Underfloor heating

Underfloor heating Ireland

Underfloor heating

Who doesn’t love the idea of walking on a nice warm floor first thing in the morning? Sounds cosy… but the thing is, one of biggest complaints householders have about Underfloor Heating is that it takes too long to actually heat up! Well if you want to easily cut that time in half and make your system more efficient, the answer is Oxyvent.

How does Under Floor Heating (UFH) work?

Underfloor heating works by driving the heated water from the boiler through pipes under the floor, a bit like a giant radiator. Where problems usually arise is with the mechanisms used to control the temperature of the water entering the floor. You see the majority of under floor heating systems use a fixed temperature setting of 50°C or higher. So for example, let’s say the starting temperature of the floor is 10°C and the water entering the floor is 50°C, this creates a differential of up to 40°C. But for a comfortable room temperature the floor only needs to reach 30°C – so you have to ask the question … why is a fixed temperature setting of 50°C used?

Oxyvent has shown that the higher the difference in temperatures, the slower the concrete will heat up. This leads to hot and cold patches on the floor, as the concrete rejects high temperatures. It also means that the boiler stays operating for longer, as the water returning from the Under Floor Heating is obviously cooler, therefore it keeps producing more heat than what is really needed. This is where the advantage of Oxyvent comes in.

The science behind heating a concrete floor

The natural way to heat concrete is with low water temperatures. When concrete absorbs heat at a lower temperature, the floor actually heats up 50% faster than a system heated with high water temperatures. This provides a warmer and more comfortable heat which radiates throughout the house. And since you need to be able to comfortably walk on it, it doesn’t have to be heated to more than 30°C, which makes it more energy efficient.

The Oxyvent way

Oxyvent uses a self-regulating temperature technique to heat the floor, which not only helps maintain an even temperature over the whole floor surface, but it also prevents any overheating. This is done by using a Low temperature under floor heating system that operates in a two stage process, requiring two Oxyvent Tanks in series. The first tank ensures the water entering the floor system starts off at approximately 10°C higher than the floor itself, helping to transfer the heat up to 50% faster. The second tank operates at a high temperature and raises the temperature of the returning water in the pipes before it gets back to the boiler. This keeps the water temperature high and means the actual operating time for the boiler is reduced.

One of the main purposes of the Oxyvent tanks is to increase the flow of water through your heating system. With under floor heating, the flow of water through each loop is increased from the average 1.5 litres per minute to 3.5 litres per minute. By moving the heated water through the pipes faster, it gives a more even floor temperature, prevents hot and cold patches, blockages, slow heating times and high fuel bills.

Trapped Air in Underfloor Heating

When air gets trapped in radiators it can be released with a Bleed/Vent key.

Underfloor Heating is a completely different story. To release the trapped air, you’ll need your plumber to flush out your entire under floor heating system…and that can be a costly job! The presence of air in under floor heating greatly obstructs the whole process, restricting the natural flow of water through the floor, resulting in rooms not heating and high fuel bills.

Oxyvent’s unique system eliminates air from getting into your under floor heating loops in the first place. This makes sure you have a much more efficient system that will save you thousands on maintenance costs and fuel bills.

Oxyvent customers operate their under floor heating like radiators, meaning that they turn it on in the morning and again in the evening for a few hours each time. As the heat up time is so fast, there is no need to operate it 24/7.

Advantages of Oxyvent with Underfloor Heating

  • No more hot and cold patches on the floor.
  • Even temperatures throughout the house.
  • Easier control over the room temperature.
  • It prevents air from entering the under floor pipes.
  • Oxyvent has the only under floor heating system that can be operated with solid fuel on an open vented system.
    See Solid Fuel page >>

Frequently Asked Questions

Oxyvent’s self-regulating temperature control system increases the flow rates from 1.5LPM to 3.5LPM which absorbs the heat 50% faster.

Yes you can. Both systems require different temperatures and share the same water from the boiler, Oxyvent has achieved this by using two Oxyvent Tanks. One Tank is used for the higher temperature radiator water and the other is used for the low temperature underfloor heating water. Oxyvent is the only system that separate the underfloor heating from the radiators successfully and efficiently.

Oxyvent has the only system that will eliminate air from getting into your underfloor heating loops. Saving you thousands on fuel bills and maintenance.

Hot and cold spots on the floor is caused by high temperature water in the underfloor heating loops. This leads to air in the loops and slow flow rates resulting in patchy heating.

Oxyvent low temperature Underfloor Heating system will give you even temperatures throughout the floors.

