GB2473259A

GB2473259A - Underfloor heating panel having heating pipe channels of variable width

Info

Publication number: GB2473259A
Application number: GB0915558A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholas Julian Jan Francis Macphail
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-09-07
Filing date: 2009-09-07
Publication date: 2011-03-09
Also published as: GB0915558D0

Abstract

The underfloor heating panel 1 includes at least one channel, the or each channel having at least one first part 2 and at least one second part 4, wherein the or each second part is wider than the or each first part. The panel may be formed from a foamed plastic and include a plurality of channels, each channel having a plurality of first and second parts. The channels of the panel may be arranged such that successive panels placed side by side have channels that align with one another. In use, the first part may secure at least one heating pipe 3 in an interference fit and the second part filled with a thermally conductive material such as powdered floor screed 5, runny, or the like to provide a conductive continuity. The panel may permit flow and return heating pipes to be arranged adjacent one another, thereby giving an even floor temperature for longer pipe lengths or pipes having a smaller diameter.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN UNDERFLOOR HEATING PANELS.

It is known that the location of a heating pipe within channelled foamed plastic panels of an underfloor heating system makes for a swift installation and assured pipe spacing while providing protection of the pipes during floor screed laying. The channelled foamed plastic panels also provide the sub floor insulation required by modem building regulations.

The above prior art system has provision for locating a single pipe and incorporates scooped out areas at regular intervals along the pipe's path to allow the floor screed of a solid floor to surround the pipe to form a good conductive path for the pipe's heat into the floor screed.

As provision is provided in the prior art described above for only a single pipe to nm along the channel and scooped area within the said foamed panel, the size of floor area that can be provide with an even floor temperature is limited if unacceptable frictional losses and excessive temperature drops in the pipe-loops are to be avoided.

When single zigzagged underfloor pipe loops, of the type created by the above described prior art are long, the large temperature drop across the floor can lead to unacceptably high floor temperatures on the input flow side of the room and unacceptably low floor temperatures in the output return side of the room to achieve an acceptable median floor temperature.

To overcome the above temperature drop problems the pipework in the above described prior art needs must be kept short and be of a larger diameter for a given heating load than with other circuit designs. It also needs to have shorter runs of a larger diameter pipe which adds considerably to installing labour cost and material cost as shorter loops require more connections to the system's manifold more complicated layouts and larger pipework requires larger, more expensive connection fittings.

The prior art of a single path channelled and scooped foamed plastic panel not only restricts the use to only one pipe layout as described above, it is also permits using only one pipe diameter. This precludes the use of smaller diameter pipework that could be more economically used in smaller, more compact, systems and in the high thermal efficiency houses that are being now constructed as demanded by governments in the search for less carbon dioxide production and lower fuel consumption.

It is the intention of the present invention to overcome or obviate the above disadvantages. * .** SS*

According to the present invention there is provided an underfloor heating panel with at least one channel formed to be able to accept a plurality of heating pipes the said at least one channel including at least one first section in which the said heating pipe/s is/are held * by the form of the channel in an interference fit and at least one second section which is * * S * *S* * * 5* * wider than the or each first section so that a single or multiple pipes may be laid along the said channel, thermally conductive material for example standard trowelled or ninny, power floated floor screed being able to be introduced into the said at least one second section to provide a conductive continuity from the said heating pipe/s to the floor surface of an underfloor heating system.

Conveniently the said heating panel is formed with a plurality of channels each of which includes a plurality of first and second sections.

Advantageously the said panel is formed of flooring grade foamed plastic or other suitable material into which the said channel/s may be formed into the said first and second sections.

Usefully a plurality of the said panels with the said plurality of pipes installed in the said channels which include said first and second section may be installed with the said channels aligned between successive panels and with end of run guide panels incorporating straight or curved channels prior to the covering of screed or other conductive flooring medium to form the under floor heating system.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Drawing 1. Is a diagrammatic representation of a plan view of various underfloor system pipe layouts with figure la. being a example of a zigzag layout figure lb. being an example of a double back zigzag layout and Figure 1 c being an example of a snail layout.

