Underfloor heating on the blink? Whether it’s too cold, too hot, or creating hot and cold patches on your floor, it can be difficult to tell why your underfloor heating isn’t working how you want it to.
Before we go into what might be causing the problems with your underfloor heating, it’s helpful to understand how underfloor heating works. At its simplest, underfloor heating works by moving water around a large, looped pipe. The water moves around the pipe quickly, releasing energy as it does so. It’s this energy release that heats your home. If that water flow slows down for some reason or stops flowing evenly, you’ll notice problems. This brings us to some of the most common reasons for your underfloor heating not working.
Five common causes of underfloor heating problems
1. Airlocks
Airlocks stop water from flowing evenly through your pipes, preventing your underfloor heating from working effectively. Airlocks typically happen when someone has worked on your heating system without isolating the underfloor heating manifold. This can result in air getting into your pipes, creating a blockage which gets in the way of the water moving around your underfloor heating system. The result? Patchy and unpredictable underfloor heating.
2. Blockages
Blockages are more common with underfloor heating than you might think. That’s because debris and dirt can find their way into your underfloor heating pipes and reduce the ease with which water flows around your system. You’re more likely to experience this if you pair your underfloor heating with radiators – debris from the radiators may get stuck in your underfloor heating system – or if your system is connected to an older boiler that wasn’t flushed properly.
3. Restricted flow
Operating an underfloor heating system takes some getting used to. When using central heating with radiators, it’s pretty standard to tweak the settings until you find one you’re comfortable with. However, if you do this with underfloor heating, you may upset the balance. Flow gauges control how water flows through the underfloor system. If someone twiddles those flow gauges, this can reduce the flow rate, leading to a cooler loop of water running through your house or a bigger temperature difference between one end of your house and the other.
4. Faulty actuators
An actuator is an electrical motor that opens and closes the water flow valves in your underfloor heating. These actuators help you control water flow throughout your underfloor heating system so you can make some rooms (for instance, your bedrooms) cooler than others. A faulty actuator won’t control the water flow as you want it to – causing parts of your home to be either too warm or too cold.
5. Incorrect controls
Many underfloor heating systems are set up using interior thermostats, similar to those you’d use with radiators. This can mean you ricochet between having a room that feels like a walk-in freezer and a sauna. Not only is this uncomfortable and difficult to live with, but it’s an inefficient way to run your boiler. Underfloor heating works best when used with weather compensation controls. This way, you get a consistent and comfortable room temperature based on weather conditions and run your boiler more efficiently
These are some of the most common underfloor heating problems we encounter. Call us out and we’ll be able to quickly identify the problem with your underfloor heating and tell you how we can fix it for you quickly, efficiently and at an honest rate.
