks for all the helpful responses but still no joy :mad2:
with my OC2 1991 I pressed the up and down buttons and went into info, then app, then flo, which according to the manual should give me a Reading for floor temp but it just shows the temp I've set it on manual.
I've now had it at 20degrees the last 2-3 hours and still can't feel heat, hate to admit it but maybe it's not working?!
Any ideas? Or anyone familiar with elecktra OC2 1991 controls?
Thank you

Is the room in which the UFH is uncomfortably cold.....

 

[wilfredolimb]

In the mornings it is, especially now weather is cold. You reckon just to not worry about it, there is a towel rail that is ok I suppose

 

[Ajax123]

HAve you thought about getting a spark to look at it to see if it is actually working. If it is new - who installed it - can you get them back to sort it? If it is at 20 and still uncomfortably cold it sounds like you might be right and it aint working......

Although thinking about it is the temperature it is reading the room temperature the floor temperature or the core temperature. 20Degrees core temp will give you a surface temp of about 10 to 12 degrees so will still be cold. Is there insulation under the substrate?

 

[wilfredolimb]

HAve you thought about getting a spark to look at it to see if it is actually working. If it is new - who installed it - can you get them back to sort it? If it is at 20 and still uncomfortably cold it sounds like you might be right and it aint working......

Although thinking about it is the temperature it is reading the room temperature the floor temperature or the core temperature. 20Degrees core temp will give you a surface temp of about 10 to 12 degrees so will still be cold. Is there insulation under the substrate?

hi Ajax, thanks for reply, the sparky that done it is my bro and he checked it several times before and during the bathroom work. I'll ask if he can check again but what other checks can he do? There's no faults on the controls..
There's no insulation, it's wooden floor boards, no more ply, fibreplan slc, flexi tile addy mixed with latex, you think it might just have to be wacked up? (fingers crossed)

 

[Ajax123]

hi Ajax, thanks for reply, the sparky that done it is my bro and he checked it several times before and during the bathroom work. I'll ask if he can check again but what other checks can he do? There's no faults on the controls..
There's no insulation, it's wooden floor boards, no more ply, fibreplan slc, flexi tile addy mixed with latex, you think it might just have to be wacked up? (fingers crossed)

Will you please stop asking if it should be just whacked up - the answer is as has been said several times, no - that will just add to your problems. Just because there is no problem with the controller does not mean there is not a problem. It may be a fault with the cable itself. Is your brother able to do a continuity test to ensure there are no breaks.
What is under the floor boards - presumably a floor void. Is this floor void well ventillated cos you could be just losing the heat all downwards.

 

[wilfredolimb]

Will you please stop asking if it should be just whacked up - the answer is as has been said several times, no - that will just add to your problems. Just because there is no problem with the controller does not mean there is not a problem. It may be a fault with the cable itself. Is your brother able to do a continuity test to ensure there are no breaks.
What is under the floor boards - presumably a floor void. Is this floor void well ventillated cos you could be just losing the heat all downwards.

ok I'll ask him to do continuity test, there is a void between floor boards and lats for ceiling below so maybe it is just losing heat like you said..you reckon I should just whack the temperature up?...na I'm joking don't bite my head off! ;p
thanks for help mate!

 

[wilfredolimb]

thanks guys at 30degrees I felt it and now its at 32 and feels nice and warm, i'll keep it going up in 2degrees up to around 45-50 and bring it down,

I thanked you all

Regards

 

[Ajax123]

Sounds like it is measuring the Core Temperature and not the surface temp to me. Anyway - good news that you'll have warm toes for Christmas.....:hurray:

 

[Qwerty]

Assuming you have your central heating on, the ambient temperature in your room will be around 20-22 degrees. Set it between 25-30. Thanks

This post is nearly 2 years old now!!!!......... Im assuming he sorted it

 

[Uheat - Keith]

Hi tectonicfloors,
I am one of your followers!!!
All your 19 posts to date have been against old threads. As blocko says, this one is nearly 2 years old!!! Whats your story m8?

 

[Dan]

Just bumping some threads in the underfloor heating forum. You can now find and search for both electric underfloor heating and water underfloor heating threads. By the way, if you feel some of the threads you want to be seen at the top of the forum need to be bumped back, for the next month or so from now, feel free to do that. Although it's not usually something we allow, whilst we're going through this process of changing over forum software, we see the need for this to happen.