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Post by speedysteve on Jan 1, 2017 22:26:36 GMT
UFH is def great if possible to have.
Ours is a gas fired water system. Polypipe system throughout. We have it throughout the house, 2015 build. It's on for couple of hours in the morning and the floors are pleasantly warm all day! We have stone in kitchen diner & hall and carpet in the lounge and upstairs. This is with every room thermostat on 20 deg. We get 21 - 22 as the floor just keeps giving. Marie loves it and would never live in a non UFH house unless Mediterranean lattitudes she says. The carpet and underlay needs to be low tog though or the heat just does not get out! The sub contractors fitted the wrong underlay and all had to come up and be replaced at their cost! In the music loft I have a BIG rad for the room size, plumber made sure it was well over dimensioned, and its so well insulated the room heats up and stays that way for ages.
Gas bills ssignificantly lower than old house where we froze. I berated the developer for not using geothermal heat source. Might do that one day. That and a solar farm at the bottom of the plot once we get an electric car  |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 1, 2017 23:46:53 GMT
Oil fired boiler here and it's looking like high fuel consumption to heat the tremendous air volume. I'm constantly trimming the timers and thermostats in an attempt to find the best compromise between comfort and cost. The UFH in the music room is great, though.
Now then, when is that replacement relay arriving...?
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 2, 2017 11:13:47 GMT
I'd be exploring solar or geothermal if I had oil.
People down the road had pipes in the ground installed around the same time we had a new gas boiler - but they don't have gas.
Was told the amount which was significant and looked high if you were plumbed in for gas.
One guy on a home improvement programme put it very well.
Insulation is 90% of heating and saving money
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2017 11:58:04 GMT
Insulation here is very good. No piped gas, so it's oil or electric throughout. Given that choice, oil is better and it looks like you need to choose your delivery dates to be in the summer when it's usually cheaper.
We filled up with 2000 litres for £870 and it looks like being between 1 and 2 tanks (2500 litres) for the year.
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Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2017 13:58:25 GMT
you need to choose your delivery dates to be in the summer when it's usually cheaper. You would think so, but the price is closely linked to crude prices which have fluctuated all over the place. I bought oil when it was $130 a barrel, and now its under $50 a barrel. So if you wait for the summer , and crude hits $60 a barrel, even though there is less demand for heating oil, it will cost more. The refineries switch production and produce more petrol - summer is peak season , especially in the USA for road fuel. We are very well insulated and have a log burner which just about heats the whole house. And I get to use my big chopper   |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 14:13:04 GMT
Aint you got an Axe Pinkie? Great satisfaction out of Log Chopping.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2017 14:20:49 GMT
Hah! We did light our fire on a couple of occasions, but the logs are quite smoky and the flue extractor fan was only just able to cope. Nice to have, but not for everyday use.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 2, 2017 14:55:05 GMT
Insulation here is very good. No piped gas, so it's oil or electric throughout. Given that choice, oil is better and it looks like you need to choose your delivery dates to be in the summer when it's usually cheaper. We filled up with 2000 litres for £870 and it looks like being between 1 and 2 tanks (2500 litres) for the year. That sounds much better than I thought |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 2, 2017 14:57:28 GMT
Hah! We did light our fire on a couple of occasions, but the logs are quite smoky and the flue extractor fan was only just able to cope. Nice to have, but not for everyday use. A tip you might need... Warm the chimney first to take away the initial smoke and continue drawing away. Might also be the wood, type and age. Our Chris must know the best for this |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2017 15:09:16 GMT
Yes, I think it's the bark that makes the most smoke. Won't be lighting it again until next Christmas!
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Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2017 16:00:07 GMT
Smoke should go up the chimney (to state the obvious). Obviously an open fire will smell a bit (ours is a large newly installed stove, so smells less, but still some)
Chimney's need to be swept - if you haven't done so (or had a chimney sweep do so) assume that it has not been done and needs doing. Unswept chimneys not only can cause bad "draw" but are a fire risk.
They need to be tall enough - we have an issue with our "plein pied" (bungalow) - and had to have both the chimney height and chimney cap height raised
You need heat to get them drawing (as Mike said) and for that they need oxygen near the source - maybe an air brick
The wood needs to be dry. Actually, a bit of damp from rain is OK -although preferably not, but it needs to be "seasoned" (at least 12 months) not "green". See if you can get some well seasoned apple logs. They should burn fast and hot. Wood like Oak will "bank" better and burn less hot.
