Underfloor Heating Install Blogs

Healthy home standards Sometimes, but usually not in the room that counts. Here is the detail, because the answer turns on a number. The healthy homes heating standard applies to one room: the main living room. It requires one or more fixed heaters that can heat and maintain that room to 18°C, and it sets out which heater types are acceptable. Bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways are not covered by the heating standard at all. Electric underfloor heating is on the acceptable list

Electrical cost The honest answer has two parts: the arithmetic, which is simple, and the variable that most articles skip, but is the biggest factor that actually decides your bill. Lets start with the arithmetic. An underfloor heating element is rated in watts. A 6 square metre bathroom at the 150W per square metre Heatwell recommends that a 900W element is installed under tile — the same 900W element that draws 3.91 amps and measures 58.78 ohms, which is the figure your el

Walk in tiled shower Yes, underfloor heating can be installed in a shower, with careful planning, provided the shower base is going to be tiled, or have stone or slate. It cannot be used with an acrylic or stainless steel shower base, and it cannot go under a shower tray. If heating is going into the shower, it must be installed before the waterproofing. What type of shower can have underfloor heating? A tiled one. The heating cable is laid on the prepared base, covered with

Heatwells' HT3 horizontal underfloor heating thermostat In most cases it is the thermostat, not the cable. A thermostat is an electronic device with a screen, a relay and a sensor, and it works hard, often in a damp room, for years. The heating cable is sealed and encased in screed, so it fails far less often. In most cases cable failure is because the floor has moved. Before assuming the worst, have the thermostat checked. Please note that Heatwell replaces electrical under

Self Leveling compound Heatwell sells self-levelling compound and fibreglass mesh from its Forrest Hill store in Auckland, which is open by appointment. Neither can be couriered, so both are collection only. Tiling wholesalers and the larger DIY stores also stock self-levelling compound, and any brand will do, with one exception explained below. Does the brand matter? Generally no. Any reputable self-levelling compound rated for the job will work over underfloor heating. Ther

Underfloor heating with engineered wood There are three main types of underfloor heating used in New Zealand: electric cable or mat laid under the final floor covering, electric cable or water pipe cast into a concrete slab, and hydronic systems that circulate heated water. Heatwell installs and services only the electrical cable style. Each suits a different kind of project, and the difference that matters most is whether the floor is already built. Electric cable or mat un

Apartment Bathroom in Auckland An Auckland apartment bathroom is usually small, often has no exterior window, and is frequently on the shaded side of the building. A bathroom in a townhouse may have a small window, but is still on a shaded side of the building. That combination makes the bathroom the coldest and dampest room in the apartment or townhouse, and makes it excellent for underfloor heating. A heated floor removes the cold surface condensation forms on, dries the

A technician in Auckland prepares for an underfloor heating installation, equipped with tools and carrying a toolkit. Heatwell's full installation price for a 450W underfloor heating cable with a thermostat in Auckland is $750 + GST. That 450W cable heats 3 square metres under tile or 4.5 square metres under carpet. Please note that $750 + GST is our minimum full installation charge. All areas that require 450W or less will have a price of $750 + GST. Larger areas are price

A level surface for tile installation The floor must be flat and sound before underfloor heating is installed, and it must be levelled beforehand rather than during. The screed Heatwell pours over the cable is about 4mm thick. It is there to position and protect the heating element, not to level the floor, and it cannot correct a dished or uneven surface. Flat matters more than level. Level means horizontal. A floor can run slightly downhill across a room and still take under

Underfloor heating used under engineered wood. Underfloor heating can be installed under tile, slate, stone, carpet, carpet tile, vinyl, LVP, lino, engineered wood, composite wood and composite bamboo. It cannot be used under solid natural timber. Each flooring type needs a different amount of heat per square metre, because each insulates differently and sits at a different depth above the cable. How much heating per square metre does each floor covering require? Final floori

Waterproofing a shower Underfloor heating is installed near the end of the build, just before the final floor covering goes down. The walls should be lined, all gib stopping and sanding complete, and all painting finished. The one piece of sequencing that is not flexible is waterproofing: if underfloor heating is going into a shower, the waterproofing must be done after the heating is installed. Where does underfloor heating sit in the build program? Late, and for a practical