Technical Support for Underfloor Heating

Operating an underfloor heating system with a 'setback' control will maintain the floor temperature at a minimum temperature constantly, avoiding the wasteful use of energy to continually reheat the floor from cold. Installers can help homeowners with setting up setback control operation of their underfloor heating system during the handover stage. 

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When the setback facility is being used in a well-insulated, airtight property, the room temperature can be maintained for a prolonged period and may not drop low enough to provide a demand during the setback period which can impact the UFH operation.

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A zone is an area or a room that is controlled independently via a room thermostat. A house could be split into two zones for example upstairs and downstairs or each room could be classed as a separate zone. Zone control gives you greater control over your heating and ensures each area is at optimum temperature.

The balancing of an underfloor heating system should be carried out by a heating engineer. Balance is achieved by adjusting the flow meters to ensure that the flow rates supplied to each zone are at the optimum level to provide an even and comfortable warmth across the whole floor. The flow required for each loop will be dependent on the loop length and temperature required and this information should be provided by the underfloor heating designer.

The manifold is the system hub for the underfloor. The pipes are connected to it at the installation stage and it then controls the distribution of the water from the heating system's source (boiler/heat pump) throughout the underfloor system. It is at the manifold that the control of the flow to each individual zone or room is achieved.

The manifold should be located in a central point where the pipework is most evenly distributed.

The Grant Overlay Board underfloor heating system uses polystyrene boards which are available either foiled or non-foiled. The foiled boards have a bonded layer of reflective 75micron aluminium foil on the upper surface and they are designed for use with wood laminate or wood panelling floor coverings. The non-foiled overlay boards do not have this aluminium foil covering and they are designed for use with tiles when a tile adhesive is used. Read more about the Grant Overlay Board UFH system.

Yes. Certain types of underfloor heating systems can be installed as “dry systems” which means they do not require a traditional cement screed to be poured over them. The Grant Uflex and Uflex MINI Overlay Board systems are both dry UFH systems which use polystyrene boards with pre-formed grooves for the pipework to be positioned and a suitable floor covering laid on top.

Grant's underfloor heating systems include, Uflex and Uflex MINI. With a drying time of thirty days, the Uflex underfloor system is best suited to the new build and renovation market, this is so the underfloor system can be fitted as part of the floor construction process. Uflex MINI, however, has a drying time of 3 days. It is suitable for both new builds, as well as retrofits and renovations, when an underfloor heating system is to be fitted in a property with a floor construction already in place. At just 15mm in height, this underfloor system can be installed incredibly quickly and with minimal disruption to a property’s existing floor and door arrangements.

No. The Uflex MINI system is specifically designed to suit retrofits and renovations, when an underfloor heating system is to be fitted in a property with a floor construction already in place. At just 15mm in height, this underfloor system can be installed with minimal disruption to existing floor and door arrangements.

Overboarding involves the fitting of an overlay or base layer in between the screed and the floor finish. Some types of underfloor systems, such as electric UFH, require a form of overboarding to be fitted as standard. However, Grant’s Uflex underfloor system does not need overboarding which allows installers to lay the final floor covering directly on top of the dry screed.

Yes, providing there are no fixings that may damage the pipe, we advise to lay the underfloor across the total floor area as the future layout could be different. We do not recommend the underfloor to be fitted below sanitary items as these are often fixed to the floor and could damage the pipes.

Upon commissioning a Grant Uflex screeded underfloor heating system connected to a Grant Aerona³ R32 Heat Pump, the initial temperature increase rate of the system should be gradual, so to avoid a situation where the heat pump ices up as a result of trying to heat up the fabric of the underfloor system too quickly. 

This can be achieved by first ensuring that the screed has been allowed to dry and cure normally (the underfloor heating must not be used to speed up this process) before initial heating. The initial temperature increase rate of the underfloor system can be controlled to be gradual by setting the thermostatic mixing valve to setting 3 and leaving the system to run for two weeks upon initial start-up. Once the underfloor system has reached operating temperature, the system can be set to operate to the householder’s requirements.

Low profile underfloor heating systems lend themselves well to retrofit installations because systems, such as the Grant Uflex MINI UFH, use self-adhesive panels which can be laid on top of an existing floor, providing it is sound and level, and using a self-levelling compound to create the finished floor surface. Furthermore, low profile UFH systems may not affect existing door and skirting board arrangements. Dry, non-screeded UFH systems are also ideally suited for existing properties as there is no need to dig up existing floors.

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