In which rooms is it better to make a warm floor. Warm floor in an apartment and a house: a description of the types of warm floors In which rooms to make a warm floor

In the first part, we introduced you to the advantages of underfloor heating systems, the so-called "warm floors". Today we offer you a continuation of this theme.

If you decide to use such a system in your home, please read some practical guidelines for its selection and arrangement.

I must say right away that you will not be able to arrange the "warm floors" system completely throughout the house without combining it with the traditional radiator circuit. There is simply not enough thermal power to cover all the heat losses of the premises through the enclosing structures.

When you ask an ordinary designer to design a "warm floor" system in your home, he will probably dissuade you from doing so. It's just that this is additional work for him for the same money, because you need to design not one, but two heating systems. Well, if you turn to the installer with the same request, then everything will be the other way around: he will offer to arrange "warm floors" in every room of the house (since this is an additional payment for expensive work for him). Where is the "golden mean"?

So, in which rooms of the house to arrange the "warm floors" system.

Bathrooms, showers, toilets, pool room (bypass paths) and sauna rooms.- In these rooms, "warm floors" are primarily recommended. In all these rooms, a person walks with bare feet and water accumulates on the floor. In addition, it is here that the ventilation system works, and when combined with "warm floors", the room is kept in a dry and hygienic state. It is here that most often the flooring is made of ceramic tiles or stone, and as mentioned earlier, it is more comfortable for a person to walk on warm tiles.
Premises with a long stay of people. This is a kitchen where the hostess spends a lot of time and, of course, she will be comfortable with a warm floor. Here you can add a dining room, a relaxation room near a sauna or a swimming pool, a gym, an office and other similar premises. However, this is not necessary and the set of premises is chosen by the Customer at his own discretion, based on material resources and ideas about comfort.
Living room.- In general, this room can be attributed to the previous category, however, if you have a large living room with sweatshirts and "second light" (that is, a balcony on the second floor), then "warm floors" are not only desirable, but even necessary. With radiator heating, all the heat will go to the upper part of the room, and in the so-called "working area", that is, the area where a person is located will be simply cold. But in order to choose the right heated floor area (it will be free of furniture), it is advisable to decide on the interior of the room. In this case, the priority zone will be the floor area 1-1.5 meters wide along the outer wall or stained-glass window.
Game and children's rooms.“Warm floors” are obvious here - small children love to play on the floor!
Hallway.- If you choose this room, then, besides, that it will be easier to remove all the dirt brought from the street, you will form a kind of heat curtain from the penetration of cold outside air from the street into the room. And what is especially important, your shoes will dry faster and will always be warm.
Bedrooms.- Installation of "warm floors" in the bedrooms is not necessary, as they are most often located on the warm upper floors.

Underfloor heating must necessarily be designed in rooms with frequent presence of people, the floors of which are located on the ground or above unheated basements. Tiles and stones are cold materials, but if they are heated, they become comfortable and hygienic.

When choosing rooms, do not be afraid of different floor coverings, they have no restrictions, and a carpet on a "warm floor" will only add additional comfort.

Of course, the "warm floors" system is not a cheap pleasure, but it must be remembered that we invest money once, and then we live in comfort. Besides, as mentioned in the first part of our article, the system will pay off in operating costs.

One thing must be taken into account! The system needs to be installed before finishing finishing work in the room. Something to add or change to the applied "clean" floor coverings is an additional hassle.

In the next part, we will provide technical recommendations for the choice of "warm floors".

Warm floors have become far from a novelty. This technology is used for underfloor heating in apartments, private houses, offices and various other premises. Their principle of operation is simple - they heat the base under your feet, as well as the air in the room, which allows you to warm up any room well enough. They are usually installed in addition to the main heating system. Their installation is not as difficult as it seems, but it is quite troublesome. How to make a warm floor correctly? This process will largely depend on what type of system was chosen for installation.

Now there are three main types of underfloor heating, which differ in the type of heat carrier, and also have a different arrangement technology. However, in general, they are united by one main advantage - the heating element is installed directly into the floor cake, due to which it heats up... At the same time, the air masses in the room also warm up, but the air near the floor will be warmer, but above this border, at the level of a person's head, the air remains slightly cool, which makes it possible to create an optimal microclimate in the room.

On a note! In certain cases, underfloor heating can completely replace the central heating system. But this is not always possible and it is still not worth giving up on the main radiators.

