Under Floor Heating

We're just having electric underfloor heating installed in our new villa, which is currently under construction. We had the hot water system, run by a gas combi boiler in our last house and it was amazing but our new villa has a hollow basement area and the floor wasn't deep enough to install the water system, so we've had the electric system installed instead. The hot water system is more expensive to install but much cheaper to run but either of the systems give your tiled floors a wonderful warm sensation and heats up the rooms very quickly.

Mags

            Thanks for your reply our Villa is a holiday home which we normally use every six weeks so the cost of running electric under flooring is not so much of a concern, thank you for your very helpful infand good luck in your new home.

Hi Phil

Before you do anything have a look in your underbuild.  The houses on camposol are big concrete boxes which arrive on the back of a lorry. The floor consist  of concrete bars about 8" square  across the width of the house, which are laid onto  4 very large U shaped beams that  are placed on top of the foundations.   

The second lorry arrives with the front, back and sides and drops them into place .

The 3 lorry arrives with another  set of 4 U shaped beams which are inverted and placed on top of front, back and sides.  Another set of concrete bars are the fixed across the top of the house and that is essentially it.  A cement mixer arrives, is lifted onto the roof, a screed is laid, walls built around the top, and internal walls put in.  Floor tiling is done last to avoid damage

If you go into your underbuild you will probably be able to pick out the components.  In a nutshell, the floors and the roof are not very thick and totally un insulated.   You might find a couple of thick rugs and electric radiators are a better bet?

Hi Ian

               We have a Monsora Villa on C10 we do have an underbuild with a depth of about 1.5 meters so I can understand your point with some of the heat from the elements being lost into the underbuild, we also have a pellet burner and we have put rugs down in the winter. Thanks for your reply you have highlighted a potential energy lose with Spanish Villas concerning electric heating elements.

Phil.

I have under floor heating in my apartment in Ireland. It’s not the heavier element type. It is on a thin layer and looks like the element on a windscreen. It is excellent. I can get you more details if you are in

Hi Sean

                    Thanks for your reply I've looked into different types of under floor elements and as you stated I would definitely go for the modern thinner type.

Phil.

I'm assuming your house is a Masa one, and as someone previously said, it's just a solid concrete structure. Masa properties were built as holiday homes which is fine in Summer but not so good in winter.

Having had one at another location many years ago, I wouldn't recommend heating the floors from the underbuild. The distance to the floor surface would be too far and you'd end up heating the underbuild instead.

The floors are solid concrete beams, totally un-insulated. Services are then placed on top, plumbing and wiring, and the whole lot is then covered in 'gravel'. Tiles are then put down on top of that. In my opinion, it would cost a fortune to lift the tiles, prepare a surface suitable for electric elements and then retile.

I'm attaching a photo of the actual build of my property which might help if you don't know what's there

Hi

       Thanks for your helpful reply our Villa is a Monsora with an Underbuild and I would agree that removing all the floor tiles and installing underfloor heating would not be cost effective the only other option would be to tile over the existing tiles with underfloor heating between the old and new tiles which is something I may consider in the future.

Phil.

Hi   This heating will work under any surface tiles wood carpet etc. it works well