Alternative to Under Floor Heating (UFH)

At a Glance:

• Simple above ground installation with no disturbance to floors or coverings
• Replaces the skirting trim and heating in one package
• No special fibrous screeds or 4~6 week curing times
• No temporary heating or protracted raising & lowering of floor temperature to cure
• Inter-floor thermal insulation not required
• Easy last minute changes, corrections or pipe re-routing
• Accessible, so reduced risk and PI in the event of mis-installation
• Rapid response on and off for maximum comfort and fuel efficiency
• Works with any floor finish without compromising performance
• Avoids the ‘dead leg’ syndrome incurred in staff stood on heated floors all day

The EasyClean LST system is being specified and installed on 100’s of projects across the UK in preference to underfloor (UFH) because of its far simpler and quicker installation during the construction phase, and its more controllable and energy efficient performance in operation.

The desire to move away from conventional radiators and LST covers led many architects and M&E consultants to specify UFH in recent years, which has often proven to be ‘out of the frying pan into the fire’ for many customers.

Hidden costs such as 4 ~ 6 weeks curing time before floor finishes could be laid, temporary heating to carefully dry out the screed in stages, hand laid fibrous screed instead of pumped concrete and inter-floor thermal insulation often far outweighed the initial assumption of cheap capital cost of pipe and manifolds.

Once installed, the UFH did not always deliver the comfort and energy savings promised during the design and specification phase. Inherent slow response times (often referred to as a positive in the form of “thermal mass”) inevitably led to under heating and overheating. This then leads to windows being opened or cooling fans employed to lose heat, wasting energy, or complaints from occupants and staff about being too hot or too cold.

Very often, buildings with small habitable rooms such as in care and retirement homes became unbearably hot, especially in corridors due to the convergence of all the UFH pipes, and in dementia and mental health facilities, the UFH added markedly to the ‘institutional smell’ the operators were so keen to avoid.

Furthermore, there was a small but vocal body of opinion that claimed that having staff stood on heated floors for hours at a time could be detrimental to health and well being, inducing what has become known as ‘dead leg’ syndrome.

One of the advantages of ThermaSkirt is that being ‘above ground’ it has a very rapid response time. In wards or rooms of varying occupancy levels, and the unpredictable nature of the UK climate, the ability to respond quickly is major advantage. This property gives the ThermaSkirt® system a high level of controllability which is significant advantage when catering for room by room specific comfort requirements.

The TherMiser control unit and valve ensure that the room is kept at a comfortable ambient temperature, usually 22~24°C.