Drawing 2. Is a diagrammatic representation of a perspective view of the present invention showing within a foamed plastic panel 1. a pair of flow and return heating pipes 3. located by (first section) interference fit cut outs 2. between (second section) screed fihlable scoops 4. the for example screed floor fmish 5. forms the conductive path to the floor surface 6.

Drawing 3. Is a diagranimatic sectional view of various versions of said tube cut outs 2.

for the location of heating tube/s that may be used in different application and which form the present invention.

Drawing 4. is a digramatic plan view of the foamed plastic panel of Drawing 2.

having similar numbers for its features.

*. The present invention will now be described by example with reference to the accompanying illustrations. S.

Three commonly used pipework layouts are shown in arawing 1. to show that the prior art of insulated floor panels with a single channel and scoop for a single pipe that requires a single zigzag shown in figure la. has to have a comparatively high heating water flow * rate and or large diameter pipes and or short pipe runs to avoid a noticeable temperature * ** * * *

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difference in the floor surface temperature from one part of the room to another. This is exampled by the H, for high temperature M, for median temperature and L for low temperature points shown on the drawings.

The double back zigzag lb. and snail pipwork ic. layouts have the high H, and low L, temperature areas close to one another which effectively cancel out their extremes of temperature giving an even median M temperature across the entire floor even with lower heating water flow rates and or smaller diameter pipes and or longer pipe runs.

Whereas the snail 1 c. layout avoids the potentially high temperature drop of a single zigzag la. layout it only loans itself to pipe location systems that rely on manual location which can be time consuming and carries an attendant risk of mislocation. It also requires protection from mechanical damage during floor screed laying and requires the addition provision of insulation.

The double back zigzag lb. layout loans itself to the application of the present invention to allow its advantages of assured spacing and location of pipes combined with providing the floors required insulation.

In Drawing 2. is shown a cut away perspective view of the present invention; with heating pipes 3. located by channels 2. (first section) passing through a scooped out area 4. (second section) in the thermally insulating flooring panel 1. the cement screed or other suitable flooring material 5. fills the scooped out area 4. and forms a thermally conductive path to the floors surface.

In Drawing 3. is shown sectional views of various sections of panels that form the present invention. Figure 3a shows a section through two scooped out areas 4. with a twin pipe location means that is the preferred form of the present invention showing heating pipes 2. held within locating channels 2. that are formed within the insulated panel. 3b to 3f show alternative forms that in the case of 3b can locate two pipes of different sizes 3c shows a stacked form of locating the pipes 3d is a universal type that can locate either large or small pipes to choice 3e is a stacked version of 3e and 3f is a version of the preferred form for locating smaller heating pipes. Were the foamed plastic has sufficient deformability slits either in pairs or in greater numbers may be used to locate the beating pipes as to cut slits require less complicated forming than shaped location channels.

Although the present invention has been described as having a plurality of tubes within its first and second sections, one of the present invention's advantages is its adaptability and if the underfloor heating system permits, a single zigzag circuit shown in figure Ia.

may be used. Under such circumstances one of the tube locating interference cut outs (first section) would remain unused. isS* * * **S *

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Claims

CLAIMS1. An underfloor heating panel with at least one channel formed to be able to accept a plurality of heating pipes the said at least one channel including at least one first section in which the said heating pipe/s is/are held by the form of the channel in an interference fit and at least one second section which is wider than the or each first section so that a single or multiple pipes may be laid along the said channel, thermally conductive material for example standard trowelled or runny, power floated floor screed being able to be introduced into the said at least one second section to provide a conductive continuity from the said heating pipe/s to the floor surface of an underfloor heating system.
2. An underfloor heating pane according to Claim 1 formed with a plurality of channels each of which includes a plurality of first and second sections.
3. An underfloor heating panel according to the previous claims formed from flooring grade foamed plastic or other suitable material into which the said channel/s may be formed into the said first and second sections.
4. An underfloor heating panel according to the previous claims having the Q channels aligned between successive panels and with end of run guide panels incorporating straight or curved channels prior to the covering of screed or other conductive flooring medium to form the under floor heating system. a)