In article . com,
says...
I'm about to fit UFCH in my new extension. Does anybody know who
makes/sells "heat spreader plates" - aluminium trays with a channel for
15mm pipe to sit in?
I've only found Polyplumb after hours of googling.

There are a number of online suppliers of UFCH components, so you don't
need to go to a specialist contractor if you know what you want. BES
http://www.bes.co.uk/ sell Polyplumb and Danfoss UFCH components,
including the Polyplumb heat spreader plates. Another to try is IPPEC
http://www.ippec.co.uk/erol/index.html used by a colleague in a barn
conversion.

As an aside I've come to the conclusion that UFCH is a bit like
kitchens and double glazing - it's seen as "exotic" and the market is
infested with companies who will do it all for you at an outragious
price. They mostly devote half of their websites to telling you how
good UFCH is but finding proper information is a nightmare. Rant over.

UFCH is essentially a very simple system. It needs a bit of thought as
to how to lay out the pipes (patterns, spacing, number of circuits, etc)
and I guess if you want to be absolutely certain about it, do flow rate
and temperature calculations. Usually I think there's enough latitude in
the installation that you don't need to be that precise and can tune the
system in place. That's the only added value a contractor provides, and
most if not all UFCH OEM manufacturers will do the calcs and prepare
some CAD plans if you ask them (including Polyplumb).

Some systems are more complex (needlessly) than others, some only work
with sealed systems, some are limited to small floor areas, etc, but
there's not much more to it.

I've looked (unsuccessfully) to find an online supplier from Germany or
Italy where most of this stuff is made, and is very much more commonly
used. Prices shouldn't carry the premium they do here.

-Antony