Water based heating

In this case, the heat carrier is ordinary heated water, which flows inside the pipes, laid according to a certain pattern and poured with a concrete screed. The service life of such a system is approximately 20 years. Quite a reliable and safe option, but it is used either in private houses or in new buildings, where it is possible to connect such a floor. In old multi-storey buildings, without the permission of the management company, it will not work to connect the water floor, since the installation will involve connecting it to a central heating system that is not designed for additional loads - in other apartments it can become very cold.

The disadvantages of this design can be the likelihood of leaks and the risk of flooding of the premises located below, as well as the tendency of some types of pipelines to corrode. Installation, of course, is laborious, but this is one of the most economical floor options. Such heating can be installed under any topcoat. However, if you want to use the capabilities of a water-heated floor as efficiently as possible, study the features of different coatings. Find the perfect option will help.

Heating with a cable

Such floors can be installed in absolutely any room - even in old, even in new apartments, houses, offices, etc. This option has become a real salvation for those who, for some reason, cannot make a water-heated floor. The system is quite simple to install and is a specially laid electrical cable inside the tie. It converts electricity into heat.

For the arrangement of heating can be used self-regulating and resistive cables... In the latter case, a two-core one is usually used (single-core ones often become sources of radiation harmful to the body, therefore they do not prefer to use them). Self-regulating wires do not have the same drawbacks that resistive wires have. Typically, a cable floor is used if the topcoat is made of tiles or linoleum.

IR floor

This is perhaps the most popular floor heating system, since it does not require pouring a new screed, is easy to install, but the quality is not inferior to other heating options. It is represented by thin mats with carbon strips connected to each other by wires. Such floors quickly heat up, but also cool down quickly (sometimes this function is needed), very thin, allow you to quickly adjust the heating temperature, are economical in terms of energy consumption, easy to repair and completely safe for humans. Such a system also works thanks to electricity. There is a drawback - a little static and because of this - the attraction of dust to the base. Read more about infrared floor heating, depending on the topcoat, in separate articles on the portal: under the laminate, but under the tiles.

Table. Comparison of the characteristics of different systems.

Characteristic	Water floor	Electric floor
EMP presence	No	Possibly depending on the type of cable
Possibility of arrangement in apartment buildings	Only in new buildings with a separate connection	Yes
Quick control of settings	No	Yes
Depending on the heating season	Yes - in apartments and no - in private houses	No
Installation time	Long-lasting due to the need to fill the screed	Short
The ability to lay any topcoat	Yes	Certain types of flooring must not be laid on top of an electric floor.
Ease of repair	Difficult repair	In the case of infrared floors - quick repair

Prices for an electric heat-insulated floor "Teplolux"

electric warm floor thermolux

If you have not yet decided on the type of warm floor, read it. There we examined in detail the advantages and disadvantages of different materials and made a list of recommendations.

Do-it-yourself warm water floor

Let's consider in more detail the process of work when arranging water floor heating. It includes a number of stages - this is the preparation of the rough base, the installation of the system itself, as well as pouring the screed and laying the topcoat. In this case, a budget option for creating a heating system will be considered.

Underfloor heating is a serious cost item for renovation, so it is important to calculate exactly how much and what materials will be needed. To ease your labor costs, we have prepared a description of how to calculate a warm floor - water or electric. Online calculators are included. And in the article "" you will find a complete list of everything you may need during installation.

Preparation of the base

Consider how to make a rough floor for arranging a water system based on expanded clay.

Step 1. The first step is to completely dismantle the old wooden floor. Planks and logs are removed. Remains of bricks and oversized construction waste can be left on the base.

Step 2. A laser level is used to determine the height of the final floor. The main reference point of the required level is the front door. The markings should be 1.5-2 cm below the threshold.

Step 3. Marking is applied to the walls. The first mark marks the border of the screed with the laid heating pipes (the screed must not be less than 6 cm thick). The second indicates the thickness of expanded clay insulation (in this case, the thickness of this layer will be 10 cm).

Step 4. Along the line of the laser level, marks are applied to the walls along the entire perimeter at the level of the finished floor.

Step 5. Marking is applied to the walls and two other levels - expanded clay bedding and screed. The reference point in this case is the mark of the finished floor.

Step 6. The rough concrete floor is covered with sand, which is evenly distributed over it. You can focus on the bottom mark.

Step 8.

Step 9. The holes in the walls, left over from the logs, are sealed with pieces of brick and cement mortar.

Step 10. Waterproofing is laid on the sand layer. In this case, it is a dense polyethylene film that is installed on the walls with the plant. For convenience, the film is fixed with tape.

Step 11. Installation of beacons begins. For this, cubes from a foam block of high density are used, on which metal beacons will then be installed. The cubes are installed on polyethylene at a distance of about 1 m from each other. The height of one cube is 9 cm.

