What's in an underfloor heating kit? Checking your delivery

Every MaxHeatUFH kit is built from the same standard parts, picked to suit your rooms, your floor construction and your heat source. Two kits for the same house can look quite different: a screeded ground floor on a boiler needs a mixing unit and clip rail, while a first floor between joists needs spreader plates and no screed fixings at all.

This guide lists what a typical kit contains, what each part does, what deliberately is not in the box, and how to check your delivery. If you are still deciding what to order, start with our guide to choosing an underfloor heating system.

What is in a water underfloor heating kit?

A water (wet) kit has six groups of parts: pipe, manifold, pump and mixing unit, controls, fixings and sundries. The table shows the usual contents and what each part is for.

The counts are linked: a 6-loop design needs a 6-port manifold, six actuators, and enough coil length to cut six loops with tails. One thermostat can run several loops in the same room, so the number of thermostats follows the number of zones, not the number of loops.

What is in an electric underfloor heating kit?

An electric kit has far fewer parts, because the "boiler, pipe and manifold" are replaced by a heating element in the floor. A typical kit contains:

• Heating mat or loose cable: a 150W/m² mat for regular rooms, 200W/m² for cold or high-loss rooms, or loose cable for awkward shapes.
• Thermostat with floor probe: an electric-specific model such as the Heatmiser neoStat-e, supplied with a floor sensor that sits in the tile adhesive.
• Insulation board: coated XPS boards under the mat cut heat-up time and running cost.
• Primer and fixing tape on some floors, depending on the substrate.

The final electrical connection of an electric system must be made by a qualified electrician working to BS 7671, and in many homes it is notifiable under Part P. Plan that visit before the tiler books in.

Which fixings come with each floor type?

The fixing system is the part of the kit that changes most, because it must match your floor construction.

If your kit arrives with clip rail but your floor is joisted, stop and query it before anything is laid. Our guide to floor systems explained shows which system suits which build-up.

Do I always get a pump and mixing unit?

No. A boiler system needs a mixing unit, because boiler water is hotter than a floor should run, so the kit includes a blending valve and pump pack mounted on the manifold. A heat pump system often runs the whole system at floor temperature, so the kit may contain a simpler non-mixing pump set, or no mixing parts at all where the heat pump's own circulation does the work. Our guide to mixing and blending valves explains the difference, and MaxHeatUFH ProLoop matches the right unit to the heat source you choose.

What is not included in the kit?

Some things are never in the box, and it catches people out on install day:

• Screed and floor insulation: the structural insulation under the pipe and the screed itself come from your builders' merchant, because they are bulk materials priced locally.
• Primary pipework: the pipe from the boiler or heat pump to the manifold, and its fittings, are ordered separately once the manifold position is fixed.
• Tools: a pipe cutter, decoiler and pressure test pump are bought once and reused, so they are sold separately rather than added to every kit.
• Inhibitor and filling kit: system water treatment is chosen to suit the whole heating system, not just the floor.
• Labour: MaxHeatUFH supplies the kit and does not install. If you want the install handled too, request an installer through our installation enquiry and a vetted approved installer will quote.

How do I check the delivery when it arrives?

Check the goods against the kit list on the day they arrive. MaxHeatUFH delivers UK-wide next working day on orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday, so a missing or damaged item reported early can usually be replaced before the installer starts.

1. Count the pipe coils and check the printed lengths against the design. Coil lengths matter: a 100m loop cannot be cut from the offcuts of two other loops.
2. Check the manifold port count matches the number of loops on the design.
3. Count actuators against ports, and thermostats against zones.
4. Confirm the wiring centre size covers the number of zones, with spare ways if you plan to extend.
5. Check the fixings match your floor construction, and that panel or clip quantities cover the floor area.
6. Inspect for transit damage, especially the manifold flow meters and any boards' edges.
7. Store pipe indoors, out of direct sunlight, still in its packaging until it is laid.

Anything wrong, email sales@maxheatufh.com with your order number and a photo. Unused items in resalable condition are covered by 30-day returns.

Frequently asked questions

Is every underfloor heating kit the same?

No. The pipe, manifold and controls are standard, but the fixings, mixing unit and quantities change with your floor construction, heat source and room sizes, so kits are built per project rather than boxed in fixed sizes.

Does an underfloor heating kit include the thermostat?

A complete kit should. Check the thermostat count matches your zones, and that electric kits include a floor probe, which electric floor thermostats need.

Does the kit include insulation?

Overlay and routed boards that carry the pipe are part of the kit. The thick structural insulation that goes under a new screed is not, and comes from a builders' merchant.

Why did my pipe arrive as a few big coils instead of one per loop?

Pipe is supplied in standard coil lengths and the installer cuts loops from them. A good design plans the cuts so waste stays low, which is why coil lengths are chosen to suit the loop schedule.

What tools do I need that are not in the kit?

A pipe cutter, a decoiler for long coils, and a pressure test pump for testing before and during screeding. Installers usually own these already.

Can I add missing items after the kit has shipped?

Yes. Every part of a kit is also sold individually, and orders placed by 12pm Monday to Friday arrive the next working day anywhere in the UK.

Does the kit include parts to connect the boiler or heat pump?

Usually not. The primary pipework and its fittings depend on where the manifold sits and what pipe the rest of the system uses, so they are specified separately.