Professional Builder’s Lee Jones visits OMNIE’s Exeter headquarters to find out what’s new from the underfloor heating experts.
The concept of supplying a routed structural floor panel that will accommodate UFH pipes has been pioneered by OMNIE for many years. The result is a two-in-one product that’s already recognised as the benchmark in terms of performance and installer friendly features and, with the introduction of TorFloor 2, it’s an idea that’s been developed still further.
“Everything OMNIE does in terms of its product design is about transfer of heat,” explains OMNIE’s CEO, Darren Trivett. “An efficient transfer from the pipe into the panel at reasonable water temperatures provides the higher heat outputs that older buildings in particular demand. When you consider that the UK has the oldest housing stock in Europe, a product that can deal with higher levels of heat loss is essential, especially as we transition to heat pumps.”
So just what are some of the issues that the OMNIE system removes? The British Standard for UFH states that the comfortable temperature underfoot is a maximum of 29°C, with wet rooms and perimeter zones allowed to go higher. In terms of heat transfer, however, many UFH installations will suffer from thermal striping, where the heat fails to move laterally, and instead builds up around the pipe, creating peaks and troughs. As a result, some manufacturers will quote the average and not peak temperature in their calculations. Not only will the homeowner experience this as patches of warm and cold around the home there is the more serious issue of compromising the floor covering.
By contrast, the patented AL HEX aluminium diffuser technology that is integral to OMNIE’s panel design – where soft temper aluminium is effectively wrapped around the pipes – is far more efficient at defusing the heat laterally, minimising any clustering of higher temperatures around pipework. As a result, the overall installation is able to remain well within the British Standard of 29°C as a maximum. That means you can get more heat out of the flow without increasing the water temperature. Indeed, you can actually lower the temperature of the water, which means you’re well placed to reduce running costs – and get the most from a heat pump installation, for example.
The OMNIE innovations don’t stop there because a multi-directional pipe channel design facilitates an easier installation. It obviates the need for separate straight and loop end panels, or the hand routing of pipe channels. Those channels are spaced at 150mm centres whilst fluted pipe exits ensure an easy transition into the neighbouring panels.
Torfloor 2, Lowboard 2 and Ultimate 2
The first incarnation of TorFloor delivered both floor and heating in one product. The 22mm routed chipboard base panel was designed for pipe to pushed through the aluminium foil diffuser strips with a 6mm ply board glued and screwed on top. TorFloor 2 improves upon the original with a fully foiled surface of AL HEX heat diffuser aluminium now on the upper layer, that achieves a more effective heat spread across the floor area.
Designed for suspended and batten floors, TorFloor 2 is also a floor deck and underfloor heating system in one. The 22mm chipboard lower panel complemented by a 6mm wood fibre interlocking upper panel which is also routed, foiled and printed, fully encasing the pipe. Simply listen out for the click when the upper panel in positioned and you know you’re perfectly in place – with no glue required. A printed panel on the floor face indicates the pipe pattern beneath and, with points for screws clearly marked, the installer has the reassurance of knowing the exact location of the pipe when securing to joists, which makes for a much faster installation, and eliminates the costly mistake of putting a fixing through a pipe.
The two panels combine to produce a unique UFH product. With TorFloor 2 Performance, model aluminium is now in place both under and over the pipe, providing twice the amount of the diffusing metal, and increasing heat outputs by 15 per cent over the previous design – all at a lower water temperature. As well as that, because the warm water pipe is designed to sit 3mm proud of the lower panel, it is as close to the floor surface as possible. That means that – not only does the heat transfer laterally far more efficiently – it also passes through the material of the floor above to a greater degree. There’s also a choice of top panel depending on the floor covering with woodfibre cement board and ply available – again, all routed, foiled and printed. The system produces 77 W/m² at 50 degrees celsius (deg C) flow water temperature and is independently tested for structural strength (at 600mm joist centres) to the latest standards. (tested to BS EN 1195).
TorFloor 2 is equally available as an acoustic panel, with 8mm rubber on the bottom of the cement board lower deck whilst the base board can also be supplied as 22mm ply rather than chipboard. At the same time, all the different options on the base and top board are all completely interchangeable and compatible.
TorFloor 2 is a structural system, whilst Lowboard 2 is intended for installation on an existing insulated floor. The latter does, however, exhibit all the same products enhancements, with an aluminium foiled base layer and top layer panel, and choice of woodfibre cement board and plywood. It’s also an 18mm system, which is the height of a 5pence piece, making it one of the lowest profile underfloor heating products on the market.
Originally called Ultimate, OMNIE has also developed this concept still further with Ultimate 2 an extruded polystyrene insulation panel. If you’re an installer and you’re looking at laying pipe and insulation down on a subfloor, with a self-levelling screed on top, the subfloor will need to be primed, as well as the underside of the panel and then fixed to the subfloor with tile adhesive. The top of the panel is then primed, the pipework put in place, with the screed on top. That’s a lot of priming – three different surfaces, in fact – not to mention the wet adhesive, with all the drying times that have to be factored in for each element.
Thanks to Ultimate 2 there is only one surface to be primed and that’s your sub-floor. The panel itself is self-adhesive – simply peel off the back and position. If that’s not enough then the top of the panel is pre-primed at the factory – which means you don’t have to do it on site. Simply stick the panel down, install your pipework and add your levelling compound – a much quicker job all round.
For further information on OMNIE ‘s Underfloor Heating Systems visit Underfloor Heating and heat Pumps from OMNIE.