Oxyvent low temperature underfloor heating system heats up 50% faster. People with the Oxyvent system use their UFH like radiators. As the heat up time is so fast there is no need to have it on constantly. Saving energy whilst increasing your comfort.

This is caused by poor water circulation. Trapped air in the system combined with high water temperatures. Oxyvent can fix this for you.

When using Oil or Gas experts recommend to leave the heating on constantly, as the heat up time is basically too slow to heat rooms properly when bringing the temperature up from a lower level. This is wasting fuel by basically heating a house when it may be unoccupied during the day or when you are asleep and do not need the heating on.

With the Oxyvent System our customers use their underfloor heating like radiators. They just switch it on when they require heat as the heat up time is rapid. We have customers that has the Oxyvent System operating in their homes with the last 19 years. These customer can verify that their underfloor heating never air locked, no hot and cold patches on the floor, has saved thousands of euro in fuel and never required maintenance.

Oxyvent is perfect for linking solid fuel with underfloor heating. The solid fuels low temperature water is ideally suited to heat a concrete floor. Oxyvent underfloor heating system can be operated on an open vented system, meaning the system is fed from a tank in the attic. No pressure on the system and less maintenance.

Oxyvent has designed a unique wiring board specifically suited to solid fuel system.

What our customers have to say

“I installed the Oxyvent Tank in my oil fired heating system in 2008. Prior to installation I had a lot of trouble with air locks in my system. The Oxyvent Tank rectified this problem.

Since installation my yearly oil consumption is significantly lower and thankfully my heating is a lot more efficient. I would confidently recommend this product without any hesitation.”

Tom Browne, Co. Limerick

“We had our house built for over 30 years when we heard of the Oxyvent invention we decided to have it installed, as our heating never worked right. We always had cold rooms even though we had our oil on for most of the day. We are delighted with the Oxyvent Tank, it has totally changed the heat in the house. It is the speed of which the radiators heat is what we are delighted with. We are saving a lot of fuel and I would say that we are definitely saving over 30%. I am always singing its praises to all my friends and family.”

Mary Barrett, Co. Kerry

“My central heating was not heating all of the rooms in my house even though my oil boiler was always set at maximum heat. I heard about Oxyvent and had it installed in 2002. Since the Oxyvent Tank was installed, I have had heat entering every radiator in the house and there is always a supply of hot water in the house. The Oxyvent Tank also reduced the amount of oil I used annually by around 40%. I would highly recommend this product to family and friends. Quite a few of my family and friends have had the Oxyvent Tank fitted in their houses and are extremely satisfied with the savings in fuel and the increase in heat in their houses.”

Marie O’Leary, Co. Kerry

“Just a quick line to compliment you on a job well done. Irish people in general are quick to find faults, but slow to praise when things go well. Now that we are well into Winter and having lived through winters since 1986 with my heating system that was installed back then, my only regret is that I did not contact you earlier to install the Oxyvent Tank. Since its installation the heating is superb, gone are the cold spots on the radiators, gone also is the need to vent the radiators upstairs on a weekly basis, this need has been eliminated altogether. My fuel bill has reduced considerably and the need to increase the size of my boiler has also been eliminated.

I have always admired those who have excelled in their respective professions and it is in this regard that I can say thanks for a job well done.”

John Duggan, Co. Kerry

“We are the owners of Coolclogher House and the hot water and heating is one of our main priorities. What we found was the heating would be on and yet some of the rooms would feel like the radiators were not giving out any heat. We would have to bleed some of the radiators every couple of months or so. We found that the heating was performing very poorly. We had to turn off the radiators when we need the hot water for the guest otherwise we would run out when the demand was on.

We heard of Oxyvent and contacted them and he advised us on how he would address the problems we were having. We installed the Oxyvent Tank 8 years ago and it was the best investment we made. We now can have the hot water and heating on at the same time and never run out. The rooms heat up faster and are much warmer. We did not have to bleed our radiators since and it have also reduced our maintenance costs. We also have noticed a huge reduction in the amount of fuel we use and would say the saving is in the region of 30% or more.”

Maurice & Mary Harnett, Co. Kerry

We answer your questions

August 07, 2020

How often were you given the same suggestions to fix radiators in rooms that don’t heat: Check for air in the system, Fit a larger pump, Check the water pressure, Check if the radiator valves are stuck, etc etc

July 11, 2020

Where Underfloor Heating is installed with a gas or oil boiler, hot and cold patches on the floor are quite common. It can get very uncomfortable when the floor overheats. What can we do about it?

June 04, 2020

People normally place their hand on the top section of the radiator to find out if their heating is operating properly. This is not the correct way to find out if your radiators are functioning efficiently.