Underfloor Heating – Glossary of Terms

This Glossary of terms is intended to advise the reader of common terms and their
explanations in the context of underfloor heating systems, it is intended as a guide only
and although fairly comprehensive is by no means a complete list.

Please note Honeywell can only advise on the controls aspect of underfloor heating and
can offer no assistance on overall system design.

BS EN1264

Is the British Standard covering the design and installation of hot water underfloor
heating systems, it includes all required calculations for tube length vs. output, material
specifications, heat loss calculations etc.

Comfort Band

Most people are insensitive to temperature change within a temperature band of 30C
(60F). This is called the Comfort Band. Above and below the extremes of this band the
person feels too hot or too cold respectively.

Comfort Level

The temperature where the Heat lost from the Human body is exactly matched by an
input of heat from an external source. Note, females may feel this differently to males.

Conduction

The transfer of heat through a solid medium.

Convection

The movement of heated air in an occupied space to provide comfort level.

Floor and Floor Finish

There are many methods of floor construction in use today utilising both concrete and
wood, each have their own properties and the selection will be a choice for the architect,
the floor finish whether it be carpet , tiles or wood etc will all affect the design of the
Underfloor Heating System therefore close collaboration in all aspects of the design of
these important elements is imperative.

Flow Manifold

The flow manifold design depends upon the supplier, it is always located above the return
manifold usually on a combination bracket, the manifold is usually complete with a drain
and air vent located at one end with an isolating valve at the other (inlet).
An individual valve for each circuit supplied is mounted on the manifold (usually a
maximum of 12 per manifold, depending on flow and piping constraints), the valve may
be manual in operation or electrically operated if part of a control scheme.
Flow Temperature Control

The normal flow temperature of underfloor heating systems is approximately 500C for
solid floors and between 55 and 600C for floating or suspended floors. If a boiler is used
for the provision of Domestic Hot Water which is usually about 820C then there will be a
requirement for the water temperature for the underfloor heating to be reduced. This is
usually achieved by using either a thermostatic (mechanical) or in some cases an
electrically controlled mixing valve to blend the boiler flow and underfloor heating return
water to achieve the required flow temperature. Depending upon the boiler type a bypass
may be required to allow water to flow through the boiler when the mixing valve closes
off the boiler and recirculates the water from the return.

Heat losses

The rate at which heat will transfer from a warm area to a cool area.

Hometronic Manager – HCM200

This is the heart of the system where all system controls, temperatures, lights,
appliances and times are set and any manual inputs to the system are made.

Loop

A loop is the length of tubing that goes from the flow manifold to the return manifold,
and depending upon the heat requirements there may be one or more forming a zone.
There are a number of patterns that may be used in the zone but the selection of what
style of pattern to use for a particular room layout is the domain of the system designer
and not Honeywell.

Manifold Actuators – H200

These control the actuators on the manifold (assumed that actuators have 30mm *
1.5mm thread) and allow electrical switching of each manifold loop via the HCE60 in a
Hometronic system or by CM67 in a traditional one.

Manifold Pump

On large systems with more that one manifold it is usual to have a pump located
adjacent to each manifold, the control system is arranged to fire the boiler and perhaps
the main pump, and start only the pump at the manifold where there is a call for heat,
the pump will shut down when all zones on that manifold are satisfied.

PEX

PEX is the common name for cross linked Polythene which is a very light and flexible tube
but very strong, it is ideal for underfloor heating systems and most suppliers guarantee it
for a minimum of 25 years

Pipework

The pipework layout is the domain of the system designer, as there are many styles and
designs that may be used e.g. in room of equal size, a room that had no windows would
require a different layout to a room that had a large window area, also the amount of
heat emitted by the piping in Watts/metre would also affect the design. From a control
point of view the pipework layout does not affect the way the system is controlled.
Programmable Thermostat - CM67

The Honeywell battery powered CM67 (7 day) or CM61 (24hr) may be used to control
individual zones, this is an electronic thermostat with a timing function built in that
enables 3 ON/OFF periods per day with each day of the week having its own individual
programme. Additionally the programme may be temporarily overridden and it has the
facility of Automatic, Manual, Holiday and Party modes. A continuous display of time and
temperature is provided, the time may be automatically reset each day if the optional
ATS (Automatic Time Set) module is fitted, making this the most accurate clock in the
house as it is set to the Rugby Time Signal. There is also an RF version available which
means the Location of the Room unit is not dependent upon wiring as it communicates to
the relay unit (wired to the control circuit) via radio.

