Underfloor heating.

[Rob Carey]

Hi all,
I'm thinking about fitting underfloor heating, the electric type, between the ply deck and wooden floor, has anybody done this?
Thoughts?
Thanks.

[TinTin]

The subject has been discussed in Airforums before. Thermal floors are fairly common in some of the high end Class A Motorhomes, and should be quite practical in an AS trailer. Energy efficiency of these systems is very high.

[Belegedhel]

I investigated it a year or so ago. It didn't look like it would be difficult at all to execute, and the parts are readily available, even from the big box hardware stores. The place where I paused was just over the question of how much use I would get out of it (and the heating mat is not cheap). It is unlikely that I am going to be doing a lot of camping in the dead of winter, so it would likely end up being a high cost feature that doesn't get a lot of use.

good luck--if you go forward, please document it.

[Rob Carey]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
Ive being weighing up the pros and cons of different types of heating systems and I think I will go ahead with the underfloor system.
My trailer is totally empty at present as I'm fitting a new ply deck so I guess it would be the best time to do it.
Will keep you posted on the progress.
Rob

[dkottum]

My concerns would be the amount of heat loss out the bottom of the trailer as there is little insulation there, and the amount of power the heating system will draw in addition to other power needs.

[Sitting duck]

Originally Posted by TinTin

Thermal floors are fairly common in some of the high end Class A Motorhomes

The high end floor heat uses hot water circulating utilizing a diesel burner. I don't think that's practical for a trailer. Also, the lack of storage bays means the floor is exposed to the elements. How well insulated are the floors?

[Aviator]

I have an electrical setup sitting in my basement to install in our 1970 project, but haven't done so yet. I will certainly provide an update when it is in an working.

Aviator's 1970 Restomod is the thread title.

[Rob Carey]

I am using new 18mm wbp ply wood with 16 ply foil insulation stapled to the back. I have fitted this type of heating in my kitchen at home and it is recommended that it is fitted to an insulated floor but as my concrete floors where already there I wasn't going to break out the concrete, install insulation, lay new concrete, underfloor heating then tile over the top. I just fitted the electric matting then tiled and it seems to work fine, just takes a little longer to warm up as the heat travels down as well as up.
The matting uses 200w per square meter.

[slowmover]

Does this system type heat the tanks?

How does propane consumption compare?


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[PhilipKS]

Interesting! Please don't forget the many pictures we require as you get into the project. I'm planning to remove carpeting and add flooring, so this is timely. I've already removed the carpeting in the bath area, and installed some vinyl planks. It looks nice, but radiates cold! Thanks!

[Aviator]

The system I am using is from Thermosoft, and will replace the pad under my floating floor. It is electric, and uses a little less power than running the two ceramic heaters I use in our 34'.

[handn]

We have underfloor heating in our bathroom at home. The bathroom is on a concrete slab on the main floor in a mountain area in Colorado with harsh winters.
You have to keep in mind what the heating will or will not do. It will keep the floor pleasantly warm but it will not heat up a cold room as efficiently as other types of heat.
It also takes several hours to be effective.
The bathroom is part of our guest suite. We turn the heat on a few hours before the guests are due to arrive and leave the heat on while they are there. It works best if the bathroom door is closed. The heating thermostat cycles on and off the maintain the set temperature.
The floor is uninsulated in my Airstream and always cold. The under floor heat would be on all the time in cold weather.
If I were installing it in an Airstream, I would have another circuit.
There is only a 30 amp service in most Airstreams. I don' know whether you can run the underfloor heat and a space heater at the same time.
I think you would get more bang for the buck if you insulated the floor. When I remodeled my AS, I thought about putting insulation under the composite floor but did not do so as I did not want to cut down on the headroom which is minimal for me a tall person.

[Rob Carey]

Today I continued ripping the ply out and it dawned on me the floor tiles have asbestos in. Tomorrow I will have to deal with this, somehow, so the pics of the underfloor heating may take a little longer than anticipated.

How did you deal with yours??

[Rob Carey]

Had the floor tiles checked by a specialist, he said the asbestos content is very very low and poses no risk if removed wearing a mask etc.

On with the flooring then.