Fused spur for electric UFH

[CC45]

Hi all,

 

prob a question for @ProDave I guess but then Q a few of you prob know the answer to this query.

 

Just putting 1st fix in - alternating between soil pipe & electrics to minimise boredom.  Tonight I've started putting back boxes in for electric UFH.  I'm working on the following principles:

 

1. Spur taken from ring main into double pole fused spur

2. Fused spur to thermostat and then onto the electric UFH.  Matt is rated at 300watts total. 

 

In the same bathroom 'we' also 'need' an electric heating element in the towel rad (also plumbed into the wet system) for the summer months - so my query is - can I run the control unit for the towel rad from the same double pole fused spur as the electric UFH?  This would minimise the 'clutter' I have on the walls.  Combined, both would be ~ 600w 

 

Any thoughts?

 

CC

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

Absolutely. I do things like that to reduce clutter as you say and as long as you accept the reduced redundancy then fill your boots cariad. 

[CC45]

didn't know you felt like that Nick! 

 

Thanks for the reply - 1 less box on each wall now.  Tidy.

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

?

600w / 230 volt = 2.61 amps. A 5 amp fuse is plenty, but you could try a 3 amp first  ?

[ProDave]

My only criticism f your proposal is you MUST have the towel rail on to turn the UFH on. And it's sometimes nice to see what the floor thermostat says even when the UFH is off (depends what UFH thermostat you have) and that means the UFH on all the time even when it's cntroller is set to off.

 

So for me, separate feeds.

[Nickfromwales]

28 minutes ago, ProDave said:

My only criticism f your proposal is you MUST have the towel rail on to turn the UFH on. And it's sometimes nice to see what the floor thermostat says even when the UFH is off (depends what UFH thermostat you have) and that means the UFH on all the time even when it's cntroller is set to off.

 

So for me, separate feeds.

Most towel rad heaters have an on board switch or heat control and UFH has a standby so both will still be able to be knocked on / off individually. 

[PeterW]

Most UFH thermostats has a switch on it too - or the ones I’ve seen 

 

mine are all (2 floor, 2 towel rails) on a single 10A RCBO into a timer circuit so are controlled that way. It’s dumb thermostats too as I don’t like the programmable floor stats as they are too complicated. 

[Barney12]

5 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Most UFH thermostats has a switch on it too - or the ones I’ve seen 

 

mine are all (2 floor, 2 towel rails) on a single 10A RCBO into a timer circuit so are controlled that way. It’s dumb thermostats too as I don’t like the programmable floor stats as they are too complicated. 

 

+1 on these fangled LCD thermostats for UFH. The ones I've put in the flat are frankly unfathomable. I've had to keep the little instruction book (in Chinglish) in the drawer as I've yet to remember how the darn things work.

 

Sorry to segway the thread but any recommendations on "simple" UFH thermostats that are aesthetically pleasing? (Alot of the manual ones are fug ugly!)

[joe90]

+1 on complicated controls, I have used manual ones and hid them in a wardrobe ?.

[CC45]

I was going to use the following for the towel rail element https://www.screwfix.com/p/kudox-electronic-heating-element-controller-800w/64054?tc=DA4&ds_rl=1249799&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249481&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0OzXxNnp1wIVAbcbCh3YzgaZEAQYESABEgI-E_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIf02cvZ6dcCFUXIUQodSBgCUg We've got this one in the current house - it seems to do a decent enough job.  Due to the size of the bathroom - I can mount this close to the rad - its more than 600mm away from from any water source so outside zone 2.

 

Not bought the electric ufh kit yet but likely to be similar to this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-Underfloor-Heating-Mat-Kit-160w-per-m2-All-Sizes-in-this-Listing/152309107086?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49480%26meid%3Dbe211e235abd4c37b445cd5745a162df%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D332378962336&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851  The stat is the same as we have with our Wunda ufh so we have a fighting chance of understanding how to control it.

 

I suspect both will be off for most of the year - just on for special treat.  Its not a deal breaker to move the fused spur to a more hidden location.

 

Food for thought.

[Nickfromwales]

18 hours ago, CC45 said:

I was going to use the following for the towel rail element https://www.screwfix.com/p/kudox-electronic-heating-element-controller-800w/64054?tc=DA4&ds_rl=1249799&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249481&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0OzXxNnp1wIVAbcbCh3YzgaZEAQYESABEgI-E_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIf02cvZ6dcCFUXIUQodSBgCUg We've got this one in the current house - it seems to do a decent enough job.  Due to the size of the bathroom - I can mount this close to the rad - its more than 600mm away from from any water source so outside zone 2.

 

Not bought the electric ufh kit yet but likely to be similar to this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-Underfloor-Heating-Mat-Kit-160w-per-m2-All-Sizes-in-this-Listing/152309107086?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49480%26meid%3Dbe211e235abd4c37b445cd5745a162df%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D332378962336&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851  The stat is the same as we have with our Wunda ufh so we have a fighting chance of understanding how to control it.

 

I suspect both will be off for most of the year - just on for special treat.  Its not a deal breaker to move the fused spur to a more hidden location.

 

Food for thought.

You may want to go 100w per m2 as that 150w mat may be a bit untameable. 

[CC45]

Dont really need much heat in there so that is a good idea - didn't know you could get down to 100w.

 

.....

[PeterW]

You can go to 50w if you use this stuff - Loose Wire UFH Cable   Just halve the spacings. 

 

It's good where you can't get to lay a full mat and want to just lay it "freehand"

[Nickfromwales]

2 hours ago, PeterW said:

You can go to 50w if you use this stuff - Loose Wire UFH Cable   Just halve the spacings. 

 

It's good where you can't get to lay a full mat and want to just lay it "freehand"

Beware having big spacings, you can start getting hot / cool feel to the tiles where the cable is / isn't.