Wet Underfloor Heating

Underfloor Heating

Wet underfloor heating can also be referred to a water or a hydronic system heating but all essentially mean the same thing.  For wet underfloor heating small pipes, which have heated water running through them in exactly the same fashion as radiators, are set and run along the floor to then heat up the flooring surface. One of the main reasons wet underfloor heating is less common than electric is that these pipes are much thicker than electric cables and as a result will make a much bigger impact on floor height, especially with the inclusion of insulating boards to maximise the effectiveness of the heating pipes.

To retrofit a hydronic system will therefore require extensive work to be done on the existing floor to minimise the height differential from one room to another. That's why a water underfloor system will more commonly be found installed as new in a new build property or across a whole floor of a house, where the floor level will be even across that floor from room to room.

Wet Underfloor Heating Installers

The vast majority of wet underfloor heating systems will be connected to a boiler effectively acting as a radiator. However, with many self or custom build houses this type of underfloor heating can work via a solar water-heating, ground or air-source heat pump system.
The pipe network system will be connected to your heating system through a manifold, which can also incorporate a number of thermostats to allow you to control the temperatures in different rooms or zones within your house.

The laying out of piping is much more extensive and labour intensive compared with electric underfloor heating, so the initial install cost is significantly higher which is why this is more commonly 'absorbed' as part of the total build cost in a new self build rather than as a retrofit option in just one room - although newer systems are being brought out which reduce the potential height adjustment of the floor level.

Wet Underfloor Heating Installation

If you are in a position to go for a large install of underfloor heating then one of the main reason this system is chosen is that compared to a radiator the actual temperature that the water needs to be to effect the room temperature in the same way as a radiator is much less. This is largely due to the fact that the wet underfloor heating will cover a much larger surface area than that of a radiator or two. Your boiler will therefore not need to work as hard to raise the water temperature to such high levels. The net result is that you will have a much more evenly heated room, which will be cheaper to run than radiators. The total cost will obviously depend on your gas supplier or the other system you may be using to power your boiler.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which underfloor heating system is best?

    Best will depend on your budget, the size of your room and what floor surface ideally you would want. Our team can discuss the finer details but as a general rule of thumb: for a single room such as a bathroom or wet room - electric underfloor heating is cheaper to install. If you are looking at underfloor heating for a whole floor say constructing a self-build house, then based on current heating costs, a wet system running off your boiler would be cheaper to run longer-term. 

  • Can you fit underfloor heating under vinyl or laminate flooring

    Yes - laminate flooring is also quite a good option for underfloor heating. Heat efficiency decreases as the thickness of a laminate floor increases so to have effective underfloor heating through a laminate floor you should aim for laminates less than 18mm in thickness. The same principle would apply to wood flooring too.

    If you definitely want underfloor heating but perhaps need to shave costs elsewhere, a vinyl floor or luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) in a bathroom is a great option.

  • Can underfloor heating problems be fixed?

    Depending on what the issue is will depend on what can be fixed. As a general rule if the installation of either wet or electric underfloor heating has been tested before, during and after installation and fitted properly the pipe or cable will be protected by surrounding layers - it is unlikely to get damaged in normal use and should therefore be reliable for many years. The most likely issue will be a fault in the thermostat. If that is the case a simple thermostat replacement will get you back up and running again.

  • Is underfloor heating expensive to run?

    If set up properly underfloor heating can be more efficient than traditional central heating although not by much. Under tiled or stone floors on the tiles have been heated they retain the heat and work in a similar principle to storage heaters meaning that the floor will stay warm and give off heat even without electricity running through it. 

  • Why have underfloor heating?

    One of the main advantages of underfloor heating is the space-saving it provides and the even heating within a room. 

    Whilst modern radiators have come a long way over the years in terms of design and efficiency they still can be seen as an eyesore. As a result, sometimes sofas or other items will be placed in front of them which then results in a poorer circulation of heat. 

    Underfloor heating can be laid across the whole floor, even across irregular shaped rooms to ensure even heating throughout