Gone West Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Wendy has been reading all these UFH threads and has been amazed by how complex UFH seems to be. She asked me if you could have an UFH system setup that was as simple as a radiator system and I haven't a clue. I installed CH with radiators back in the early nineties and it was just a combi, radiators with TRVs and a bypass towel rail. So if you had just an oil fired boiler what else would be the minimum you would need to have for an efficient UFH system? Buffer tanks, manifolds, pumps, motorised valves, mixers, thermostats...........? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 1 minute ago, PeterStarck said: Wendy has been reading all these UFH threads and has been amazed by how complex UFH seems to be. [...] She is absolutely right. I lost the will to live trying to understand it. ' ... overthinking it again, I suppose ... ' 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 (edited) I disagree to an extent, yes I am having problems working out how to wire it all up but I first heard the theory about setting the UFH to one or two degrees above the required room temp on another forum and that it will self manage itself. Jeremy tried weather compensation stuff and floor probes but dumped it in favour of a Simple room stat. (Please correct me Jeremy if I got that wrong). This will work if the house is one zone like I want. I am, I admit, a Luddite, kiss works for me (and it’s a lot less to go wrong). Edited September 22, 2018 by joe90 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 37 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: Wendy has been reading all these UFH threads I think she secretly wants UFH! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 It does not have to be complicated. I just bought the most basic UFH manifold control box I could find. Each room has an ordinary mechanical room stat. And it is all controlled by an ordinary boiler time clock. When it is all connected together, if any room calls for heat (when it is on) then a relay contact closes that instructs the heat pump to deliver heat, in exactly the same way as it would instruct a boiler to deliver heat. The secret to a simple system is choosing simple controls and connecting them correctly. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alphonsox Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Ours is getting close to the simplest wet system possible I think. We run the system a a single zone, heating up the slab using E7 electricity overnight. We have a have an immersion heater (Willis ish type) feeding hot water into a manifold which is pumped around the UFH pipes by a low energy circulating pump which is on 24/7. There is a room stat that controls a single motorised valve on the return from the manifold. This cuts circulation when things get warm enough. - immersion - timer - manifold - UFH pipes - Ciculation pump - Roomstat - Single motorised valve I may have missed something but that’s all I think we currently have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted September 22, 2018 Author Share Posted September 22, 2018 1 hour ago, Onoff said: I think she secretly wants UFH! Where's your spoon, you stirrer . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted September 22, 2018 Author Share Posted September 22, 2018 @joe90 & @Alphonsox aren't these solutions for low energy houses? What about if it was a conventional house built to current regs. and the only heat source was an oil fired boiler. Wouldn't that make it a lot more complicated compared to radiators? 1 hour ago, ProDave said: It does not have to be complicated. I just bought the most basic UFH manifold control box I could find. Each room has an ordinary mechanical room stat. And it is all controlled by an ordinary boiler time clock. When it is all connected together, if any room calls for heat (when it is on) then a relay contact closes that instructs the heat pump to deliver heat, in exactly the same way as it would instruct a boiler to deliver heat. The secret to a simple system is choosing simple controls and connecting them correctly. What type of boiler is it? Wouldn't you need a buffer tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 5 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: @joe90 & @Alphonsox aren't these solutions for low energy houses? What about if it was a conventional house built to current regs. and the only heat source was an oil fired boiler. Wouldn't that make it a lot more complicated compared to radiators? What type of boiler is it? Wouldn't you need a buffer tank? last house was just a standard oil boiler, no buffer. New house is ASHP no buffer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 9 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: What about if it was a conventional house built to current regs. and the only heat source was an oil fired boiler. Wouldn't that make it a lot more complicated compared to radiators? Infinitely more problematic and complex as you’d need floor probes to stop the slab getting too hot as well as a blended manifold and room stat. The problem would be the higher w/m2 that would be required, and that can only be overcome by chucking more heat into the floor. Theres only so hot you can make the floor in a domestic dwelling so your limited. Also you’d need to put much more pipe into the floor to facilitate the higher energy input, eg more loops and bigger manifolds. Plus you’d need VERY accurate room thermostats like @JSHarris has to stop any over / under shoot. I’ve walked away from a LOT of retro fit Ufh jobs where the punter remained unconvinced that Ufh was a very bad idea a) off fossil fuel and b) in a high energy consuming dwelling. Rads are quick and cheap...... and effective too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 4 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Rads are quick and cheap...... and effective too. I know the OH said that he wished he had put rads in upstairs. For the amount of time I need heating on upstairs rads would have been a much better solution. Mind you those probably wouldn't have worked either! