Aerothermal heat pumps and underfloor heating in Dénia, Jávea and surroundings

How we install a heat pump with underfloor heating

In a new build or a complete renovation, wet underfloor heating goes in before the screed, and that is the moment it comes out right. On the clean slab we lay the castellated insulation panel, which thermally separates the system from the floor and holds the pipe without clips. Before laying anything, we set out the partition walls and service runs on the panel and mark the route of each circuit so they never cross stacks or inspection chambers.

The circuits are laid in a spiral of multilayer pipe, one per room, all running to the manifold with flow meters, which lets us balance the flow so the furthest room heats just as well as the nearest one. That is how it was done in the newly built house in a rural part of Benidorm: panel across the whole floor, one circuit per room, manifold and equipment, and the installation was left pressurised and tested, ready for the builder to lay the screed on top.

On the roof or terrace we mount the outdoor units on a plinth, with the lines insulated into the house, and in a plant room the hot-water cylinder with its valves and connections. The electrical supply comes on a dedicated circuit from the consumer unit.

When the renovation is partial or there is no depth for a screed, the answer is electric underfloor heating: heating mat or cable over the levelled substrate, a temperature probe, and a layer of self-levelling compound that protects it and leaves a flat base for the porcelain tiles. In the complete renovation with soundproofing in Dénia we fitted it throughout the whole flat with this system, with no steps between rooms.

Materials and solutions we recommend

• Castellated panel rather than flat panel with clips: it holds the pipe better and protects the insulation during the works.
• Multilayer pipe with an oxygen barrier for the circuits, which holds its shape and does not get crushed when the screed is poured.
• Manifold with flow meters and thermoelectric actuators on each circuit, so every room can be controlled by its own thermostat.
• A hot-water cylinder sized for real use: two bathrooms showering at the same time cannot be served by a small tank.
• Connected thermostat in holiday homes, so you arrive to a house already at temperature.
• Electric underfloor heating in bathrooms and individual rooms during a partial renovation, or in flats where the floor cannot be raised.
• Porcelain tiles as the flooring over the heating, and wood only if it is certified for it.

If the budget does not stretch to everything, a reasonable option is to install the underfloor heating and the aerothermal hot-water cylinder now, and leave the connection for the heating unit ready for later. No exaggerated figures: what is worth doing, we work out with your real consumption.

Common mistakes we avoid

1. One circuit that is too long in order to cover two rooms: the water arrives cold at the end and there is no way to balance it.
2. Pouring the screed without the installation pressurised: if something leaks, it gets discovered with the floor already down.
3. Outdoor unit in a corner with no airflow or drain: performance drops and the condensate ends up on the neighbour's wall.
4. Electric underfloor heating without self-levelling compound or with the probe badly placed: some tiles heat more than others and the thermostat cannot regulate.
5. Uncertified wooden flooring: it opens up at the joints in the first winter.

Indicative timescales

• Wet underfloor heating on a 100 to 150 m² floor: between 3 and 5 days for panel, circuits and manifold, plus 1 or 2 for equipment and connections. After that, the screed needs its drying time before the flooring goes down.
• Electric underfloor heating in a bathroom: half a day for the mat and self-levelling compound, within the bathroom renovation.
• Electric underfloor heating in a whole flat: 2 or 3 days of installation before the flooring.
• Replacing a water heater with an aerothermal cylinder: 1 or 2 days.

The quote for a complete installation takes a few days to work out: output, number of circuits, equipment and availability. We would rather get it right than give you a figure that changes later.

Heat pumps and underfloor heating for homes in Dénia, Jávea and Gandía

The coastal climate is the heat pump's best ally: mild winters in which it performs very efficiently, and summers in which the same unit can cool. What is less well known is how well it works in a 1980s flat in Dénia or Gandía with an electric water heater and oil-filled radiators: replacing both with a heat pump and electric underfloor heating beneath the new porcelain tiles transforms both the bill and the comfort, without raising the floor.

In villas around Jávea, Moraira or inland towards Pego, with large and often poorly insulated houses, wet underfloor heating with a heat pump is the most balanced system, and the outdoor unit usually fits on the roof or in a service yard. There, it is worth reviewing insulation and windows as part of the same renovation, because heating a house that loses heat through its windows costs the same with any system.

In holiday homes used seasonally, phone control and a good hot-water cylinder mean you arrive to a warm house and hot water for everyone. If you are not at the property during the installation, we send you photos of the circuits and the manifold before the screed and of the system start-up. Tell us which property you want to heat and cool and we will study the best solution on plan and on the site visit.