UNDERFLOOR HEATING
LOCK THE HEAT IN
With winter around the corner, it is the time to dust off all the little tips and tricks to lock the heat in and keep fuel costs down. Owing to its high fuel efficiency, concealed design and uniform heating, more and more people are now opting for underfloor heating, as it ticks all the right boxes from energy efficiency to cost effectiveness.
When underfloor heating (UFH) is an energy efficient heating system in itself, using the right type of screed and following the right screed installation techniques can further enhance the energy efficiency of the UFH system and considerably reduce fuel consumption, according to Spencer Warner, Managing Director of CSC Screeding. The screed encapsulates the heating elements of the UFH system and acts as a thermal conductor, uniformly transferring the heat to the floor surface and bringing down the energy required at the source.
However, to obtain the best results, it is important to choose the appropriate screed and follow the right installation techniques. Spencer commented: “Unlike normal screeds, heated screeds [screeds for underfloor heating systems] require certain special design considerations. Heated screeds generally follow the ‘floating screed construction method’ where the screed is isolated from the base by a layer of thermal insulation. This facilitates the screeds to realise their full movement potential during expansion and contraction of
48
the screed, in the course of the heating cycle. In order to prevent any disruption to the flooring due to these constant screed movements, it is important to ensure adequate compaction of the screed around the pipes and make provisions for incorporating adequate stress relief measures to accommodate the movement of the screed, right at the design phase.”
The best way to do this is to design the screed in such a way as to fully accommodate the movement of the screed to prevent any future disruption to the screed or to the flooring. When using traditional cementitious screeds, the recommendation is to keep the overall screed thickness to a minimum of 75mm and the thickness around the
heating pipes to a minimum of 50mm. It is also beneficial to include additional stress relief joints and provide reinforcement with PP Fibres or D49 / D98 steel mesh and continue steel mesh or insert dowels across day joints to restrain lateral movement. According to DIN specifications, it is also ideal to limit the bay size to 40m² and restrict the maximum bay dimension to 8m for heated screeds.
Modified screeds, like FlexiDry, are highly recommended for underfloor heating systems as it helps to overcome these problems of compaction and cracking and curling to a great extent, and act as very good conductors of heat – increasing the energy efficiency of the heating system. These little
considerations are highly important because manufacturers and suppliers often focus on the mechanical aspects of installation alone, and these little details tend to go overlooked, resulting in screed disruption and serviceability problems in the future.
www.cscscreeding.co.uk www.screedscientist.com
www.flexidry.com
www.screedscientist.com has a new section dedicated entirely to all these issues pertaining to screeds for underfloor heating systems. Right from tips and advice on the choice of the right screed, to guidance on the right installation methods following relevant British and European Standards specifications, this website operated by CSC Screeding offers extensive information on all the little nuances related to underfloor heating systems and heated screeds. The website also features the ‘underfloor heating man’ who answers queries and offers personalised screeding advice and solution for all problems related to screeds for underfloor heating.
www.tomorrowsflooring.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
