Conservatory Underfloor Heating
Conservatories are wonderful places to relax in but are often abandoned during the winter months because they are too chilly to sit in. So is underfloor heating the answer?
Because there is a lot of glass in a conservatory and not much wall space, fitting conventional radiators can be a bit of problem. With conservatory underfloor heating the set up is completely different. Instead of having one small very hot source of heat in the room, the whole floor radiates out a gentle heat.
Most people find this creates a much more comfortable environment to sit it. And if you have children you'll find that they really enjoy sitting on the floor playing with their toys, with the gentle heat keeping them warm. Pets too will love stretching out and sleeping even on a hard tiled floor.
If you are building a conservatory then installing the underfloor heating while it is being built is the easiest way to go. You can either have warm water pipes or electric heating cables embedded in the floor.
Using warm water piped through the floor to heat up the room is probably the cheapest option if you already have water filled radiators in the rest of your house. That way the plumbing will just need to be extended into the conservatory.
However some people don't like the idea of having water pipes running underneath their floor even though the plastic pipes are extremely stable and long lasting. And if you don't already have water filled radiators in your house it can be expensive to do the plumbing just for your conservatory.
In that case you have the option of installing electric heating cable into the concrete in a similar way to having the warm water pipes laid. Then, when the concrete has dried out you can put down the flooring of your choice.
But many people inherit a conservatory when they buy a house. What if you want to install underfloor heating then? Well you can install electric underfloor heating that actually lies on the surface of the floor and then you cover it with whatever flooring you've selected.
However the actual type of electric underfloor heating you install depends on what flooring you're going for. If you've decide that you want to have tiles then you have a choice of cable or mat to lie on the surface of the concrete. Cable is rather fiddly to lay except in small areas so most people choose to use electric heating mats onto which the tiles are then laid.
If you are going for laminate or wooden floors then you need a more diffused type of electric underfloor heating using carbon film sheets under the laminate. You can even use carpet but you'll need to use thin carpet and have a protective underboard between the carbon film and the carpet.
So don't stop using your conservatory in winter. Instead install some underfloor heating and enjoy your garden room all year round.