Do you need a heat distribution plate?

[roglie]

I will place a ten mm chipboard over the milled underfloor heating panel. This is to facilitate the thin vinyl floor. The question I have is whether you really need plates then? I am thinking that the loops will be "embedded" in the chipboard.

 

[imported_Benno]

The plates reduce the risk of warm streaks on the floor with cold spots in between. Additionally, the plates keep the unruly hose in place in the grooves during installation. 10 mm are not particularly embedded, I think, and the chipboard itself probably does not spread the heat very well.

 

[Alexn72]

No, you don't have to use sheets, but whether the result will be okay or a disaster depends on:
1. How much heat they need to transfer (less heat works better)
2. How close they are placed (closer works better)
3. If you want the comfort in the floor to be an even heat.
4. If the energy source is hot like wood, it's not as sensitive. However, if it's a heat pump, you want the heat to be as low as possible, i.e., good distribution = sheets.

 

[Utsliten och utdömd]

When I walk on our floor, I can feel where there are plates and where there aren't.

 

[Kasken]

This combination of hot and cold tends to "trick" the mind. The cold is perceived as colder if there is something warmer next to it, and vice versa.

I was at the Natural History Museum a few weeks ago, where there was something that demonstrated this phenomenon in an effective way. They had thin copper pipes (like brake pipes on a car), with "cool" water circulating from one direction and "lukewarm" from the other.
These were then wound alternately around a handle that you were supposed to touch with your hand, and the natural spontaneous spinal reflex was to yank your hand away... You didn't immediately realize why, whether it felt too cold or too hot, it just felt "wrong"...

I guess there is some risk that you might experience a milder form of this phenomenon if you have loops in the floor that are warmer and cooler. It is probably not without reason that these plates have been developed.

 

[mojjen]

I would definitely install heat plates. Wood is a poor conductor of heat, so it will be difficult to achieve lateral spread between the loops. Moreover, the grooves are intended for a plate, so there will be quite a lot of air between the pipe and the particleboard, with a significant risk of poor results. Heat conduction requires contact.
Furthermore, it will be almost impossible to keep the pipe in the grooves when you lay it out. It is really unruly until it is in place.
So better heat transfer, easier to lay. Definitely not worth the risk to save a few 1000:-. There are alternative suppliers for floor heating plates, and often easy to find on Blocket, if cost is an issue.

I have used plates from billigvvs.se and LK plates that I found cheaply on Blocket. No major difference between them.

 

[roglie]

This combination of hot and cold has a tendency to "trick" the mind. The cold is perceived as colder if there is something warmer next to it and vice versa.

I was at the Natural History Museum a few weeks ago, where there was something that demonstrated this phenomenon effectively. There were thin copper tubes (like brake lines on a car), with "cool" water circulating from one direction in the tube, and "lukewarm" from the other.
They had then wrapped these alternately around a handle that you were supposed to touch with your hand, the natural spontaneous spinal reflex was to pull your hand away from there... You didn't immediately realize why, if it was perceived as too cold or too hot, it just felt "wrong"...

I guess there is some risk that you'll get a milder form of this phenomenon if you have loops in the floor that are warmer and cooler. It's probably not without reason that these plates have been developed.

But it should work with thin aluminum plates in large sheets. I think the "store-bought plates" are ridiculously expensive!

 

[Dr Benz]

You do it once. Why not do it right from the start.

Penny-wise, pound foolish, and you'll regret it if the alternative isn't as good as the manufacturer intended from the beginning.

 

[Karl-Ove Qvarfordt]

Lay sheets, aluminum is the material that conducts heat best.
It's a one-time cost, so over time it's worth it every day of the week...

 

[Björkskär]

But it should work with thin aluminum sheets in large sheets. I think the "store-bought sheets" are ridiculously expensive!

Hello
The sheets are part of the underfloor heating system and are used to deliver enough output to heat the room.
If you have an old house, it is not certain that just underfloor heating is sufficient to achieve normal room temperature. I believe most suppliers only calculate 45-50W per square meter.

Also, keep in mind that chipboard also insulates away the heat, there are usually tables about this from the supplier.
In bathrooms, underfloor heating is embedded according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Good luck! /Björkskär

 

[Dowser4711]

But in that case, it should work with thin aluminum sheet in large sheets. I find the "store-bought sheets" to be so horribly expensive!

Well, if you can buy aluminum sheet from another source at a better price than the manufacturer's, then it doesn't really matter who made them.

But, even if you can get a "clean" sheet cheaper, you should keep in mind that you need to bend your sheet around the pipe and ensure that it really lies flat afterward, so you'll probably need to make some kind of jig and put a lot of work into getting it right.

So think carefully about whether it's really worth it.
If you end up with the sheet a bit uneven, there's a big risk that your chipboard won't be enough to smooth everything out, and you might end up with a floor that creaks and reminds you of the few pennies you saved every time you walk over it...