Electric ufh on ashphalt?

[redlee]

Anybody know if there's an electric version you can use on ashphalt without insulation? (uheat and warmup say no).

 

[Dan]

I think you'd probably find most will say no. You don't want to be trying to run electric UFH on a floor that will probably be notoriously cold (maybe even the reason it's wanted?) as it would seriously cost a lot to run.

The very least you could even consider is a concrete slab with insulation under that, so sort of a new conservatory type scenario. Though even then you're heating the whole slab up.

You want to prep that floor properly and use insulation under the UFH. It'll work correctly and heat up quickly and be cheap to run, all the things your customer needs to hear for you to not need to go back to that job and speak to an unhappy customer later.

 

[redlee]

I think you'd probably find most will say no. You don't want to be trying to run electric UFH on a floor that will probably be notoriously cold (maybe even the reason it's wanted?) as it would seriously cost a lot to run.

The very least you could even consider is a concrete slab with insulation under that, so sort of a new conservatory type scenario. Though even then you're heating the whole slab up.

You want to prep that floor properly and use insulation under the UFH. It'll work correctly and heat up quickly and be cheap to run, all the things your customer needs to hear for you to not need to go back to that job and speak to an unhappy customer later.

The ufh is only required to take the chill off the tiles in the main walkway area, insulation boards as well as creating a step into adjoining rooms will pretty much double the cost of installing ufh and i'm pretty sure that'll mean the customer wont go for it.

 

[Olz]

It may well increase the installation cost mate, but it'll definatley reduce the running cost, the money saved on running cost will easily pay for the installation cost difference.

 

[redlee]

It may well increase the installation cost mate, but it'll definatley reduce the running cost, the money saved on running cost will easily pay for the installation cost difference.

Trust me you're preaching to the converted, customers on the other hand dont want to part with a penny and things have gone really tight around here again after a few good months (i'm sick of £** psqm or £**** a day quotes). I not sure i'm convinced insulation is that crucial when the ufh is not there to heat the room but to stop the floor being painfully cold.

 

[Ajax123]

If you don't put insulation down the electric mat will not just heat the tiles which is what you want it to do but it will try to heat up the asphalt sub base which has a relatively high thermal capacity and so nothing will get particularly warm.

If you run it hot enough to heat up the whole substrate there is also the risk that warming the asphalt will soften......not sure I can quantify this risk but it is not one I would want to take.

If they can't afford the UFH and the insulation to be quite honest you would be better to scrap the UFH and just put insulation down or alternatively scrap the lot.

In short if you do it without the insulation it won't work.......

 

[redlee]

If you don't put insulation down the electric mat will not just heat the tiles which is what you want it to do but it will try to heat up the asphalt sub base which has a relatively high thermal capacity and so nothing will get particularly warm.

If you run it hot enough to heat up the whole substrate there is also the risk that warming the asphalt will soften......not sure I can quantify this risk but it is not one I would want to take.

If they can't afford the UFH and the insulation to be quite honest you would be better to scrap the UFH and just put insulation down or alternatively scrap the lot.

In short if you do it without the insulation it won't work.......

Scrap the lot is the way it's heading but i thought i'd check the knowledgeable folk on here to see if anyone had any alternatives, i'm not sure why i'd put insulation down and no ufh. The ufh softening the ashphalt is the main concern of the manufacturers i believe.

 

[Ajax123]

Scrap the lot is the way it's heading but i thought i'd check the knowledgeable folk on here to see if anyone had any alternatives, i'm not sure why i'd put insulation down and no ufh. The ufh softening the ashphalt is the main concern of the manufacturers i believe.

so that you divorce the sub floor from the tile face using a thermal block thus preventing cold bridging into the floor and helping to keep the chill off the tiles as they use the general room heating to keep warmer.