Pipes to radiators in suspended timber floor new build

[bardo]

Advice please. Building a home with suspended timber floor. 300mm Ijoists at ground level with sheeps wool insulation. Wondering whether to use copper or plastic pipes for radiators/hot water and where to locate them in the ground foor. Within the joists inbetween the insulation? OR Underfloor - in which case how best to lag and avoid mouse issues? There's a 400mm void below the ijoists. Plastic is flexible making it easy to bend and go through holes made in ijoist OSB webbing however can I rely on it not to leak? If I use copper I wonder if this is flexible to bend a little and push through slightly larger holes in the ijoist webbing?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Copper or mlcp

wouldng use plastic as any rodents will chomp through that it’s not there

depends if you still have access under the floors via a hatch and crawl space do them below but very well insulated

if you can’t get below go through the pre punched notches

 

[bardo]

Copper or mlcp

wouldng use plastic as any rodents will chomp through that it’s not there

depends if you still have access under the floors via a hatch and crawl space do them below but very well insulated

if you can’t get below go through the pre punched notches

Rodents can't access the floorboards/insulation as I'm using OSB along base of joists. I haven't done this yet so still possibility to install pipes underneath joists however I can't access to crawl underneath so would need to do from above.

 

[Gasmk1]

Don't assume rodents can't get in mice and rats can get in through quite small holes I would use copper as your access after will be extremely difficult

 

[bardo]

There's a plinth wall all the way round the perimeter. The small air brick holes which I decided not to mesh mean that a few mice could get in if they are determined but not rats. the base of the joists are effectively sealed by OSB. I really want to establish if I'm better to put the pipes in the insulated ijoists or below and lag. And wether to use copper or plastic. There's no way to crawl underneath from outside so I want to make sure that I get this right. A leaking pipe in the future would be a real problem to fix.

Don't assume rodents can't get in mice and rats can get in through quite small holes I would use copper as your access after will be extremely difficult

 

[steadyon]

What makes you think rats won't go through OSB? Its only wood chips glued together.

 

[bardo]

What makes you think rats won't go through OSB? Its only wood chips glued together.

The only access to the underfloor void is via the tiny holes in the air bricks. Large enough for a small mouse but not a rat.

 

[Chuck]

The only access to the underfloor void is via the tiny holes in the air bricks. Large enough for a small mouse but not a rat.

It's often claimed that a motivated rat will gnaw through brick... but I'd worry about other more likely scenarios that could cause problems: someone drilling a hole into the floor or knocking a nail through a pipe, for example.

So, when installing pipework you should always assume that sooner or later someone may want to access it for replacement or repair. At the very minimum you should photograph it being installed and map accurately where it is and a what depth, so that they know where to start cutting.

 

[king of pipes]

Have you given any thought to underfloor heating ? There are pros and cons for all installations but new build its possible to accommodate pipework and avoid ugly pipe runs and panel radiators, run the heating at a lot lower temperature thus saving money on feul costs over time , our sponsor uheat has various systems to accomate different floor constructions check out their website for more information.
If you are set on a more traditional type system then i would advise running pipework up and over with the radiator drops and hot and cold supplies consealed in the ceiling and in voids in the studwork walls rather than in floors . Regards kop