The pine wood pews and floor boards at St Catherine’s Church were in poor condition, the floor was damp and the Church was difficult to heat.
The decision was taken to replace the entire floor and install underfloor heating, utilising ground source heat from a series of boreholes.
Having looked at the geological survey of the area and considered the layout of the churchyard, the architects and engineers chose the north side of the church for the drilling of the required six boreholes and trench. In order to attain sufficient heat from this system the boreholes had to be 133 metres deep!
The continuous pipe which runs to the bottom of all of the boreholes emerges into the former vestry where the ground source heat pump and buffer cylinder are located. There are a series of pipes that run from the plant room (vestry) to two manifolds which are housed in new cupboards in the north and south aisle. The underfloor heating pipes are connected to the main supply at those manifolds.
Following the installation of the under floor heating pipes the floor was screeded and a new York stone floor was laid.
The contract was completed on time (circa 17 weeks) and on budget.
Architect: Acanthus Clews Architects
Client: The PCC of St Catherine’s Church, Burbage
Contractor: Weldon Stone Enterprises