In something of a diversion from one of their key success areas, Byfield Heating has been carrying out a major heating programme at a golf club.
Well-known in ecclesiastical circles for the work that they have carried in solving the varied and manifold problems of heating historic churches, the work in progress at Alwoodley Golf Club, near Leeds, has presented some different challenges.
According to Managing Director, Bob Middleton, “Basically the existing underfloor heating system had collapsed, leaving water everywhere. We had to chisel out the old flooring to a depth of 35-38mm and put in an overlay type of underfloor heating system. This was a system that had been developed by Polypipe at Doncaster for the domestic market but we have now adapted it for commercial applications. It involved putting down an 18mm thick insulation board with grooves in. The pipe is then installed in the grooves before being covered with 15mm thick T&G flooring and a low TOG carpet.”
Byfield have been working in the middle lounge, which has a balcony round three sides. In order to stop the dust spreading while they were chiselling out the old floor, they had to thoroughly sheet everywhere, including across the balcony. They were also working in the new dining main lounge and the card room. The original heating system used two old gas-fired boilers. One has already been replaced with a Buderus light commercial condensing boiler and the other one will be replaced as the work progresses.
Byfield have developed a range of underfloor heating solutions to suit different applications. The first, to suit solid floors, involves laying the piping onto slab insulation and then pouring a 50mm layer of a
gypsum-based anhydrite screed – which is then laser-levelled. This material attaches itself closely to the pipes, giving good heat transfer. The screed can then be covered with ceramic tiles or stone slabs, or sealed and carpeted.
The second technique, for wood floors, involves laying solid insulation between the floor joists, installing an aluminium heat dissipation plate plate level with the top of the joists. This plate contains grooves which also hold the pipes and then the floor is laid directly on top. This type was recently installed in Christ’s Church, Skipton, a Grade 1 listed building, where a new sprung floor was installed directly on top of the protected stone floor.
Another interesting project has been at Ribston Hall, north of Wetherby. Here Byfield have replaced an old oil-fired boiler used for heating the house and for hot water, and utilised the services of Jones Nash Ltd, who have installed a wood-chip-fired ETA Hack biomass boiler. The estate has thousands of tonnes of timber at their disposal and this is chipped and brought into the hopper next to the boiler room, from where it is fed into the boiler by a screw feed. The boiler feeds a 4,000 litre buffer vessel from where feeds are taken to the offices and stores in one direction and to an underfloor heating system in the kitchen, utility room and gunroom and to new cast iron column radiators throughout the house. Under the new Feed in Tariff at 6p/kWh over 15 years, the system will very quickly pay for itself.
For further information please telephone 01937 842004