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 I am hoping that towel radiators and electric UFH in the bathrooms will be suffice for upstairs however if I have to use an electric heater for a couple of months in the winter then so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 11 minutes ago, joe90 said: I am hoping that towel radiators and electric UFH in the bathrooms will be suffice for upstairs however if I have to use an electric heater for a couple of months in the winter then so be it. I hate it being too hot upstairs TBH so I only have the heating on up here during the coldest weather. I like a nice 20 degrees downstairs though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 30 minutes ago, newhome said: I hate it being too hot upstairs TBH so I only have the heating on up here during the coldest weather. I like a nice 20 degrees downstairs though. 20 degrees? Brrrrrr! You've clearly acclimatised to being at the northern end of things. 21 degrees for me and even then I might think about a jumper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 1 minute ago, vivienz said: 20 degrees? Brrrrrr! You've clearly acclimatised to being at the northern end of things. 21 degrees for me and even then I might think about a jumper. lol, soft southerner! 20 is more than warm enough for me. I actually haven't had the heating on yet and it's down to 19 degrees today. Still fine though . Most of my friends down south have been saying they've put the heating on now (on FB). Wood burners and central heating on all over the SE today it seems . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted September 22, 2018 Author Share Posted September 22, 2018 27 minutes ago, newhome said: lol, soft southerner! 20 is more than warm enough for me. I actually haven't had the heating on yet and it's down to 19 degrees today. Still fine though . Most of my friends down south have been saying they've put the heating on now (on FB). Wood burners and central heating on all over the SE today it seems . It's 23.7C at the moment in the house with no heating and it could be hotter and Wendy wouldn't mind at all. I'm happy as long as it's above 21C. It will be interesting to see what temperature we end up with this winter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 8 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: It's 23.7C at the moment in the house with no heating and it could be hotter and Wendy wouldn't mind at all. I'm happy as long as it's above 21C. It will be interesting to see what temperature we end up with this winter. Wait until I start my "how to connect my one room in the house with a UFH loop to the 3/4" nominal bore , single pipe CH system". Wendy may suddenly become less interested in the subject! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 31 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: It's 23.7C at the moment in the house with no heating and it could be hotter and Wendy wouldn't mind at all. I'm happy as long as it's above 21C. It will be interesting to see what temperature we end up with this winter. That would be way too hot for me. It was that temperature some days in the summer and it was too hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted September 22, 2018 Share Posted September 22, 2018 It can’t be too hot for my other half, had to light the woodburner tonight, she does have a cold tho ?. Bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 From the very dizzy heights of 23+ I am on the very far extreme.... I like to sleep in a room of about 16c Max and could not be in the kitchen if it’s over 21c without Windows and doors being opened! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 52 minutes ago, Cpd said: From the very dizzy heights of 23+ I am on the very far extreme.... I like to sleep in a room of about 16c Max and could not be in the kitchen if it’s over 21c without Windows and doors being opened! Wendy says Bbbrrrrrrrrr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 I dream of anywhere here being 16deg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 3 hours ago, Onoff said: I dream of anywhere here being 16deg! Wendy says time for the heating to go on . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 (edited) 53 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: Wendy says time for the heating to go on . Oh I bet that hurts, having to break into the "Emergency Annual Heating £5". Thought it would stay in it's glass case forever! Thinking further on this, trade Wendy in for @newhome and you'd get at least another couple of months grace on the heating! Edited September 23, 2018 by Onoff 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Ha ha! My heating in a month would probably blow Peter's budget for the year . It's down to 17 degrees in here today. Still don't need the heating on but I am wearing a jumper . It's sunny out and I'm about to put the dryer on so it will probably warm up in a bit. For the cold folk (I'm sure they've got warm hearts ) or those with poorly insulated homes there is always the heated throw. I bought one when my boiler broke down in November and I couldn't get anyone to fix it for 6 weeks. https://www.johnlewis.com/dreamland-relaxwell-luxury-heated-throw/p3343167 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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