Underfloor heating can be fitted underneath carpeted floors, but there are some factors that you need to take into consideration to work out whether underfloor heating is a good choice if you have carpet.
If your carpet is too thick and insulating, you won’t feel the benefit of the underfloor heating because the heat will not be able to penetrate through into the room. Instead, the heat will be trapped beneath the carpet where it could cause overheating.
All carpets have a tog rating, which indicates how insulating the carpet is. The best carpets to use with underfloor heating are those with tog ratings of less than 1.5.
As well as the tog rating of the carpet, you must also consider the tog rating of the underlay. A lightweight (60-90 oz) sponge underlay generally has a relatively low tog rating of 0.5, which makes this type of underlay most suitable for use with underfloor heating. On the other hand, a heavyweight (>100 oz) sponge, latex foam or crumb underlay can have a rating of 1 tog or more, which means these underlay types are less suited to underfloor heating. Felt underlay is the most insulating type and is not recommended for use with underfloor heating.
If your carpet and underlay have a combined tog rating that is much higher than 2.5 tog, you might want to consider replacing the carpet and/or underlay at the same time as you install underfloor heating, or using an alternative heating method to heat your home.
Contact your carpet/underlay supplier to find out the tog rating of your existing floor covering. As a rule of thumb, the combined tog rating should be less than 2.5 for underfloor heating, but you should also check the guidelines provided by your underfloor heating supplier as they may have their own recommendations.
Installing underfloor heating beneath an appropriate carpet can result in a very cosy atmosphere. The floor will be both warm and soft underfoot – just what you need when the cold winter weather sets in.
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