Air Source Underfloor Heating compatible with carpets?

[patp]

We have been told that we should not have fitted carpets laid over our floors if we have underfloor heating. Has anyone any experience? I love my carpets.

[Redoctober]

I suppose the correct thing to do would be not to fit carpet as to ensure you get the maximum benefit from the UFH - But, things like personal taste etc., come into the equation which makes decision making that bit more difficult.

 

We too enjoy having carpet down and we have done so, in the sitting room and bedrooms - all of which have UFH heating fitted. We chose an underlay and carpet with fairly low TOG values in order for them to "work" with the UFH as opposed to working against it. I have to say we do not feel we have suffered as a result. The rooms are warm enough and I suppose it just underlines that such things as UFH, Floor coverings etc. need to be considered in the whole, together with a well insulated house, which is either air tight or fairly airtight.

[Declan52]

I have carpet on a living room and two bedrooms. As above all have suitable underlay and carpet that are meant for ufh with low tog ratings. The heat still comes through but it doesn't feel the same underfoot as a solid floor would.

[joth]

Largely depends on how much insulation is under the UFH, and how energy efficient the rest of the house is. If you solve both those you can have as thick carpet as you like and the heat will eventually come into the house and stay there, as it has no where else to go. Caveat being very slow response times (as is common anyway in high thermal mass, high efficiency builds).

 

If you have insufficient insulation under, or have a high heating demand because the rest of the house is inefficient or drafty, then the carpet is just yet another impediment in the way of the heat getting out of the pipes and into where you want it as fast as possible.

[patp]

When I say I love carpets - I have Flotex kitchen carpet and bleachable carpet in the bathrooms! No hard floors at all in the current house. Mind you, this house is 19th Century with no foundations so the carpets help insulate it. I have just researched Flotex and it is suitable for laying over ufh so I am happy that I can lay that again. I just have to find suitable carpets to replace the lovely thick ones that we chose for the current house. I may look at having Flotex throughout. It has some amazing floorboard patterns now, which I used in my current kitchen, that people always think, when they come in, are real wood floors.

[Temp]

With UFH "they" recommend keeping the TOG value below 2.2-2.5. Lower is better for UFH.

 

You can get special underlays with a TOG of 0.7 leaving around 1.6 to 1.8 for the carpet.

 

Some warnings...

 

It's rare for carpet showrooms to display the TOG value but it's frequently on the technical spec or data sheet. Ask the retailer for a photocopy. If the retailer can't be arsed to do that go elsewhere. Don't accept a verbal answer. Ignore anyone that tells you all their carpet is suitable for UFH. They mean the UFH won't damage the carpet not that it will let the heat through.

 

When you order check the small print. Some carpet is made in two versions -Hessian and foam backed. The Hessian backed version has a lower TOG than the foam backed. Sometimes the small print allows them to supply either version. 

 

Do ask for a sample of both underlay and carpet so you can walk on it as it will be when delivered. Very Low TOG combinations can feel a bit hard.