Heating Film Preparation - Underfloor Heating - Ceiling Heating

Before heating film is installed, with underfloor heating the step-resistant thermal insulation must be finished, and with ceiling heating the support structure of the suspended ceiling, and in both cases the routes for the cables must be prepared in advance with a junction box or connection box. In our video we show, in a house under construction, what this looks like in practice.

Underfloor and ceiling heating in the same house

In the property shown, which was under construction, they chose both underfloor and ceiling heating - room by room, according to how the space is used and what the residents' habits are. The heating is being built with a smart home system, so residents do not have to control it only from the thermostat: they can reach it at any time from a phone or computer.

Preparations for underfloor heating

• Step-resistant thermal insulation: the subfloor has step-resistant EPS insulation.
• Reflective foil under the film: on top of the insulation goes the reflective foil we bring, which turns the radiation back towards the living space. In the video our installer colleague is laying exactly this - the heating film goes on only afterwards, onto the reflective foil.
• Junction box on the wall: this is where the cables of the heating films will come together.
• Flexible conduits: flexible conduits run between the junction box and the floor; all the cables arrive through these, and the electrician connects them in the box.

The layer build-up of underfloor heating and the role of thermal insulation are covered in detail in our article on underfloor heating insulation.

Preparations for ceiling heating

Ceiling heating plays a role mainly in the bedrooms: these are smaller rooms with a lot of furniture, so heating from the ceiling is more effective here. The plasterboard suspended ceiling was prepared accordingly:

• The structure of the suspended ceiling: the layout of the support structure is already done; the half-metre-wide films will run according to it, and the pleasant warmth will arrive from here.
• Connection box on the upper part of the wall: the heating film cables coming from the ceiling come together here, and the temperature sensor has been placed here too.

You can read more about the advantages and workings of ceiling heating on its topic page.

Why does preparation matter?

If the insulation, the place of the reflective foil, the routes of the cables and the structure of the suspended ceiling are finished before installation, our colleagues can work precisely, and the film can go into place just as we planned. The process of planning and on-site consultation is presented on our page about the on-site survey, and the installation itself in this article of ours.