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Installing wet underfloor heating: Domestic Heating How To series Part 5

  • 27 August 2020
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Installing wet underfloor heating: Domestic Heating How To series Part 5
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.Part 5: Wet UFH, Connecting controls

 

Each loop of pipe fed from a manifold requires a thermostat. That enables each section of floor to be treated as a separate zone. Rooms can be held at different temperatures.

It is common to use a combined time-clock and thermostat, allowing alternative settings for the weekend as well as throughout the day.

 

combined time-clock and thermal sensor

 

The photos show a basic/cheap battery-operated zone controller. A temperature setting can be applied for 4 time-sectors of the day. If it falls below the set temperature, then a relay will switch on, allowing the manifold actuator to open for that room/zone.

 

The zone controller should be positioned on a clear section of wall, out of direct sunlight, and 1.5m above floor-level. This is slightly higher than the default position for a light switch (1.3m).

Depending on the quality/capacity of the batteries, you should expect to change them every 12-18 months.

 

A 2-core cable runs between the Controller in the room and an electrical connection box near the manifold.

When the Controller closes its relay contacts, the relevant Actuator operates, allowing water to flow through the underfloor pipes in that room.

 

actuator wiring

 

I’ve used 240v mains-powered actuators. If I was building the system again, then I’m pretty sure I’d opt for 24v DC. This would’ve enabled me to safely have temperature controllers in rooms with high humidity, such as an en-suite shower room.

I would now also choose to have a slightly larger connection box for the actuator wiring, and would use terminal-blocks mounted on a DIN-rail instead of a terminal-strip with screws. That would provide a neater arrangement of wiring within the box.

 

 

To install an actuator onto the manifold, remove the original manual knob, and replace it with the actuator’s fixing-ring. The actuator clips onto that ring with a slight twist.

Actuators are made to fit a particular type of manifold, so the two need to be decided at the outset. Don’t choose a manifold without first checking the price of each actuator required to fit onto it!

 

Back to  Part-4: Wet UFH, Filling and Commissioning

Return to Domestic Heating Part-1: Strategies


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