Central heating and radiators
Radiator installation and repairs, power flushing, system upgrades and modern heating controls.
Heating servicesUnderfloor heating
Underfloor heating, designed and fitted properly
Even warmth from the floor up, no radiators on the walls, and lower water temperatures that suit modern boilers and heat pumps. We design, install, balance and repair wet and electric underfloor heating for single rooms, extensions and whole floors.
- Wet and electric systems
- Free quotes
How it works
Warmth from a large, gentle surface
A wet system runs warm water, typically well below radiator temperatures, through loops of pipe under the floor. Because the whole floor gives off heat, the room feels comfortable at a lower air temperature, and there are no cold corners.
The manifold splits the flow between rooms. Each loop has its own flow setting, and each zone has its own thermostat, so a bathroom can be warm first thing while bedrooms stay cooler.
Electric systems use heating mats or cables under the floor finish. They are slim, quick to fit and a good choice for single rooms such as a bathroom or kitchen, where running a wet system from the boiler would be disruptive.
Wet or electric?
| Wet (water) | Electric | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Extensions, new builds, whole floors, renovations where the floor is being lifted | Single rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, conservatories |
| Running cost | Lower, especially with a condensing boiler or heat pump | Higher per unit of heat, but fine for small areas used for short periods |
| Installation | More involved: manifold, pipework, screed or plates | Quicker: thin mats or cables under tile adhesive or a levelling compound |
| Floor height | Needs depth for insulation and screed, or a low-profile overlay system | Adds very little height |
What an installation involves
- Survey and heat-loss designWe work out each room's heat requirement, choose the pipe spacing and loop lengths, and check the floor construction and finish.
- Insulation and pipe layingInsulation goes down first so heat goes up into the room, not into the ground or the ceiling below. Pipe is laid to the design and pressure tested before anything covers it.
- Screed or overlayThe pipe is covered with screed, or set in a low-profile board system where floor height is limited. Screed needs time to dry before the system is brought up to temperature gradually.
- Connection, controls and balancingWe connect the manifold to your boiler or heat source, fit room thermostats, balance the loops and show you how to use it.
Maintenance and repair
Underfloor heating has few moving parts, but manifolds, pumps, blending valves, actuators and thermostats can fail, and systems that were never balanced often heat unevenly. We diagnose cold zones, pressure loss, noisy pumps and failed actuators, and we can rebalance a system someone else installed. Where a pipe has been damaged, we locate it to keep the area of floor that needs lifting as small as possible.
Underfloor heating questions
Can I have underfloor heating with my existing boiler?
Usually, yes. The manifold includes a blending valve that mixes the water down to the lower temperature underfloor heating needs, so it can run alongside radiators on the same boiler.
What floor finishes work with underfloor heating?
Tile and stone work best. Engineered wood, vinyl and carpet can all work if they are suitable for underfloor heating and the total thermal resistance of underlay and finish is kept low. Check with your flooring supplier and we will design around it.
Does underfloor heating take long to warm up?
Screeded systems respond more slowly than radiators, so they work best on steady timer settings rather than short bursts. Low-profile and electric systems warm up much faster.
Related services
Boiler installation and servicing
Combi, system and regular boilers sized for your home, fitted, commissioned and registered, plus annual servicing.
Boiler installation and servicingPlumbing repairs and installations
Taps, toilets, pipework, leak detection, bathroom and kitchen plumbing, blocked drains and outdoor taps.
Plumbing services