Electric Underfloor Heating Solutions

Electric Underfloor heating solutions

Electric Underfloor heating is a very efficient form of heating. Underfloor heating radiates a comfortable heat from the floor which rises equally across the floor to help banish cold draughts forever. Your room can be made free of unsightly convection radiators and cold feet in winter.

TileFixDirect offer several different electric underfloor heating solutions from both Magnum and Devi, the leaders in quality electrical underfloor heating systems. Beware of cheaper systems that use lower quality cables as any fault will become expensive if not impossible to repair. We only sell the best electric underfloor heating systems and this is backed up by the extensive guarantees offered on all our cable and matting underfloor heating systems.

Electric Underfloor Heating Cable

The first and most cost effective solution is the Magnum enerCable under screed system. This system is laid into a screed and is most often used in a new construction or in conservatories where new sand and cement screeds are being laid. The screeding contractor lays the screed directly on top of the cables. The tiling will be laid as normal onto the top of the screed. The main benefit of this system is cost. The installed price of an under screed cable system is generally cheaper than a matting system as it does not require additional tiling labour and the electrician is normally available on site at the time of installation. The system is controlled by a fully programable thermostat. enerCable comes in different lengths which can be combined to fit all room sizes. An electrician will be required to fit the thermostat and controller. Tiling should only take place after the screed has been allowed to fully set. This will take at least 3 weeks. As with all underfloor heating systems do not heat the floor until a week after fixing the tiles, and then set to a low heat and take a full week to bring the floor up to operating temperature. Full installation instructions for Magnum enerCable.

Electric Matting Underfloor Heating

Matting systems are used on top of existing screeds or timber floors in refurbishments and can be used as the primary heating in most rooms although a secondary heating source is normally required in kitchens and bathrooms. As kitchen and bathrooms both have significant areas where the heating cable cannot be fixed (it cannot be fixed under kitchen units, baths, showers or pedestal toilets and sinks) the total heating surface area to room volume ratio is poor and there is generally insufficient floor space to sufficiently warm the room. In these rooms the electrical underfloor heating is primarily comfort heating, although it will make a significant overall contribution to the room's heating.

The two electrical underfloor matting systems TileFixDirect offers are Magnum enerMat and Devi DeviMat. Magnum enerMat is a 150W per square metre system with a lifetime guarantee, fully waterproof cable made from Teflon with a protective woven wire braid, while the Devi system comes in either DeviMat 100W per square metre (suitable for direct fixing to a wooden floor) or DeviMat 150W per square metre with a full guarantee and self adhesive matting system. Either can be laid directly on concrete or sand and cement screeds. If laying a 150W system to a wooden floor you must first fit Marmox insulation board before laying the matting system. Magnum Microfoil underwood heating system are suitable for heating wooden or laminate flooring. Each matting system comes in different matting sizes which can be combined to fit all rooms sizes. An electrician will be required to fit the fully programmable thermostat and controller.

To lay a matting system you should stick the matting to the floor with a flooring grade tile adhesive (not necessary with the Devi self adhesive system) then over screed with a polymer modified tile adhesive, such as Profix Flex Fast set grey, or with a high grade latex based smoothing underlayment, such as Arditex NA. Allow to set and then fix the tiles as normal. As with all underfloor heating systems do not heat the floor until a week after fixing the tiles, and then set to a low heat and take a full week to bring the floor up to operating temperature. Full installation instructions for Magnum enerMat and Devi Devimat.

Electric Foil Underfloor Heating

The next electrical underfloor heating system that TileFixDirect offers is Magnum EnerFoil. This low voltage system (24/28V) operates at either 80 or 110W and is only suitable as secondary heating. However its main advantage is that it does not need a thermostat controller and is only 0.2mm thick. Most often used in bathrooms and fitted only where you walk it is very cost effective and economical to run. As this system can only be used as secondary heating it is normally used in conjunction with a heated towel rail or radiator to warm a bathroom or shower. As it is used for comfort heating the foil mats need only be laid where you walk!

The foil is powered by a transformer which should be installed outside the bathroom; usually in an adjoining wardrobe, cupboard, loft space or similar. The foil is fixed to the floor using an acrylic floor tile adhesive called Enerbond. The Enerfoil surface should also be primed with a coat of Enerbond. If used in bathrooms or showers the foil should then be coated with BAL WP1 waterproofing compound.

The foils come in varying sizes and multiple foil sheets can be combined with one transformer. There is no requirement for a programmable room thermostat, and the connection to the transformer is simplicity itself.

Electric Mirror De-mister

Finally how frustrating is it when you look in your bathroom's mirror only to find it all steamed up? Simply fit an Enerfoil Mirror de-mister panel to the back of your mirror and you will no longer get all steamed up! Can be used in conjunction with a Magnum Enerfoil transformer or a stand alone mirror transformer.

Electric Underfloor Heating Insulation

With all electrical underfloor heating systems it is essential that the installation is laid on top of suitable insulation. For the matting and foil systems we recommend Marmox insulation board, and for the Magnum enerCable you will need foil topped insulation (Kingspan or Celotex both have products). Failure to install insulation will result in wastage as the underfloor heating unnecessarily heats the area under your floor. The efficiency of any system will also be lost if the room being heated is poorly insulated or has poor quality windows. Your electrician should also check the impedance of each system should also be checked prior to fixing and at the end of fixing to ensure no damage has occurred to the cable.