What is Floor Heating?
Under Floor Heating is a simple heating system that has considerably increased in popularity over the years and that is today considered by far the most efficient way to heat your house. The method consists of installing pipes directly under the floor of the building and then run warm water through them to heat the place. This way the floor of the house acts as a big radiator: it will be around 27°C (although of course the temperature of each room of the house can be controlled individually).
The system is easy to install at any stage of the project whether a new build or a refurbishment.
At Cotrac, we only use the best quality products imported straight from Germany (Maincor) with a 50-year warranty.
Why choose Floor Heating for your house?
Not only is the Under Floor Heating the heating method of choice for many residential buildings and modern housing projects, but it is also increasingly being used in a wide range of commercial buildings such as schools, hospitals, malls and offices.
The success of this method is definitely well-deserved, several good reasons make the Floor Heating system the ideal heating solution:
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Comfort – Having Floor Heating in your house means that the heat is uniformly rising from the floor: that is probably the biggest advantage of the system. While radiators and other traditional heating systems only warm the air around them, radiant heating warms the floor and the objects in contact with the floor. The entire floor then distributes a consistent, even and quiet heating. There are no drafts and radiant Floor Heating takes the chill out of cold tile, marble and wood floors. All the rooms in the house will have consistent warmth and will have the exact temperature you decide. Besides, it is a common knowledge: warm feet equal warm body!
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Individual room control – Each room have its own digital thermostat Rooms are heated on an individual basis – for example the bedroom can be at a different temperature than the living room.
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Lower running cost – Depending on each project, savings of between 15-40 % over a traditional radiator system can be observed: since the water running through the pipes is cooler than the one used for radiators, less fuel is used in a floor heated project.
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Esthetics – No need to worry about covering up radiators or re-arranging your furniture: an under Floor Heating system allows you to have complete freedom of interior design and you can use every square inch of space available in your rooms.
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No maintenance needed – Since Floor Heating is a static system with no moving pieces; very little can go wrong assuming it has been correctly installed. Unlike any other heating system, Floor Heating doesn’t require regular maintenance (which means no additional cost) since the pipes under floor have already been installed and pressure tested.
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Healthy living – Under Floor Heating eliminates the risk of contact burns from radiators. Also, reduced dust circulation and dust mites have been observed.
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Environment friendly – Lower fuel usage means lower CO2 emissions which is of course better for the environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since we only use the best German quality products for our Floor Heating installations, we offer you up to 50 years of warranty: Cotrac pledge to replace any pipe systems demonstrating defects.
Floor systems require no annual servicing. Our system includes automatic air vents so it is not even necessary to manually bleed the circuits.
We can detect the leakage in a very accurate way with a thermal camera even after the tiles are installed. Therefore, we can repair the damaged pipe without having to remove more than 1 tile.
Most types of floor covering are fine to use with Under Floor Heating, tiles, vinyl, and stone coverings are particularly suitable as they allow the heat to pass through easily. Wood and carpet are also suitable too; however thick carpets and underlays will affect the performance of the system.
No. A properly designed radiant floor heating system will deliver comfortable, energy-efficient warmth that is a pleasure to walk, sit or lay on.
Yes. A Floor Heating system is very clean because it does not use fans or blowers (which can circulate dirt, dust and other allergens throughout a home). Besides, warm radiant floors can eliminate the need for carpets, which would be a good way of getting rid of dust mites, a very common cause of allergic respiratory disease.