Information relevant to planning for underfloor systems
Underfloor systems offer installation space for power, data and multimedia connections in the floor structure. OBO offers a wide range of products and solutions for diverse requirements, such as installation height or floor care.
Underfloor systems compared
| Underfloor system | Decouplable | Height adjustable | Heavy duty | Wet care | Installation height | Number of devices | Diameter round | Dimensions rectangular |
| GES service outlets | Yes | No | No | Yes | From 75 mm | 3 | ∅ 234 ∅ 294 ∅ 324 | 118 x 194 mm 222 x 222 mm 274 x 221 mm 264 x 264 mm |
| Cassettes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | From 90 mm | 6 10 12 | ∅ 214 ∅ 274 ∅ 304 | 199 x 199 mm 243 x 243 mm |
| Round floor sockets GES R2 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | From 85 mm | 2 | ∅ 104 | |
| Square floor sockets UDHOME | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | From 95 / 110 mm | 2 6 12 | 125 x 125 mm 205 x 205 mm 250 x 250 mm |
Planning and selection of the correct underfloor system
The following requirements should be taken into account when planning and selecting an underfloor system:
- Installation requirements
- Requirements from architectural construction planning
- Organisational requirements and user specifications
- Safety requirements
Load capacity of underfloor systems
DIN EN 50085-2-2 specifies the load requirements for electrical installation systems. According to this standard, cassettes and/or service outlets may only bend by a maximum of 6 millimetres when subjected to a load. However, with harder floor coverings, such as stone or tiles, bending of 6 millimetres will lead to breakage. For this reason, OBO has increased its internal quality criteria and goes a step further with the OBO testing standard.
Wet care of underfloor systems
All OBO device installation units for wet-care floors have a protection rating of at least IPX4 when closed to fulfil the requirements of EN 50085-2-2 without restriction. Device installation units with tube body also protect the electrical installation against the ingress of water when used ‒ despite a reduced protection level of IP20.
Noise protection in underfloor systems
The underfloor systems from OBO are intended for installation in floating wet screeds. Normally, there are requirements for the transmission of air and footfall sound, both for vertical sound transmission, i.e. from storey to storey, and for horizontal sound transmission (from adjacent rooms).
As the underfloor systems are also run under partitions, the question of the influence of the system on noise transmission is of high relevance. For this reason, the air and footfall noise transmission for the EÜK duct, OKA and OKB trunking systems and UDHOME 4 floor tanks were evaluated in qualified tests with the MÜLLER BBM GmbH testing institute in Planegg, Munich.
Fire protection in underfloor systems
In Germany, the Master Cable Installation Guideline (MLAR) specifies the fire protection measures to be taken in cable systems and for underfloor systems. The Master System Floors Directive (MSysBöR) also applies. According to the requirements in these standards, OBO Bettermann underfloor systems can be run in escape and rescue routes and through firewalls.
Standards for underfloor systems
Standards can be divided into two categories: installation specifications and product standards. The installation engineer is primarily responsible for compliance with the erection specifications. The product standard EN 50085-2-2 specifies the testing criteria for underfloor systems. The OBO Bettermann underfloor systems are VDE-certified.
OBO products in focus
Your contacts at O-line
Sales Manager Johannesburg | Richard Desousa desousa.richard@o-line.com |
Branch Manager Pretoria | Hannes Willemse willemse.hannes@o-line.com |
Branch Manager Bloemfontein | Mornay Gericke gericke.mornay@o-line.com |
| Banch Manager Kwazulu-Natal | Neil Huntley huntley.neil@o-line.com |
Branch Manager Cape Town | Amor Steyn steyn.amor@o-line.com |
Branch Manager Gqeberha | Paul O'Connor oconnor.paul@o-line.com |