Step 12. Metal profiles-beacons with a height of 1 cm are installed on the cubes.

Step 13. At the joints of the lighthouses, a cube must be installed. For correct docking, the beacons are trimmed. With correct docking, the beacons are superimposed on each other in the direction of the future movement of the rule.

Step 14. Lighthouses are set by level. Landmark - a line on the wall indicating the height of the screed. You can use plywood pads to level them.

Step 15. When the beacons are leveled, they are fixed on the cubes with self-tapping screws.

Step 16. The sub-floor should have a slight slope (the difference is up to 5 mm for each meter of the base length). If necessary, the cubes can be pressed into the sand to achieve the desired result. The operation is carried out along the entire length of the beacons.

Step 17. Additional cubes are installed between the main cubes.

Step 18. Expanded clay is mixed with a small amount of cement mixture. This will create a sturdier floor. A bucket of sand, 2 kg of cement and about 3 liters of water are used for a bag of expanded clay.

Step 19. Prepared expanded clay is laid out on the base and leveled. Backfilling is carried out starting from the far corner of the room. There should be about 1.5 cm of free space to the upper level of the lighthouses.

Step 20. The expanded clay layer is covered with cement mortar. The mortar is leveled with a trowel over the entire surface.

Step 21 The screed is aligned with the beacon rule. Ideal evenness may not be achieved. To make the beacons easy to remove from the screed, their surface is not smeared.

Step 22. Two days later, when the screed dries up, the beacons are removed. To do this, the screws fixing them are unscrewed. Wooden linings are removed along with the lighthouses.

Step 23. After that, the resulting cracks are cleaned of debris and sealed with cement mortar.

Piping and connection

After preparation, the installation of the heating system itself begins.

Step 1. In this case, the existing heating system will be retained on the basis of the gas boiler. The battery is powered by a supply circuit located on the second floor. The water leaving the radiator is directed to the return circuit, which is located in the basement. The warm floor will be connected to the second outlet of the battery and to the return circuit. Taps will be installed to turn off the radiator and underfloor heating. A circulation pump will be installed at the entrance to the return circuit.

Step 2. The radiator is equipped with the necessary fittings. These are connectors and pipes. To seal the connection, sanitary flax and sealant are used.

Step 3. This is how the finished battery outputs will look like. One of them will be used to connect the warm floor.

Step 4. Before further installation of pipes, a damper tape is glued around the perimeter of the room (we have already discussed it). She sits on the walls with glue.

Step 5. Multifoil is laid on the rough screed - a special insulation. Separate strips of material are fixed to each other with adhesive tape.

Step 6. A reinforcing mesh with 10x10 cm cells is laid on top of the foil. Individual pieces are overlapped by 1-2 cells. The mesh is connected to each other using a wire.

Step 7. The pipe leading to the return is installed and connected.

Step 8. To the other outlet from the battery, a water floor pipe with a section of 20 mm is mounted. A piece of protective corrugation can be put on the initial section of the pipe.

Step 9. The pipe is laid on the floor and fixed to the reinforcement mesh with plastic clamps. When laying, it is important to ensure that there are no kinks on the pipe. To shape the knees, you can use a hair dryer that heats the pipe. The distance in the loop between adjacent pipes should be about 20 cm in this case.

Step 10. The underfloor heating pipe is laid with a snake.

Step 11. The ends of the return pipe and underfloor heating are directed to metal pipes leading to the basement. Voids can be sealed with polyurethane foam.

Step 12. The sections of the metal mesh that rise above the floor level are fixed on the base of the floor using dowels and metal plates.

Step 13. Further work will be carried out in the basement. The circulation pump is being installed. It connects to the return pipe. Two cranes are also installed in the system. One of them will cut off natural circulation. The bottom valve completely closes the inlet to the return pipe.

Step 14. The regulating unit is being assembled and all pipes are connected. In the mode of natural circulation, water flows through the underfloor heating pipe into the return line with both taps open. If you turn off the upper tap, then the water from the warm floor will move along the additional pipe towards the pump - this is a mode of rapid heating of the floor. If the bottom tap is closed when the pump is off, then the warm floor will be completely turned off.

Filling the screed

The final stage of the installation of the water floor is the pouring of the screed and the laying of the floor covering.

Step 1. To make the screed even, metal beacons are installed. They sit on pieces of concrete.

Step 2. Pieces of concrete are fixed to the base with cement mortar.

Step 3. The lighthouses are fixed to the concrete with self-tapping screws in pre-made holes. All of them must be strictly aligned.

