ᐅ Underfloor Heating in Older Buildings: Retrofitting Options
Created on: 2 Jan 2022 16:49
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littlebird
Hello,
since we are still looking for an apartment or a house, I would like to gather general information about retrofitting underfloor heating.
1. Is it even practical to install underfloor heating afterwards if there is an existing gas heating system with radiators? If there is a garden, does it make sense to install an air source heat pump, especially in older buildings that are generally not very well insulated? Is a gas heating system suitable for use with an air source heat pump?
2. Since older buildings usually have low ceiling heights, I am concerned whether insulation on the floor plus underfloor heating will take up too much space and cause issues with door height. What options are there for the doors? Do they simply need to be smaller?
3. Can the manifold for the underfloor heating be installed in the basement, or would that cause the pipe runs inside the house to be too long?
4. Since this is a retrofit, how complicated is it to build a vertical shaft for the underfloor heating, for example spanning three floors (ground floor, first floor, and second floor)? Is it allowed to use the chimney for this purpose?
Thank you!
since we are still looking for an apartment or a house, I would like to gather general information about retrofitting underfloor heating.
1. Is it even practical to install underfloor heating afterwards if there is an existing gas heating system with radiators? If there is a garden, does it make sense to install an air source heat pump, especially in older buildings that are generally not very well insulated? Is a gas heating system suitable for use with an air source heat pump?
2. Since older buildings usually have low ceiling heights, I am concerned whether insulation on the floor plus underfloor heating will take up too much space and cause issues with door height. What options are there for the doors? Do they simply need to be smaller?
3. Can the manifold for the underfloor heating be installed in the basement, or would that cause the pipe runs inside the house to be too long?
4. Since this is a retrofit, how complicated is it to build a vertical shaft for the underfloor heating, for example spanning three floors (ground floor, first floor, and second floor)? Is it allowed to use the chimney for this purpose?
Thank you!
D
Deliverer2 Jan 2022 19:57I find it surprising that, as a veteran, you have an issue with someone seeking opinions and information in a forum.
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Ypsi aus NI2 Jan 2022 21:09I’d like to share some information about our renovation of an old building. Underfloor heating was also a major topic... Since we don’t have high ceiling heights, we didn’t want to add any extra layers.
We chose a hydronic underfloor heating system that is fed by the return flow of the regular radiators. These heating pipes are laid directly under the tiles, so there is no loss of height.
It has been working perfectly for 12 years, and although it only heats, we don’t use any other heating sources for these rooms (even though they are available).
Besides this hydronic system, there are also thin-film electric underfloor heating options.
However, if you are doing a complete renovation—like removing or relocating walls—you should consider raising the door lintel and removing the screed to install a proper underfloor heating system.
We chose a hydronic underfloor heating system that is fed by the return flow of the regular radiators. These heating pipes are laid directly under the tiles, so there is no loss of height.
It has been working perfectly for 12 years, and although it only heats, we don’t use any other heating sources for these rooms (even though they are available).
Besides this hydronic system, there are also thin-film electric underfloor heating options.
However, if you are doing a complete renovation—like removing or relocating walls—you should consider raising the door lintel and removing the screed to install a proper underfloor heating system.
B
Benutzer2002 Jan 2022 22:46Others have already provided detailed answers.
Yes, it works. And yes, it usually works quite well. Even in older buildings – but not if they are still thermally inefficient old buildings.
At a minimum, modern (and therefore likely new) windows, insulated basement ceilings, and insulated top floor ceilings (or roofs) are necessary for it to work well. Additionally, a design that allows for as low supply temperatures as possible is required – absolutely never more than 10cm (4 inches) pipe spacing, preferably 5 to 7.5cm (2 to 3 inches).
Then heating with electricity can also be cost-effective.
Yes, it works. And yes, it usually works quite well. Even in older buildings – but not if they are still thermally inefficient old buildings.
At a minimum, modern (and therefore likely new) windows, insulated basement ceilings, and insulated top floor ceilings (or roofs) are necessary for it to work well. Additionally, a design that allows for as low supply temperatures as possible is required – absolutely never more than 10cm (4 inches) pipe spacing, preferably 5 to 7.5cm (2 to 3 inches).
Then heating with electricity can also be cost-effective.
Deliverer schrieb:
I’m surprised that, as a veteran, you have a problem with someone seeking opinions and information in a forum. Whoever you mean by "veteran" (I haven’t encountered anyone like that here so far), as far as I know, no one here objects to an interest in information. However, information is not exempt from two unpleasant phenomena: the dose makes the poison, and there can also be a wrong time for good or correct things. Furthermore – as I already pointed out – every existing used property falls short in some respect, and you have to decide which criterion you are least willing to compromise on. At this point, I was trying to encourage some reflection on whether underfloor heating, or its ease of retrofitting, would be a good master question – as a dealbreaker, I would recommend it even less. So: before overwhelming yourself with information, first sort out what you actually want based on (personal) importance. In a free country, that can certainly also be something I would classify as least important.
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littlebird6 Jan 2022 18:43Thank you for your responses. The topic of underfloor heating is important to us, and when it comes to replacing the heating system, I think a heat pump combined with underfloor heating is a very good option. I didn’t realize it is much easier than I initially thought.
I assume that the biggest costs will be the removal of the gas heating system, the installation of the underfloor heating, and the setup of the heat pump (since the pipe to the heat pump has to be retrofitted).
I assume that the biggest costs will be the removal of the gas heating system, the installation of the underfloor heating, and the setup of the heat pump (since the pipe to the heat pump has to be retrofitted).
littlebird schrieb:
I assume the biggest costs will be the installation of the gas heating system, the laying of the underfloor heating, and the installation of the heat pump (since the pipe to the heat pump needs to be installed afterwards). What do you mean by "afterwards"? And why do you assume a gas heating system for a property that hasn't been specified yet (I take it you mean a radiator heating system with water circulating through pipes, which would be basically the same whether gas or oil is used)? Have you already narrowed down your property search based on the age of the house? Many buyers of older properties end up with houses from the 1950s and early 1960s, which is a completely different situation compared to, for example, a house built in 1980 regarding the existing heating system.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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