I'm about to buy a new carpet for a new house with electric underfloor
heating. Am I restricted to looking at thin carpets and underlay? Or
does underfloor heating work reasonably well with most carpets?

thanks,

James

James H wrote:
I'm about to buy a new carpet for a new house with electric underfloor
heating. Am I restricted to looking at thin carpets and underlay? Or
does underfloor heating work reasonably well with most carpets?

The instructions that came with our electric UFH (which I've just fitted
under tiles) say this:

"Carpets
While it is possible to use carpets with an underfloor heating system
they often absorb too much heat to be very effective. The Tog value of
the carpet and underlay must be less than 1.5. If you wish to use
carpets with any of our cables, please contact us and we will be happy
to advise you of the best options."

It would be worth contacting the manufacturerd of your UFH - the answer
will largely depend on the output of the cable.


--
Grunff

On 11 Sep 2004 00:37:28 -0700, (James H)
wrote:

I'm about to buy a new carpet for a new house with electric underfloor
heating. Am I restricted to looking at thin carpets and underlay? Or
does underfloor heating work reasonably well with most carpets?

thanks,

James

The cables will heat up, the heat must go somewhere, if the carpet is
insulationg, more heat will go into the floor. If the whole thing is
very insulating the cables must surley switch themselves off as they
will get hot, but the heat won't go to wharming the room.

A heavy insulating carpet, can't be much good for the system, it would
be like putting your electric fire under a duvet to wharm the bedroom.


Rick

James H wrote:

I'm about to buy a new carpet for a new house with electric underfloor
heating. Am I restricted to looking at thin carpets and underlay? Or
does underfloor heating work reasonably well with most carpets?

Reasonably is the key. Carpets are good insulators and so is underlay,
but if the job has been done properly there will be a lot of insulation
under the UFH anyway, to reduce heat loss downrwads.

In practice, to get the same heating effect, the floor has to run
hotter. That doesn't necessarily mean it uses more fuel tho. To get teh
same heat 'loss' through underlay and carpet menas using higher floor
temps that's all.

I've got 5mm of plastic foam and 8mm of wood lamintae over mine. Not so
good as a tiled floor, but good enough.

thanks,

James

Rick Dipper wrote:

On 11 Sep 2004 00:37:28 -0700, (James H)
wrote:


I'm about to buy a new carpet for a new house with electric underfloor
heating. Am I restricted to looking at thin carpets and underlay? Or
does underfloor heating work reasonably well with most carpets?

thanks,

James


The cables will heat up, the heat must go somewhere, if the carpet is
insulationg, more heat will go into the floor. If the whole thing is
very insulating the cables must surley switch themselves off as they
will get hot, but the heat won't go to wharming the room.

A heavy insulating carpet, can't be much good for the system, it would
be like putting your electric fire under a duvet to wharm the bedroom.


Rick


Agreed you don't want shag pile and an inch of foam underlay, but
something like a hair cord on thin underlay should be OK I reckon.

"James H" wrote in message
m...
I'm about to buy a new carpet for a new house with electric underfloor
heating. Am I restricted to looking at thin carpets and underlay? Or
does underfloor heating work reasonably well with most carpets?

thanks


What is important is the overall Tog rating ... which you want to keep as
low as possible to allow heat through.

Rick