Essentially, there are two options - a wet system where hot water is pumped through pipes embedded under the floor, or a dry system where electrical cable or film is placed under the floor.
How does the dry system work?
Installing an electrical system can be very straightforward and, depending on the system used only the final connections will need to made by a qualified electrician.
Once the sub-floor has been insulated to prevent heat loss, the electrical cables or film can be laid directly on to this. The floor covering can be laid, with a self-levelling compound used depending on the type of system used.
How does a wet system work?
With a wet underfloor heating system, the existing boiler is used to pump hot water through pipes embedded in the sub-floor.
A dedicated thermostat is used to control the temperature of the floor.
Advantages of the dry system
There are many advantages of using a dry underfloor heating system, compared to a wet set-up.
Hot water pipes obviously need more room, so installing them will result in more build-up of the floor. This would obviously have to be taken into account when putting in doors and possibly furniture.
An electrical system can be installed with little or no floor build-up, allowing you to retain all the existing features of the room.
The water pipes will have to be installed by a professional plumber, while most electrical systems can be installed by the workmen laying the floor. Only the final connection needs to be made by a professional electrician.
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