Balancing Underfloor Heating

Balancing underfloor heating is a crucial part of water underfloor heating installation, and with Underfloor heating becoming a must in many homes, retrofits and new builds, installers have concerns to ensure they install the system correctly to allow for the best results for their customers.

Installing and balancing underfloor heating, whether in a new or existing property, does not need to be difficult or have complications to fit, even for fitters who haven’t installed a system before. Installing and Balancing underfloor heating can be a new endeavour for many fitters, the installation and working of underfloor heating are not different from a standard radiator but with many benefits over a traditional system. Knowing what you have to do, the dos and don’t of installing underfloor heating and by reading our comprehensive instructions can avoid any unnecessary issues such as sufficient insulation before installation and balancing underfloor heating to allow for an energy efficient heat source you can enjoy; without the bills!

Balancing Underfloor heating is one issue that can cause installers, of all experiences, many problems if done incorrectly. When balancing your underfloor heating, take your time to adjust your system correctly to ensure sufficient heat output, so you don’t feel too hot or too cold. While not a complicated task, balancing can be done by using the flow meters on the manifold. However, the difficulty lies in gauging what level of flow is required. Below you will find some guides to help you make a correct assumption. REMEMBER, if you do not get it right, it is ok. This will not harm your system but could potentially create an uncomfortable or underperforming system until you get it balanced correctly.

A common issue during the commissioning of the underfloor heating system is to balance all the flow meters to a standard flow rate across all the ports, regardless of length, size of the room, other heat sources or other difference in the pipe loops. The outcome of such a system results in a poorly performing system and often requires revisits of the fitter to sort. Different room types, such as a living room with no heating, a kitchen with background heating and a small bathroom, will all require a different approach to ensure a comfortable heat output suitable for each room. Smaller rooms, such as a bathroom, usually need smaller flow rates to provide these rooms do not get uncomfortably hot, similar to kitchens with cookers etc.; although make sure not to make these too low and balance sufficiently.

Other factors may alter the flow rate required when balancing underfloor heating. Floor finish and heat transfer can cause a considerable variation in heat output from your underfloor heating, and some floor types may require a higher flow rate than others. For example, tiles and marble are great heat conductors and will not require as heat as a carpeted room.

Number of windows and facing the direction of the house may also affect the heat requirements of the room. Colder north facing properties will require a higher flow rate than a westerly facing property that gets the sun for a lot longer. Time of the year may also need a more seasonally adjustment of the system to ensure sufficient heat output of the system.

If in doubt, call us! We are happy to help you when balancing underfloor heating and assist you to get the most efficient and effective system for your property.
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