A Day in the Life Of... An Underfloor Heating Entrepreneur and Installer

Russel originally started out as a car mechanic, until a friend from Nottingham planted an idea to start up an underfloor heating business.  Despite not being a common installation, Russel and John decided to take the plunge and start up their own business.  In 2004 Warmfloors was formed and four years later, business is booming.  With Russel trained as a qualified electrician and John taking on the role of sales and marketing, this small underfloor heating team is only just warming up. 

5:00am:	Before the crack of dawn, Russel wakes up, showers, and makes some tea and toast.
5:45am:	Russel hops into his van and picks up his partner, John, where they will drive quite a distance for their next installation.
9:00am:	Russel and John arrive on-site at their latest project, the conservatory of a beautiful home in March, Cambridgeshire.
9:15am:	The owner of the home, Claire Wright, makes Russel and John a cup of tea while they discuss their plan of action.  Russel then looks over a Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate.  "e;This is very useful for me to see what electrical work has been done,"e; said Russel.
9:30am:	Russel takes a look at the electrics and John unloads the materials and equipment they will need from their van.
9:45am:	Russel, being a qualified electrician, then gets started on the electrics, while John preps the materials.  After discovering the client has no outside tap in the backyard garden, John approaches the neighbours.  The problem is quickly solved as the neighbours kindly offer John and Russel their hosepipe and backyard water.  John then mixes the flexible tile adhesive that will be used to secure the tile backerboards.  These boards have an insulating middle and cement fascia on both sides.  "e;You need the cement fascia for reinforcement and structure,"e; said Russel.  "e;It can hold a lot of pressure."e;  Russel carves spaces in the drywall to fit the thermostat and the fuse spur.  He then mounts the boxing and attaches the cables.  Russel then carries out some further testing on the electricity.
10:30am:	Russel spreads the thick tile adhesive, while John lays out the boards in a brick bond fashion and sizes them perfectly to fit the room.   After making sure all the air has been pushed out from underneath the tile backer boards, Russel and John use contact adhesive to assist in sticking down cable heating mats.  The mats are strategically laid out, including the positioning of the floor sensors, which detect the warmth from the cable and relay the temperature to the thermostat.
12:00pm:	A bead of silicone sealant is then run along the lower edges of the walls to fill any gaps (so the latex that will be used later will not run).
12:30pm:	Russel then installs an RCD, as underfloor heating mats require RCD protection.  He then does the final Part P checks.  The thermostat is then hooked up and the face plates are attached.  The floor is then tested by turning on the heating briefly to double check that the cables warm-up.
1:15pm:	Russel then mixes large bags of latex powder with water and pours a substantial layer on the floor, over the cable mats.  This is then left to dry overnight, where a team of tillers will then come in to lay out floor tiles to complete the project.
1:45pm:	Russel and John pack up their things and begin their long journey home to Yorkshire.
4:45pm:	After an exhausting day of labour and serious commuting, Russel drops off John and heads straight home.  Here he is greeted by his "e;other half"e; and is prepared a yummy dinner of homemade chilli- leaving this Warmfloors founder with a warm belly.

To enquire about Warmfloors' and their underfloor heating solutions, contact them at 0800 0433 195 or check out their website.