Spillenburg Mill

Underfloor heating milled in

The NEW ISLAND project
It was the Prussian King Frederick II, also known as “Old Fritz”, who promoted shipping on the Ruhr at the end of the 18th century and had a series of locks built.

Photo @ contur2

One of these was the Spillenburg lock and its lock keeper’s house. The NEUE INSEL project is now growing right there, on the site of the Spillenburg mill in Essen-Steele, which is surrounded by a branch of the Ruhr.
A historical exhibition with the theme “Gas and water supply, Essen’s port and social history” was recently held here.
The house and lock were stations on the Route of Industrial Heritage until the end of 2011. Then the Manufacturer Josef Rettenmaier from Rosenberg (Württemberg) took over both from Stadtwerke Essen. A bicycle hotel, a restaurant with a beer garden and workshops to promote employment are now being built here. The construction project will preserve the image of a building ensemble that characterizes the cultural landscape on the Ruhr. With its natural and industrial culture, the NEUE INSEL makes a prominent contribution to the leisure and recreational value of the region. The ecological and Co₂-neutral concept for the operation of the

complex includes: renewable energy generation with electricity from hydropower and heat recovery. A sustainable and regional gastronomy concept. The promotion of recycling and upcycling. The integration of cycling through the direct location on the Ruhr Valley cycle path and electromobility.

Underfloor heating in renovation projects
Underfloor heating systems provide the best basis for using energy-efficient heat generators due to the large heating surface and low heating medium temperatures. ClimaLevel Energiesysteme from Cologne was involved at a very early stage in the considerations for implementing underfloor heating in the project. There are a number of possible methods and systems for installing underfloor heating in existing buildings, including static requirements, available construction heights and the heating loads to be covered . After a thorough examination of the available alternatives, the decision was made in favor of milling technology. This is now one of the quickest and easiest ways to install underfloor heating in old buildings. ClimaLevel has the necessary machinery and experienced installation teams for implementation. With the milling technique, channels are milled into the existing screed to accommodate the underfloor heating pipes. This means that heights and lintels can remain unchanged in existing buildings. However, this requires a load-bearing layer of the existing screed that is at least 4 cm thick. With the exception of concrete and mastic asphalt, this works with all types of screed. What was the procedure for the measures in Essen? The first step was to check on site whether the existing screed had the required thickness of at least 4 cm. Test drillings were made at several points to verify this. After the “go”, the old floor coverings were removed without leaving any residue.

Channels around 20 mm deep were then milled into the existing screed. This was done using a special milling machine. The distance between the channels and thus between the heating pipes to be laid later is 12.5 cm. As milling generates a lot of dust, the milling machines are equipped with powerful industrial vacuum cleaners. These suck up the dust on the spot during the milling process. ClimaLevel heating pipes measuring16×2 mm were laid in the ducts and connected directly to the heating circuit manifold. The existing slots were sealed with a leveling compound, also to keep the heating pipes stable. The heating system was then filled with treated water, vented and tested for leaks. The finished underfloor heating surface was covered with a self-levelling compound to prepare it for further work. The necessary work for the 400^m2 area to be heated was completed within four days.

Photo @ Kemmer