Advice! It is better to start installing the first beacons from the side of the door. This will allow you to more correctly select their height relative to the doorway.

Step 4. A concrete solution is prepared in exact proportions.

Step 5. The concrete is evenly distributed over the prepared floor.

Important! At the time of laying the screed, the floor pipes must be filled with water.

Step 6. The concrete solution is aligned with the beacons using the rule.

Step 7. The screed is dried within 28 days. The floor is covered with a topcoat.

Video - Installation of a water floor

Video - Installation of a warm IR floor

The complexity and the whole process of manufacturing a warm floor will depend on which heating option is chosen. A water floor is perhaps the best option for arranging base heating in a private house or a new building. For those who do not want to bother with the screed, we recommend using infrared floors.

The warm floor in the apartment no longer seems like a curiosity and an obligatory element of an expensive renovation. It is available to everyone, its installation can be done independently, and the variety of modern tools and materials allows you to solve the tasks and goals in each specific room.

Benefits of underfloor heating

Underfloor heating allows you to create the most comfortable indoor climate. For example, with traditional radiator heating, warm air is generated within a radius of 1.5-2 m from the radiator, moreover, the heat partially goes to the street, due to the movement of large air masses, drafts are formed.

These disadvantages can be avoided when laying a warm floor, which heats the room evenly, eliminating humidity, the air does not dry out and no static stress is formed, which reduces the amount of dust. When the heat rises from the floor to the ceiling, it is ideally suited to the physiological needs of the person. It is especially convenient when there are small children in the house, they can safely play on the floor and there is no need to fear for their health.

If the warm floor is the main source of heat, then this improves the design of the room, allowing more convenient and rational use of the space freed from radiators.

There are the following underfloor heating systems: water heated, electric, film.

Water heat-insulated floor can be installed in private houses, cottages with an autonomous heating system, where pressure and temperature are regulated. In apartments with a centralized system, approval is required with the management company, the housing department, because the system is connected to the common house and the water, circulating through plastic pipes, loses its outlet temperature. It will reach the neighbors along the riser chilled, which is a gross violation of their rights.

The most popular and widely used is electric underfloor heating, it does not require any approvals. The principle of operation is as follows: the cables heat the cement screed, which gives off heat, warming up the air. After reaching the set temperature, the system turns off, when the floor starts to cool down, the temperature sensor will give a signal and the system will start working again. The temperature can be adjusted using a thermostat, creating optimal modes, for example, so that the heating turns on a few minutes before coming home from work, the temperature can be reduced at night, you can change the mode on weekends, etc. The only drawback is the high consumption of electricity, in areas where the cost of electricity is high, it can be costly and economically unprofitable. You need to know that the floor needs to be raised by at least 5 cm.

It is impractical to lay underfloor heating throughout the apartment. due to the screed, a large load is formed on the floors and bearing supports, the most optimal premises are the kitchen, bathroom, nursery. It is not recommended to lay underfloor heating if the flooring is parquet, because wood is a poor conductor of heat, it is well suited for ceramic tiles, linoleum, carpet.

The technology of laying an electric underfloor heating in an apartment

The laying technology is quite simple, and everyone can do it, you just need to follow certain rules. First, the base is prepared, the old flooring is removed, if necessary. In the place of the wall where the thermostat will be installed, a puncher is used to make a groove for cable routing. On the dried screed, you can lay a plastic wrap for waterproofing, in order to avoid the formation of condensation. Next, thermal insulation is laid, you can use mineral glass wool or a more modern material - penofol, one side of which is covered with foil, when laying the foil should be at the top. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the thermal insulation, the task of which is to give strength to the cement mixture, which will be laid on top and to exclude the cables from contact with the thermal insulation.

Then they start laying the cable, it can be laid in different ways: snake, spiral, in a parallel way. The usual step is 20-25 cm, it is necessary to retreat from the wall 5 cm and at least 10 cm from the radiators. In those places where the furniture will stand, the cable does not need to be laid. Installation is carried out using a mounting tape attached to the floor with dowels, it helps to avoid kinks. A special thermal sensor, without which the system cannot work, is installed in a plastic tube so that it can be replaced without opening the cement screed. The tube is laid between the cables and secured with mounting tape. It is imperative to check the correctness of the laying in order to check the reliability of the connection, using a special tester, the cable resistance is checked, it should not exceed the permissible rate. Contact and crossing of cables is unacceptable, otherwise a short circuit will occur, and during repair it is necessary to open the entire coating and dismantle the cement layer.

