Home isn't a place. It's a feeling...
So, your new property comes complete with UFH (underfloor heating)? Well, you are in good hands with underfloor heating fitted with the utmost care and expertise from WMS underfloor heating.
However, in order to enjoy the benefits that come with having heated floors, you’ll need to understand it. Here are some of the benefits of having underfloor heating, as well as a few top tips to ensure you are getting the most out of your heating system. We will cover some of the most commonly asked questions too.
Homeowner FAQs
How do I increase / decrease the floor sensor?
Floor sensors are used for two reasons: a) to protect sensitive floor finishes from overheat, and b) to control the floor temperature in wet rooms where the thermostat is installed outside of the room. Where used to protect sensitive floor finishes, we strongly recommend you do not adjust this yourself – please contact the supplier to ensure this is carried out correctly. When used in wet rooms, the thermostat will need to be configured to read the floor sensor as the primary form of temperature control, then simply increase / decrease the temperature set point to achieve your comfort settings.
How do I ensure the flow temperature is correct and that enough heat is being provided by the boiler?
Before checking this, ensure a thermostat has been calling for heat for at least 30mins. If the boiler is functioning correctly, hot water will be supplied to the manifold and the manifold bar will be warm (possibly hot) to touch. If there is no heat at the manifold, the boiler is not providing hot water. Please consult your plumbing engineer.
Why isn’t my underfloor heating working?
There is a misconception that the floor finish should be very warm to touch when the UFH is operating – please be aware that this is not the case. Due to the size of the surface area of the floor, the floor temperature will only be slightly warmer than the air temperature to be able to achieve your comfort settings. If in doubt, please check your thermostat settings are correctly set up. As a physical test, turn up a thermostat so that it is calling for heat, within 30mins you will be able observe water flowing through the manifold flow meters (on the top of the manifold) and feel warmth coming through from the boiler. If neither of these happen within 1hr, please call us to carry out some simple checks over the phone.
Pumpset codes, what do the different codes and lights mean?
When the pump is running, LED 1 is green. The four yellow LEDs indicate the current power consumption (1 = low, 2 = medium low, 3 = medium high, 4 = high). When LED 1 is flashing green the pump is on standby. If LED 1 is red, the pump has detected an alarm. Please contact us to identify the issue.
Do you offer a maintenance agreement?
Due to the nature of underfloor heating being a concealed product, not prone to corrosion and with minimal moving parts, maintenance contracts are not normally necessary. In the first instance we suggest you call us if you have a question and we will be glad to help. Most issues can be simply resolved over the phone.
What are your warranty / defeat periods?
Pipe = 50 years. Manifold (flow/return bars) = 50 years. Pumpset / blending valve = 2 years. WMS Controls = 2 years
Which type of flooring should I use?
Another commonly asked question is ‘What type of flooring can I use?’
The short answer is that all finishes can be used with underfloor heating, it is something we take into consideration at the design stage to make sure your heat output is calculated correctly.
If you choose to change your floor covering in the future, a few considerations should be taken into account in order to ensure that your chosen floor covering does not affect the designed heat output of your UFH system.
In general terms, harder surfaces such as stone and ceramic are best for use with UFH as they have the lowest thermal resistance, providing the best heat output; in contrast to coverings like deep-pile carpets and rugs which have the opposite effect. All floor coverings have a ‘tog’ rating, a measure of resistance – which should not ideally exceed 2.5 tog (including any underlays) when used in conjunction with UFH.
CERAMICS AND NATURAL STONE: These are the best kind of floor covering for use with UFH – due to the density of the material, the thermal conductivity is high, allowing the heat from the pipework to travel quickly through and heat the space above. All stone products can be fitted above UFH including natural products such as slate and limestone.
WOOD FLOORING: Wood is a natural product and therefore can react to changes in the environment. It is essential to check with the flooring manufacturer whether their products are subject to a temperature limit; if this is the case, a floor probe is supplied to limit the heating output to this level. Typically speaking, engineered wood floor is the most robust. Solid wood floors contain a higher content of natural product, and therefore will need a floor probe / sensor as it tends to be more sensitive to heat changes.
LAMINATES AND VINYL: Laminate and vinyl flooring is fine for use with UFH as the coverings are typically thin and high-density, so have a good level of thermal conductivity. We would always recommend checking with the given flooring manufacturer first that the product is suitable for UFH.
CARPETS: There is a common misconception that carpet cannot be used with UFH, which is not true, we just recommend not exceeding a combined resistance of 2.5 tog for the carpet and underlay and using an underlay specifically designed for UFH, to keep the thermal conductivity as high as possible.
RUGS: It is best to consider rugs that are suitable for use with UFH. Tog ratings should sit between 1 and 2, and should not exceed 2.5 and ideally be no thicker than 25mm. Natural materials are better as they allow the heat flow, hessian-backed as opposed to felt-backed would perform better as would natural fibre rugs as opposed to synthetic materials.
Homeowners Testimonial
“I was really worried about doing the UFH originally but my wife encouraged me to do it and we haven’t looked back since. We are very pleased with the system”.
Problem solving
In the unlikley event that you have a problem with your system, please contact us via email on customerservices@wms-uk.com in the first instance including the following details: Name, Address, Postcode, Contact Number, Contact E-mail, Issue(s).