Underfloor heating for installers: a trade buying and fitting guide
A guide for installers buying and fitting underfloor heating: MaxHeatUFH trade accounts through ProLoop, delivery and returns, regulations, design checks, tools and how to avoid call-backs.
Short answer: MaxHeatUFH supplies underfloor heating kit to installers at trade prices through a trade account, which you apply for inside MaxHeatUFH ProLoop. Orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday are delivered the next working day anywhere in the UK, with 30-day returns. On site, most call-backs are avoided by keeping to a handful of rules: loops within the maker's length limit, a recorded pressure test before the floor goes down, a gentle first heat-up, flow temperatures of 55°C or lower on new systems, and room-by-room control.
This guide is for plumbers, heating engineers, electricians and builders who fit underfloor heating (UFH), or want to. It covers how buying from MaxHeatUFH works, how to price jobs quickly, which regulations apply, the design checks to make before ordering, the tools worth owning and the mistakes that bring you back to a job.
MaxHeatUFH is a UK supplier of water and electric UFH, manifolds, pumps, controls, pipe, fittings and press tools. It does not install. Homeowner installation enquiries are passed to vetted approved installers.
How do I open a trade account with MaxHeatUFH?
Apply for a trade account inside MaxHeatUFH ProLoop. Trade account holders buy at trade prices rather than the standard prices shown on the website.
- Open ProLoop. Go to MaxHeatUFH ProLoop, the free online design tool.
- Apply for trade. Use the trade account application inside ProLoop. MaxHeatUFH reviews it.
- Price jobs at trade. Once approved, design jobs and build kit lists against your trade account.
For questions about your account, large orders or anything else, email sales@maxheatufh.com.
How do ordering, delivery and returns work?
Order by 12pm Monday to Friday for next working day delivery. MaxHeatUFH delivers to the whole UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does not ship outside the UK.
- Cut-off. 12pm, Monday to Friday, for next working day delivery.
- Returns. 30-day returns.
- Prices and VAT. Website prices include VAT. MaxHeatUFH charges 20% VAT on every product it sells.
Plan deliveries around the build. Insulation and pipe are needed first, before the screeder. Manifold, pump pack and controls can follow, and the wiring centre and thermostats go in at second fix.
How can ProLoop speed up quoting?
Design your UFH system yourself in 3 minutes with MaxHeatUFH ProLoop and get an instant quick design and quote. You place the manifold, and it lays out the circuits and prices the kit, so you can give a customer a materials price on the first visit.
- Quick design. Rooms, circuits and manifold size for the rooms you set out on the plan. It is a quick design, not a full loop design.
- Priced kit. Pipe, manifold, pump pack, controls and floor system, priced as a full kit.
- Full loop design. If the job needs one, order a full loop design later at £0.40 per heated m². The design fee you paid is taken off the kit price when you order the kit linked to that design.
Our guide to the UFH design and layout plan explains what a full design includes.
Which regulations apply to underfloor heating jobs?
Part L sets the flow temperature and controls, Part P and BS 7671 cover electric UFH and the wiring, and grants depend on MCS. These are the points that come up most.
| Rule | What it means on site |
|---|---|
| Part L, flow temperature | New or fully replaced wet heating designed for 55°C or lower |
| Part L, room control | Thermostatic control in each room for a new system; two similar rooms may share a zone |
| Part L, large homes | New homes of 150m² or more need at least two independently controlled heating circuits |
| Part L, commissioning | Notice to building control within 5 days, or 30 days through a competent person scheme |
| Part P | A new circuit, such as one for electric UFH, is notifiable in England and Wales |
| BS 7671 Section 753 | RCD protection not exceeding 30mA for floor heating, and a plan left by the consumer unit |
| Gas Safe | Any work on a gas boiler must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer |
| MCS | Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump grants need an MCS certified installer |
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives up to £7500 towards an air, ground or water source heat pump in England and Wales, according to the Energy Saving Trust. VAT: HMRC applies 0% VAT to qualifying energy-saving materials, such as heat pumps, until 31 March 2027, but only where the same business supplies and installs them. Supply-only goods are standard-rated, so kit bought supply-only from any merchant, including MaxHeatUFH, includes 20% VAT. See our guide to BS EN 1264 and BS 7671 for UFH for the standards in more detail.
What design checks should I make before ordering?
