GJS Plumbing & Heating Services Thurrock logo

The Plumber’s Guide

Plumbing & Heating Blog

What Boiler is Best for Underfloor Heating?

walking on heated hardwood flooring

Underfloor heating does far more than just keep your feet nice and toasty, although it does do that exceptionally well, it provides your home with a wealth of potentially surprising benefits.

For your floor to heat up in the first place, you’re going to need the right set up and, of course, the right boiler to put the legwork in.

If you’re hoping to heat your feet anytime soon and you need to make the proper preparations, check out these points.

How Does it Work?

While it’s true that underfloor heating works perfectly fine with all different kinds of boilers, some types provide their own list of unique benefits, like the condensing boiler, for instance.

A wet underfloor heating system works like a radiator, a massive underground one that relies on a flow of warm water travelling through pipes to heat up your floor.

One of the quickest ways to install it is to connect it to your current radiators, allowing it to flow seamlessly with your existing central heating system. These pipes are plumbed into your boiler, and a thermostat provides the heating controls. 

It’s an energy efficient way of heating the room, but it can be very expensive to install initially.

Dry underfloor heating, aka electric underfloor heating, on the other hand, is made possible by a system up wires that heat up evenly. This is generally more expensive to run but cheaper to install.

You shouldn’t try installing it yourself either, but thankfully, your heating engineer Thurrock is here to help, so don’t hesitate to get in contact, we’d be happy to help.

Combi Boilers

A combi boiler can certainly get the job done, but if you currently have one installed, you may need to make some alterations to properly link it up to the heated floor.

This may involve getting a qualified boiler engineer to install a two-port valve in order for your central heating system to work with your underfloor heating.

You may also need to consider the size and the kilowatts of your current boiler. If you want to heat an exceptionally large space, you’ll need more power.

If you are thinking about going for a big overhaul, it might be worth considering replacing your boiler and system entirely in favour of a more energy efficient model. There’s a gas boiler ban coming to the UK in 2025, and while it doesn’t mean you need to chuck away your gas boiler if you have one, it does mean you should start thinking about making a change in the future; perhaps your underfloor heating upgrade could be the perfect time?

System Boilers

A system boiler is typically larger than its combi counterpart, and it can meet a higher demand in most cases, meaning it’s commonly found in bigger properties.

It may be able to take on a larger work rate, making it ideal for a bigger underfloor heating project that spans multiple rooms.

If you need some expert advice about your boiler, you can always contact us at boiler engineers Essex, we’re here to help.

Condenser Boilers

A condenser boiler is great for underfloor heating as it’s superbly talented at recycling excess heat. This lends itself to the heated flooring as opposed to the traditional radiators.

Ultimately, most modern boilers are highly effective at making underfloor heating work properly, so you shouldn’t go far wrong if you opt for a new model.