The congregation of a church in the Vale of Glamorgan can look forward to physical as well as spiritual comfort during services next winter, thanks to a comprehensive upgrade of the building’s heating provision, with a full underfloor heating system from Circoflo having been chosen to deliver efficient background warmth. The work has been carried out by a father and daughter team – Shane and Alexx Weller – who as Cardiff Plumbing & Heating (South Wales) carry out mainly domestic contracts around the southern half of the Principality and across the border as far as Minehead. For this project they were working directly for the Salem Baptist Church in Barry, carrying out a variety of refurbishment tasks as well as the heating upgrade.
A key early decision was to conceal the substantial slope in the floor, which ran from the main entrance towards the pulpit, by fitting timber floor joists creating a 400 mm deep void which was filled with insulation.
Shane Weller recounted: “I went online to compare the different underfloor heating solutions available, to decide which one best suited the needs of the Baptist Church, where it could be so cold that some members of the congregation said they were put off going to services in the depth of winter. As well as the lack of insulation to the structure, it is a very tall space with additional seating around a gallery. CircoBoard seemed to offer the best overall package in terms of performance, as well as ease of installation between the new timber joists.”
“Circoflo provided drawings and other design guidance before supplying all the necessary boards, 12mm pipe and other fittings on pallets direct to the site. The boards are easy to cut, while the pipework creates four zones leading to two seven port ‘minifold’ arrangements, positioned on either side of the Church with a total length of 1080 metres of pipe all fed via a central pump and mixing valve from the 40 kW Ideal gas boiler we have fitted, along with warm air convectors. It’s fantastic and I’m unlikely to switch to another manufacturer for future jobs.”
The CircoBoard panels were fitted flush on the angle brackets supplied between the joists, although they can also be installed on battens, if preferred, before installation of the final finished floor.
CircoBoard is one of six floor construction options available from CircofloPro. Their unique two, three or four port ‘universally versatile’ minifolds, which can be installed in a huge variety of ways with the standard fittings supplied, and the 12mm pipe supplied in lengths of 50, 70 or 90 metres for the ultimate in efficiency and convenience while minimising wastage. CircofloPro also provide the wiring centre, mixing units and programmable room thermostats for setting temperatures over a 7-day period.