After checking, a screed 3-4 cm thick is made. The solution is poured very carefully, making sure that voids and bubbles do not form, which will lead to cable failure due to overheating. For the screed, only special mixtures are used, intended for warm floors, the usual ones can quickly crack due to heating and become unusable. Only after complete drying, after 4-5 days, it is possible to finish laying the flooring, and turn on the system itself only after 3-4 weeks. A wet screed can cause a short circuit, uneven drying will occur, cracks and voids form.

Choosing a cable for an electric floor

The cable plays a very important role, it is on it that the safety and service life of the floor depend. It can be single-core, two-core - more expensive and safer, the core can be made of galvanized steel, nichrome, brass, copper. The insulating layer can consist of several layers, it protects the cable from destruction and damage. In the bathroom, use damp room cables with special water-repellent insulation and connect the system to earth.

The warm floor can be made the main source of heating or as an additional system to the radiator. With the main system, for effective heating, the power of the heating elements must be at least 140-150 W per 1 sq. M., With additional heating, a power of 110-120 W is sufficient. Before buying, you need to calculate the length of the cable, taking into account the distance between the rows, on average, a kitchen with an area of 10 square meters requires 40-50 m.

Warm floor in an apartment with heating foil

The film is created on the basis of nanotechnology, acts like the sun, emitting infrared rays, ensuring uniform heating of the room. It is a flexible laminate with copper, silver and heating elements inside.

The heating film is highly reliable, has a long service life, is easy to install, does not require a cement screed and does not affect the floor height, and can be easily dismantled. Ideal for any surface - laminate, linoleum, carpet, porcelain stoneware, ceramic tiles, can be installed partially on the free space from furniture, and not on the whole room. After installation, the system is immediately ready for operation, the set temperature.

The heating film does not generate electromagnetic waves and does not emit harmful substances. It not only warms the room, but is also very useful for the human body, promotes general strengthening, activates water molecules in cells, and accelerates the removal of metabolic products from the body. Infrared systems are up to 25% more economical than cable systems, they are used as additional heating systems, as the main ones can be used only during the off-season.

Underfloor heating in an apartment is an excellent opportunity to achieve an optimal microclimate. Its service life is at least 50 years, subject to all installation rules, it is practically unlimited. It is important to select the right materials, not to heat in excess of the established indicators. Underfloor heating must be economically viable, comply with the technical capabilities of the room, not disrupt existing systems and not lead to emergency situations.

How to choose and install correctly!

What unites you and the wealthy citizens of Ancient Rome? You will be surprised - the desire to heat the floor in the house and the ability to do it. Yes, underfloor heating was present in many wealthy houses of the Roman Empire. And now you can afford it. In this article, you will learn about 15 facts that will help you choose the best underfloor heating for your home and avoid mistakes when installing it.

Fact 1: The heating system raises the floor level in the room. Most of the space is taken up by a warm water floor, least of all - by a film one.

The usual diameter of the pipes through which the coolant flows is 20 mm. Add to this the thickness of the screed - and you will understand how much higher your floor will become. The cable system must be laid in a screed about 5 cm thick. Heating mats can be laid in a layer of tile adhesive - and the floor thickness will not increase due to the heating system. The underfloor heating film itself has a minimum thickness and will not affect the height of the room. If every centimeter matters to you, choose a thermomat or film. Warm floors of the Teplolux-Tropix series are suitable for maintaining the minimum floor level. Modification 160 is used in warm rooms (including children's rooms). The Teplolux-Tropix-200 system is applicable for cold rooms (country houses, balconies, etc.).

Fact 2: for a country house, a cottage, the most energy efficient floor heating is water.

In country houses, underfloor heating is often used as the main source of heat. For example, the products of Kermi (Germany) - metal-plastic and polyethylene pipes are used in floor heating and radiator heating systems. When it is required to heat a large area, a water-heated floor is more profitable, since it practically does not consume electricity. Hot water moves from the collector through the pipes with the help of a pump, and electricity is not spent on changing the air temperature.

Photo: waterenergy.ru

Fact 3: In many city apartments, the installation of a water-heated floor is prohibited. The only possible solution in this case is the electrical system.

It is impossible to connect any devices to the central heating without agreement with the service organization. This also applies to water-heated floors. Water from the common riser, passing through the pipes of the underfloor heating, gives off heat and enters the neighboring apartments partially cooled. The pressure in the general system decreases. It is possible to mount a water floor in the city only in new modern houses, in which the builders have provided a separate riser specifically for this purpose.

Fact 4: electric floor heating allows you to quickly adjust the temperature in the room. Sometimes the water one does not have such an opportunity at all.