Check the loop lengths, the screed and insulation, the floor finish and the expansion joints. These are the figures that most often catch installers out.
| Check | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Maximum loop, 15 to 18mm pipe in screed | 100m |
| Maximum loop, 12mm overlay | 80m |
| Sand and cement screed depth | 65mm minimum |
| Insulation, ground floor | R 1.25m²K/W minimum |
| Floor surface, living areas | 29°C maximum |
| Carpet and underlay | 2.5 tog maximum |
| Expansion joints, tile and stone | Every 40m² or 8m length |
| Edge strip | About 1.1m per m² of floor |
The loop, screed, expansion joint and edge strip figures come from one leading manufacturer's installation guides, the insulation and surface limits from BS EN 1264 as set out in manufacturer guidance, and the carpet limit from another manufacturer. Always check the maker's figures for the pipe and boards you use. Our guide to UFH loop length and loops per room shows how to split rooms into circuits.
What tools does an underfloor heating installer need?
You need a way to uncoil, cut, bend, join and test pipe. These MaxHeatUFH tools cover most jobs.
- Pipe decoiler
- Hydraulic pressure test pump
- Pipe cutter 14 to 32mm
- External bending spring
- Tacker gun for 40mm and 60mm clips
- Manual pressing clamp tool set, 16 to 32mm U profile
- Electric hydraulic press tool set, M and U profile
A decoiler stops the pipe twisting as you lay it, and a test pump lets you test to the maker's pressure before the screeder arrives. See the full ranges of tools and fixings and press tools.
What causes most underfloor heating call-backs?
Most call-backs come from steps skipped in the first week, not faulty kit. Build these into every job.
- No pressure test record. One leading manufacturer calls for 6 bar for at least 1 hour before covering on a floating floor, and holding 6 bar while screed is poured. Write it down and photograph the gauge.
- Loops too long or unequal. Long loops starve of flow. Keep to the maker's limit and balance at the flow meters.
- Flow and return swapped. Check the manifold flow and return before filling.
- Air left in the loops. Fill and purge one loop at a time.
- Screed heated too soon or too hard. One leading manufacturer says do not use the UFH to dry screed. Under the EN 1264-4 sequence, wait at least 21 days for cement screed, then run 25°C for 3 days before the design temperature.
- No handover pack. Leave a loop plan, settings and manuals. Our guide to commissioning underfloor heating sets out the steps.
For more, see our guide to UFH mistakes to avoid. Browse the full water underfloor heating range when you are ready to order.
Design your UFH system yourself in 3 minutes with MaxHeatUFH ProLoop and get an instant quick design and quote. Draw the rooms and place the manifold, and it gives you a quick UFH design with the circuits laid out, plus a fully priced kit. Apply for your trade account in the same place. Start your design
Frequently asked questions
How do I get trade prices from MaxHeatUFH?
Apply for a trade account inside MaxHeatUFH ProLoop. Once MaxHeatUFH approves it, you buy at trade prices.
Does MaxHeatUFH deliver next day?
Yes. Orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday are delivered the next working day across the UK, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Does MaxHeatUFH install underfloor heating?
No. MaxHeatUFH supplies the kit. Homeowner installation enquiries are passed to vetted approved installers.
Can I return unused underfloor heating kit?
Yes. MaxHeatUFH offers 30-day returns. Email sales@maxheatufh.com to arrange one.
Do I need to be an electrician to fit electric underfloor heating?
The final connection must be made by a qualified electrician under Part P and BS 7671, with RCD protection not exceeding 30mA. A new circuit is notifiable in England and Wales.
Is ProLoop a full underfloor heating design?
No. It gives a quick design, with the circuits laid out from the manifold you place, and a priced kit. A full loop design can be ordered at £0.40 per heated m². The design fee you paid is taken off the kit price when you order the kit linked to that design.
Do I need MCS to fit underfloor heating?
Not for the UFH itself. MCS certification matters when a heat pump is installed under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Sources: Approved Document L Volume 1, Designing Buildings: notice of commissioning, Planning Portal: electrics and Part P, IET Wiring Matters: BS 7671 Section 753, Energy Saving Trust: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, HMRC VAT Notice 708/6, and manufacturers' installation guidance to BS EN 1264
Products in this guide
Watch how each part works and how to fit it, and download its data sheet and install manual.
Every data sheet and manual: Product Library · All videos: MaxHeatUFH on YouTube
Design it in MaxHeatUFH ProLoop
Add your rooms, choose screed, overlay, joisted or electric, and get a free quick design and full kit list with prices.
