How Hired Boilers Can Aid Underfloor Heating System Installations

Electric and water-based underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular with UK home-buyers (especially of ‘new builds’) and with developers of industrial buildings, large manufacturing plants, offices, schools and colleges. Heating a building from underneath the floor means that the occupants can enjoy constant warmth without having to unduly raise the air temperature.

Drying out a screed

At the installation phase, if the underfloor heating system is laid before the building’s main boiler is in service, the screed that is pumped over the underfloor heating pipes can take an extremely long time to dry out. The screed will be designed to complement and complete the underfloor heating system, and so it is essential that it sets properly to prevent floor damage, like cracking or bubbling.

Curing and drying out a screed requires expertise

Screed curing (the process involved in laying screed with the optimum moisture content and temperature) and drying are processes that require patience and control; if the job is not performed correctly the underfloor heating system supplier’s guarantee could even become invalid. So it is in every one's best interests to handle the task with the utmost care. This means seeking the advice of an experienced screed manufacturer who can offer guidance regarding the correct boiler temperature settings.

Hired boilers are the answer

Construction site managers, who are usually under pressure to make completion dates, find that hiring a mobile boiler from a specialist boiler hire company is the solution to making the screed setting process a success on site.

Controlled heat from a rented boiler (which can even be set on a timer) can travel through the underfloor heating system’s pipes, the screed can dry out, and therefore the property can be completed on time.

Note: The temperature at which the underfloor pipes should be heated during the screed drying process can vary depending upon whether special (drying out acceleration) additives have been added to the screed. There are in fact over 25 different types of screed! This is why seeking the advice of a screed expert is essential. And do not forget, some underfloor heating systems are overlaid with wooden flooring, so if the screed is cured and dried out incorrectly this can result in the wood not feeling even underfoot, or even splitting at some stage.

Why a ‘mindful’ specialist boiler hire firm must be brought in

Boiler ranges can be vast. Only an expert in renting boilers to the building industry would understand a construction site manager’s needs when it comes to choosing the correct mobile boiler and ancillary equipment to properly dry a screed, without rushing the process.

Every week, dozens of underfloor heating systems are installed in buildings across the country, and so a site manager should choose a boiler hire company with a wealth of experience in providing controllable boilers that are proven in drying out screeds laid across floors of different sizes and shapes.

Mobile boilers can service different site areas

If an oiled-fired boiler is deemed by a boiler rental specialist to be the most appropriate type for a particular screed drying job, then adequate fuel supplied throughout will also be arranged by them. Because the boiler and fuel tank can be mobile models, they can be relocated to different areas of the site to dry out the screed there.

Involving a boiler hire specialist means the floor will only be laid once

All the above means that a site manager can enjoy peace of mind and can also focus upon other aspects of his or her assigned construction project. With the help of a boiler hire company, the heating system can be perfectly installed and will provide the building occupants with wonderful warmth underfoot for many years to come.

Article submitted by Carl Webb, Specialist Hire Director at Andrews Sykes. With over 25 years’ experience, Andrews Sykes provides boiler hire for the construction industry, using machinery sourced from the world’s top manufacturers.