If the water floor is connected to a centralized heating or to a heating boiler, then the temperature of the coolant is not dependent on you. Even if there is a separate riser and a thermostat, it will not be possible to instantly change the heating, the water temperature will change gradually. Infrared floor heating reacts most quickly to new settings. When you turn it on, you will feel warm very quickly. Some models have a self-regulation function - for example, the film CALEO GOLD 170-0.5-2.0. Thanks to this function, electricity is consumed more economically - as the floor temperature rises, the power consumption decreases.

Photo: www.freetorg.com.ua

Fact 5: Finding and repairing a damaged area of an electric floor heating is easier than finding and repairing damage to a water floor.

A specialist can find a faulty section of a cable that has no voltage on it quickly and with great accuracy. You don't need to open the entire floor to replace a piece of wire. If the pipe is damaged, it is not easy to find the leak. The floor will most likely need to be disassembled to fix the system.

Fact 6: underfloor heating with thermal insulation increases its efficiency by 30-40%.

A warm floor without thermal insulation equally heats your room and the lower apartment or basement. In order not to waste energy, thermal insulation (for example, penofol) is necessarily laid with the lower layer of the warm floor. Thermal insulation is not installed under a thin warm floor (for example, a Teplolux-Mini thermomat with a mesh thickness of 1 mm, a cable - 3 mm) because of the requirements of construction documentation for the strength of the floors - it is placed only down under the screed layer. In this case, the heat loss downward will be insignificant, since the screed will retain it.

Fact 7: the type of floor covering (its ability to conduct heat, installation technique, heat resistance) affects the efficiency of a warm floor.

When choosing a floor heating system, keep in mind that a tiled floor will effectively heat cables and thermomats. Ideal underfloor heating for linoleum, laminate (thin materials) - thermal film. It is not recommended to install underfloor heating under the parquet, as the wood flooring can dry out from heating. Under a thick carpet - impractical (heat will not even reach your feet).

Fact 8: if you put underfloor heating under the topcoat, the quality of which there are doubts, the consequences can be unpleasant.

With a good flooring, nothing will happen under the influence of a warm floor. Cheap low-quality linoleum, even with such a slight heating, can deform and start to smell.

Fact 9: you do not need to install underfloor heating over the entire area of the room. And in some cases, such installation may even lead to the cancellation of the warranty.

Firstly, this is an extra power consumption. Why heat up the area of the floor where the wardrobe stands? Secondly, underfloor heating elements located under sofas, wardrobes, carpets, etc., will overheat and fail prematurely.

Fact 10: after installing the warm floor, you should have a plan of its location in your hands.

The installation diagram should contain the lines of the cable, the distance to the walls, the location of the plumbing equipment, the location of the couplings. If a preliminary diagram has been drawn up, you can make final notes on it. Otherwise, you will need a metal detector to pinpoint areas where floor drilling, furniture, or new plumbing cannot be installed.

Fact 11: you cannot install the same heating system in rooms with different temperature conditions.

Floor heating in the bedroom and, for example, on the balcony must be arranged individually. The desire to save money and mount a single system will not lead to anything good. It is also impossible to lengthen the wire and increase the area of the already laid warm floor. Therefore, calculate the floor power for each room separately.

Fact 12: An infrared floor heating cannot be installed in a "wet way".

You should be aware that the film, which forms the basis of an infrared heated floor, is afraid of aggressive environments. In particular, the alkaline environment of tile adhesive or cement-sand mixture can damage it. Therefore, the films are laid only "dry".

Fact 13: for a nursery, living room, bedroom, you should use an electric underfloor heating based on a two-core cable. For balconies, bathrooms, corridors, you can use a single-core cable.

There is an electromagnetic field around the electrical wire. Its permissible value is set in SNiP. Electric cables for underfloor heating also create electromagnetic fields. But the radiation level is low. In addition, a braided shield layer is included in the cable construction. Thanks to it, the radiation of a single-core cable is almost 60 times less than the permissible one. Underfloor heating from the British manufacturer Energy Light 0.5 - 50 can be used in dry rooms with any kind of flooring. The cable is only 2.8 mm thick and is surrounded by a solid screen of aluminum foil and copper braid.

Photo: stylehome.org

A two-core cable, which is recommended for installation in rooms where people are constantly present, has a radiation level 300 times less than the permissible value. Therefore, it is completely safe. As an example, let's take a warm floor of the same company - Energy Light Plus 8.0-1200. Cable diameter - 3.6 mm, can be used in wet rooms, under tiles, porcelain stoneware. Working temperature - up to 27 °.

