When refurbishing a house, central heating is often one of the big jobs that you want to complete before doing the decorating.
It's essential to make sure all the pipework is correct and in good order to maintain an efficient heating system. Undersized radiators and / or pipework won't result in the best system for you.
But what does this entail............
The following photo's show the process, and what is involved and why.
Channelling out the screed for the new pipework.
The new pipework will lay in these channels, then be cemented back in.
By putting the pipework in to the floor, it means the old surface mounted pipes can be removed.
New pipework going the length of the house for a new additional radiator.
Going off the main run to supply new pipe work to an existing radiator. This meant the old floor to ceiling surface mounted pipes could be removed.
Lagged or protect pipes using insulation style tape. These pipes go through the wall under the skirting board, through to the porch for a new radiator.
New copper pipes are fitted in to the channels.
Branching off from the main run.
The pipes are then lagged or using tape to protect them.
Ready to fill in with concrete before the carpet can go back.
The third pipe on the right is serving the gas run in to the kitchen. While re-doing pipe work like this, other upgrades can be done while the floors are up.
The channels are filled in to make the floor good as new again.
All done now, and with the heating on low, this concrete will set in no time.
New radiator is installed with a thermostatic radiator valve. The pipes are surface mounted here to avoid breaking damp proofing, and will be boxed in later.
This house has screed floors, the process would be a bit different with a suspended timber floor, however the layout would be the same.
You can see that this work requires all furniture and flooring to be moved, so definitely one of the first jobs you want to think about with a renovation. Nobody wants to lay beautiful new floors, only to pull them up again!