We have electric heating otherwise - but most of the electric rads are not used once the burner is up to heat and the hall doors opened. I am going to look seriously at solar electric generation once the main building works are complete, since we get a lot of sun.
And Andre - I agree that I have enjoyed good old fashioned lumberjacking as therapy before, but we have a lot of 50cm logs to split, and the electric axe is a beast. It just makes it so easy.
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Post by Clive on Jan 2, 2017 17:04:49 GMT
If the chimney is clean then as has been mentioned heating the chimney before lighting the fire can work. I use a blowtorch to prime the chimney.
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Post by ChrisB on Jan 2, 2017 19:35:19 GMT
Wood is often a bit smokey at first but if reasonably dry will be far less so than coal once it gets going. It will also tend to produce far fewer deposits in the chimney - sweeps HATE people who burn wood!
Your place is a modern(ish) conversion, Martin and modern houses tend to be too well sealed for real fires. If the chimney is going to draw properly, it needs to be able to suck the air from somewhere. Old houses were draughty as hell but if you seal up all the sources of the draughts, you cut the efficiency of the fireplaces at a stroke.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 3, 2017 11:07:36 GMT
Wood is often a bit smokey at first but if reasonably dry will be far less so than coal once it gets going. It will also tend to produce far fewer deposits in the chimney - sweeps HATE people who burn wood! Your place is a modern(ish) conversion, Martin and modern houses tend to be too well sealed for real fires. If the chimney is going to draw properly, it needs to be able to suck the air from somewhere. Old houses were draughty as hell but if you seal up all the sources of the draughts, you cut the efficiency of the fireplaces at a stroke. Good to have it confirmed that sealing draughts makes the fire less efficient. Seemed logical Home improvement programme mentioned they could not have letter box in the front door as the house would not then conform to Code 6 ! |
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Post by speedysteve on Jan 3, 2017 13:37:50 GMT
We have a well sealed property. We hate draughts and feeling cold. Comes from living in Sweden for years where they build them for nice cosy living, even as the outside temps really drop. With UFH we don't really need a wood burner at all. It's a rural cottage thing in fashion at the moment. It has good seals and thick glass door. With it shut and the air vent closed there is no draw up the chimney constantly like an open fire or even gas fire. An open fire / chimney sucks the rooms volume out every 10-15 mins I read. That works against heating the rest of the house esp in open plan. That's what we found with our previous house. Open gas fire with a chimney mushroom in (obviously not lit), was warmer than modern inset gas fire! Here the UFH runs for a couple of hours in the morning and then just gives a nice even warmth all day. Marie's puts the wood burner on for effect sometimes and I end up in shorts and t shirt We do have a high roof and the chimney is a further 1.9m about the ridge. No draw probs. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 15:23:16 GMT
One thing i cannot do is listern to music in a cold room..
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 15:27:37 GMT
My UFH is free, because it is provided by my neighbours who live in the flat below me! I notice a big difference when they go away and switch off their central heating.
I would love to have an open fire but it can't be done in a modern flat without a chimney, such a shame.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 15:52:55 GMT
Wood is often a bit smokey at first but if reasonably dry will be far less so than coal once it gets going. It will also tend to produce far fewer deposits in the chimney - sweeps HATE people who burn wood! Your place is a modern(ish) conversion, Martin and modern houses tend to be too well sealed for real fires. If the chimney is going to draw properly, it needs to be able to suck the air from somewhere. Old houses were draughty as hell but if you seal up all the sources of the draughts, you cut the efficiency of the fireplaces at a stroke. Since we had UPVC put it it has been a nightmare in our place. Soon as the new windows went in Mould & condensation. We have correct ventilation, Air Bricks you name it but still a problem, We have to make sure the Trickle vents are open on the window at night, still that does not cure it completely, besides aint this killing the pig fitting new windows to get rid of the draughtly wooden ones, when you have to leave the Night vents open that effectively bring back the draughts. The vents even bring back the traffic noise the UPVC double grazing got rid off  |
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