Fact 14: a thermal sensor that monitors the temperature of the warm floor should be placed in a special corrugated tube and placed close to the wall in an inconspicuous corner.

Failure of the thermal sensor is one of the most common problems. If the sensor is firmly embedded in cement, the floor will have to be opened. This is easy to avoid. if the sensor is placed in a plastic sleeve in advance. Then, even after the final finishing of the floor, the sensor can be safely removed and, if necessary, replaced.

Fact 15: you need to fill the floor immediately after laying the cable, and you can turn on the heating system not earlier than the screed is completely dry. It should take about a month!

It is necessary for the mixture to dry naturally. It is impossible to accelerate this process by turning on the heating - under the influence of temperature, the cement will set unevenly, and the screed will be fragile. When laying underfloor heating, mixtures are used that are intended for this purpose. Look for the purpose and drying time on the packaging.

So what have we learned? For a house outside the city, a water heat-insulated floor is suitable, an electric one should be used for local heating. In city apartments, the installation of water floors may not be possible, but electrical ones are quite acceptable. The choice of the type of electrical heating system is directly related to the characteristics of the main floor (screed, topcoat).

When carrying out a serious renovation of an apartment, many people think about improving its comfort. Agree, a warm floor of an apartment and a separate room is one of the components of comfort and coziness. Today I want to talk about one of the systems that ensure the comfort of an apartment. This is a floor heating system.

Introduction

Hello. In the article I will formulate the very concepts of systems: a water heat-insulated floor and an electric heat-insulated floor. I will formulate the basic principles of the operation of a water and electric underfloor heating. I will also talk about the types of electric underfloor heating and separately touch on the topic: infrared film electric underfloor heating.

Underfloor heating system underfloor heating in an apartment - the principle of operation

The underfloor heating system in an apartment or house works as follows. A system of electric heat cables or water pipes is laid on the floor of the room, which evenly heats the surrounding space by transferring electrical energy to floor heat or transferring water heat to floor heat.

Underfloor heating differs in the way heat is generated. In the diagram below, all underfloor heating systems are visually visible.

Let's consider each of the types of floor heating systems in more detail.

Electric underfloor heating in the apartment

Cable electric underfloor heating

Floor heating is carried out with a special electric cable. The cable has an important characteristic - the specific heat release per 1 meter of length. It ranges from 15 to 25 kilowatts per meter.

I do not advise choosing a cable with higher specific heat generation characteristics and when installing a thermal cable do not violate the recommended distance between the threads, this can cause overheating and a short circuit of the thermal cable. Requires high-quality filling of the screed (over the cable).

Heating with thermal mats

Floor heating is carried out with special thin (4 mm) electric mats. The mats are mesh (1 mm) with a fixed heating cable (3 mm). The width of the mats is a multiple of 0.5 meters. Length from 1 to 30 meters.

Infrared film warm floor in the apartment

The floor is heated by infrared radiation. Does not require a floor screed from above, thermal insulation is needed, the connections of the bands of the infrared film underfloor heating are parallel.

The device of the underfloor heating system in the apartment: the general principle

The device of the warm floor system itself in the apartment is not difficult, in theory.

Thermal insulation material is laid on the finished leveled floor of the room,
the underfloor heating system itself is laid on the thermal insulation material: a heating cable or special electric thermomats or a system of water pipes connected to the city water supply through a special system of shut-off valves.
Further, the entire surface of the floor is filled with mortar,
after the screed has completely dried, the floor covering is laid.

Important!

It is forbidden to lay laminate on the system of cable electric underfloor heating and matt electric underfloor heating!
The matt electric underfloor heating system does not need to be poured with a screed. A layer of tile glue is enough when laying tiles on the kitchen floor or a thin finishing screed - finishing self-leveling floor!
Cable electric underfloor heating must be closed with a cement-sand screed!
The cable of the electric underfloor heating must not be cut!
Infrared film electric heat-insulated floor does not require grouting. And also on the infrared film electric heat-insulated floor system, laminate flooring is allowed.

Water heat-insulated floor for home

There are several ways to install the underfloor heating system (see the diagram above).

Concrete installation system (most common);
Wall mounting system: divided into polystyrene foam and wood mounting systems.

Installation of an electric underfloor heating system

Choosing and buying an ELECTRIC HEATED FLOOR

Before purchasing an electric floor heating system, we will make a calculation. If the electric underfloor heating system will be the main one in the kitchen, i.e. there is no other heating, the calculation should be made at the rate of 180 W (watts) per 1 square meter at the rate of at least 70% of the total kitchen area. If the electric underfloor heating system is additional to central heating, then the calculation is made from the value of 110-120 W (Watt) per square meter from the 2nd floor and above and 140 W / sq. meter for the first floor of the kitchen.