Radiant Heat

One of the simplest sources of Radiant heat is the sun, this heats objects (anything)
which in turn re-radiates the heat into the air around thereby causing other objects to
gain heat.

Radio Technology

The radio technology used on Honeywell CM6x range and Hometronic is a Honeywell
proprietary system. Each receiver has its own unique code and when the system is set
up initially, this code is remembered by the transmitter and this ensures that there is no
cross communications between any number of system in the same house. The
transmission Power is less than 1 mW and transmission only occurs at a change of
status. The maximum transmission length is 30 metres (depending upon construction)

Return manifold

The return manifold design depends upon the supplier, it is always located below the
flow manifold usually on a combination bracket, the manifold is usually complete with a
drain valve located at one end with an isolating valve at the other (outlet).
An individual balancing valve for each circuit supplied is mounted on the manifold
(usually a maximum of 12 per manifold, depending on flow and piping constraints) some
have an integral flow meter to assist in the balancing process.

RF Thermostat – HCW22

The RF thermostat will be mounted within the zone to be controlled and will
communicate with the control system via a Radio signal, therefore there is no
requirement for any wiring between the thermostat and control system.

Safe working pressure

Each underfloor heating system manufacturer has their own brand of tubing with its own
characteristics and each will state the Safe working pressure for their brand of tubing a
typical value would be 6Bar at 950C with limited periods up to 1100C, as we have stated
elsewhere the normal temperature is between 45 and 600C there is more than adequate
protection built into the system.

Screed
The screed is the cement and sand mix that is laid on top of the concrete sub-base and in
the context of this Glossary is where the Underfloor Heating Pipes are buried. For a
domestic property the screed should have a minimum thickness of 65 mm with a
maximum of 75mm. Care must be taken when selecting the method of fixing the
Underfloor Heating Tubing bearing in mind the acid content of cement.
Temperature control mixing valve

The temperature control mixing valve controls the mix of water between flow and return
causing the two flows to mix to either heat or cool the water going to the flow manifold,
it is a vital part of the system and is one of four styles.
1. Manual type – Usually 4 port (Flow and return from both boiler and manifold),
this is usually set at commissioning then locked in position, not very efficient as it
cannot take account of change in loads automatically.
2. Pipe mounted Thermostatic mixing valve with three ports, this has an internal
temperature sensor and will maintain the temperature of the water flowing to the
manifold.
3. Manifold mounted

Temperature difference

The difference between flow and return line temperatures, in a typical radiator type
heating system the normal design difference is 110C. Some underfloor systems have a
temperature gauge on both manifolds and the temperature difference may easily be
seen, the desired difference for a particular system will be dependent upon many factors
such as the size and type of boiler, length of runs and tubing type etc, the normal range
at the manifold would be between 70C and 150C

U Values

The thermal resistance to the flow of heat through different mediums i.e. U value for
glass is different to that of brick. Values are found in standard tables (such as Building
regulations) and will be part of the Heat Loss Calculation.

Underfloor Heating Controller – HCE60

The HCE60 is located adjacent to the manifold and controls the operation of the manifold
actuators, based on the inputs from the individual room sensors and the settings at the
Hometronic Manager the HCE 60 calculates the required outputs to maintain the rooms at
the desired temperature.

Wired Thermostat - HCW23

The wired thermostat will be mounted within the zone to be controlled and will
communicate with the control system usually via a 3 core cable, in the case of
Hometronic only two per underfloor controller are allowed.

XLPE

This is an acronym used for Cross Linked Polythene Pipe, See PEX above

Zone

A zone in underfloor heating is an area (usually a room) controlled by water flowing

through one or more loops, it will usually be controlled by the thermostat in the room
and in the case of Hometronic up to 3 loops per zone may be controlled by one output
from the Underfloor Heating Controller.