An accurate calculation of a warm electric floor must be made at the time of purchase.

Kitchen 10 square meters × 120 W / square meter = 1200 watts.
Select thermostat system: overhead, built-in, programmable, etc.
Choose the system itself: heat electric cable (single-core or two-core) or heat electric mat.

Preparatory work

We take out the furniture and completely empty the floor of the room.
We choose a place in the room for the thermostat. The thermostat must be installed on the wall of the room, at any height, not lower than 30 cm.

We prepare a place for the installation of a thermostat: we supply power to it (hidden or open, as desired). The power cable (cold cable) of the underfloor heating system must be copper, with a cross section of 3 × 2.5 mm 2. The cable is "powered" from a separate circuit breaker and protected by an RCD ().

We make a strobe for laying the current-carrying wire of the heating cable and the wire of the temperature sensor (temperature sensor). We make the strobe down from the place for the thermostat to the floor.

Thermal insulation of the floor before installing the underfloor heating

On the concrete screed, we lay the rolled heat reflector with the foil facing up. For this, heat reflectors with aluminum foil on one or both sides are best suited (for example, Izolon, Penofol). We glue the joints of the heat insulator with metallized construction tape. The thickness of the heat insulator must be selected depending on the heating conditions of the room located under your room. The colder it is at the bottom, the thicker the heat insulator at the top.

Important! When installing a warm floor system in a concrete screed, the surface of the aluminum foil of the thermal insulator must be protected with a layer of polymer. In the absence of a layer of polymer protection, the release of alkali from the screed solution very quickly corrodes the aluminum of the unprotected layer of the heat insulator foil.

Items described above 1,2,3. are common when installing an electric underfloor heating system and for a underfloor heating cable system, and for a matt floor heating system, and for a film infrared floor heating system. The next steps are slightly different.

Underfloor heating cable system

On top of the heat insulator laid and glued with tape (see item 3 above) we attach a special mounting tape every 40-60 cm. We fasten the fasteners with dowel-nails or dowel + screw. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the installation tape should be laid parallel to the wall on which the thermostat is planned to be installed. Accordingly, the loops for laying the thermal cable will be located perpendicular to this wall. What is this for? This is done in order to lay the temperature sensor of the underfloor heating system into the open loop of the system (see the figure above).

After fixing the mounting tape, we check the routing of the thermal cable and check its length. Correcting mistakes is much more difficult than anticipating them. Next: we lay the heating cable itself.

We start laying from the connecting sleeve of the "cold" conductor from the thermostat and the "hot" conductor, the thermal cable, and continue throughout the room.

Note: Here I will dwell on the difference between a two-core heating cable and a single-core one.

Single core heating cable

The principle of installing a single-core heating cable is as follows: from where we start to lay there and finish. In other words, single-core cable routing is looped back.

Two core heating cable

We start from the thermostat and finish wherever we want, well suited for long corridors and curved architecture rooms.

We lay the cable in loops, the bend of the loop should be at least 5 cm. At the same time, we observe the calculated laying step, We calculate it according to the formula:

T = S. 100 / L, where: T - pitch between turns, (cm)
S - cable laying area, (m 2)
L - cable length (m)
The laying step should not be less than 8 cm.
The minimum distance from the cable to the wall is 5 cm.
The minimum distance from the thermal cable to any heating devices in the room is 10 cm.

From the thermostat into a pre-prepared groove, we put a temperature sensor in a corrugated pipe. The end of the pipe must be muffled from the screed solution or self-leveling floor. The corrugated pipe thickness is at least 16 mm.

After laying the cable, laying the temperature sensor, we work with the solution.

Underfloor heating screed

Before installing the screed in the thermal insulator, we make cuts in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 50 cm from each other for better adhesion of the screed to the concrete base.

The cutouts on the thermal insulator are not required if you are making the flooring with mesh reinforcement.

We make any cement screed with a thickness of 7-10 cm. DSP, a screed with a leveler, a semi-dry screed will do.

After the main screed has dried, fill in a self-leveling screed (self-leveling floor) with a thickness of 2-3 cm.

Important! At the same time, use a roller more carefully to knock air out of the screed. Do not damage the insulation of the hot cable.

While waiting, we set the control of the temperature sensor-thermostat. The system of cable electric underfloor heating in the screed is ready!

Important! Before starting to work with solutions for pouring, be sure to check the electric HEATED FLOOR system in operation.

That's all! Now you have an idea of what a warm floor system is. Good luck in your endeavors!

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