Warm floor on the balcony. Warm floor on the balcony and loggia: which is better Which warm floor is better on the balcony

Warm floor on the balcony - actual problem, since they are increasingly being converted into additional rooms. If there are cold floors in such rooms, then the benefits from them will practically be reduced to zero.

In most cases, when installing a warm floor, you simply cannot do without a subfloor. The video is below.

Why choose a wooden sub-floor for a balcony:

the wooden floor is quite easy to install;
it is lightweight, which is very important for a balcony;
very convenient for leveling the floor levels on the balcony and in the room;
perfectly insulates the balcony slab under your feet, especially if the balcony is not insulated from below;
any heating can be installed on it - infrared film and rod, electrical cable ny and even water.

There are many approaches to creating underfloor heating for balconies, and any homeowner can choose the best option for himself.

In order not to be excruciatingly painful, it is worth familiarizing yourself with which floor and with which components to choose. The video is below.

Infrared floor on the balcony

A popular solution to how to make a warm floor on a balcony is infrared systems. This type of flooring is an extremely thin and flexible film with a thickness of 0.3 mm. The infrared heater consists of two conductive strips made using Carbon NanoTube technology. Electricity is supplied by a silver-copper wire, the film is completely sealed and laminated with a fire-retardant polymer.

In addition, it has a stable resistance to the influence of the atmosphere and moisture. The connection of such a film to the electricity network is carried out through a temperature controller mounted in convenient place... If the infrared film is damaged mechanically only the place of damage stops its work, and the rest of the system will function unchanged.

Infrared floor heating on the balcony is of two types - rod and film.

The first option is made from interconnected wires and carbon rods. Film models are produced as rolls of thin material with stripes that heat up.

Film left and pivot.

The installation of a film type of floors, which is considered less troublesome, begins with the design of their location and the implementation of measurements. After that, a reflecting screen is mounted so that the thermal form of radiation is directed to the center of the room. Then the infrared film is laid down with copper busbars, while remembering that it is cut strictly in sections. All elements of the film are connected using clips and wires, and on the other hand - with special insulation.

Then comes the stage of installing the temperature controller, for this they put a separate outlet and connect electric wires... After that, the thermal sensor is connected and the entire system is completely installed, and it is also laid flooring.

Detailed instructions using the example of a room can be found below.

Benefits of infrared floors:

They are quickly installed. It doesn't matter at all which floor view the coating will subsequently lie on the balcony.
Thanks to the use of a thermostat, you can correctly adjust the room temperature, and since the film heats up quickly, the room will instantly feel warm.
When heated, floors do not change the humidity of the surrounding air.
They work silently, do not emit harmful vapors and dust.

The use of such a floor will allow you to make a warm and cozy room out of the balcony.

Electric look flooring

Another type of flooring that can be used on balconies is the electric floor. Usually, specialists are hired to install it, since it has its own specifics.

Thanks to the differences between rooms and balconies of 10-12 cm, a large thermal insulation layer can be made. The main heat source of electrical flooring is wire, which converts electricity into heat.

The heating cable is fiberglass reinforced, sometimes it consists of two conductors that conduct current, a copper conductor, a polyester film, an aluminum screen and a PVC layer.

Installation of an electric floor is performed in several stages. First, the space is insulated to enhance the heating effect. Then select a suitable insulating section and fix each layer of cable installation with mounting tape. Between the turns of the wire, a thermal sensor is placed in a corrugation. The cold end of the heating section together with the wire from the temperature sensor is fed to the thermostat. An experienced technician should install such a device. Then a screed (3-5 cm) is poured over the cable and connected, waiting for the surface to harden naturally.

A typical installation scheme for a warm - cable floor.

Quite calmly, you can do without a screed, equipping a warm floor on top of a wooden - well-insulated rough floor. The video is below.

Such a heating system is considered rather complicated and somewhat laborious to install, but if you make these floors on the balcony, you can get a large and uniform level of heating around the entire perimeter of the room. In addition, such a flooring can protect from drafts on the balcony, since warm air will create a temperature barrier.

Water deck

Water underfloor heating is the name of the heating system, which consists of a pipeline and a heat carrier mixing unit. The heat source is water, which circulates through a specially designed flexible pipe.

Such a floor is suitable only for those houses and apartments that have an individual type of heating. Install water decking on the balcony from central heating is prohibited.

This is due to the fact that this heating structure causes increased heat selection and hydraulic resistance of the overall system, and this can lead to serious consequences.

In order not to bite your elbows later, before you independently start creating a water floor or not be a fool, ordering installation from the masters, you need to familiarize yourself with the general principles of the system. The video is below.

The water floor is laid in the form of a "snail" or "snake". The first option is great for spacious balconies, and the second is great for small spaces. To make a water floor, different types of pipes are used: metal-plastic, copper, polypropylene and polyethylene. Practitioners advise giving preference to a metal-plastic pipe.

Types of pipe laying.

In addition, it is necessary to select a collector system - a stroke from of stainless steel... These devices are considered a source of water floors, they are mechanical and electronic. The installation of the water collector is carried out in a special cabinet or in a niche prepared in the wall.

General scheme of the collector.

Before constructing a water-heated floor on the balcony with your own hands, it is necessary to carry out a number of preliminary works. First, they are determined with a laying drawing, make up a list of tools and materials. Be sure to check in what condition the balcony slab is in order to understand whether it will withstand the load. Usually, a water-heated floor is installed after preliminary screed of the balcony area. As soon as the solution hardens, a heat-insulating layer is laid, and for this, penoplex is used. Then a damper tape is glued along the walls, a reinforcing mesh is placed, which will prevent the displacement of the metal-plastic elements.

After that, pipes are laid, starting from the collector, which was previously installed. Then the ends of the elements that fit the manifold are put on in a corrugation and connected to the main device. Within 24 hours it is necessary to check the functioning of the heating system under a water pressure of 5-6 bar. This is done to identify possible leaks. Then everything is turned off, and pipes filled with water are poured with a mixture about 3 cm high. This type of flooring can be covered with laminate or tiles.

How to lay a light water floor on a balcony on a wooden rough floor - also light, without overloading the balcony, we will see the video below.

Water floors have a number of advantages:

create uniform heating over the entire surface of the balcony;
maintain the necessary humidity on the balcony, prevent mold;
will last a long time and safely.

If you make warm floors on the balcony, you can get a full-fledged heated room. Such a balcony will be the perfect embodiment of the most daring design decisions.

In our apartments, where every square centimeter of area is used, making a warm floor on the balcony and loggia with your own hands and using them as an office or a relaxation area is a tempting solution. It's nice to go out in the winter with a cup of coffee on the balcony, feeling bare feet warm floor!

Underfloor heating on the balcony or in the loggia is also necessary when you need to additionally insulate and heat this room. For example, if you want to use it as a separate room (say, an office) or equip a winter garden.

What is "warm floor"?

Underfloor heating is a space heating system in which heating elements are located in the floor, and no batteries are required. The technology is relatively new, but it is quite possible to make a warm floor on the loggia with your own hands.

Today, there are three known underfloor heating systems with different heat carriers:

Water heat-insulated floor;
Electric underfloor heating has two subsystems:

Cable
Heating mats

Film (infrared) warm floor.

Hot water is used in the water floor heating, as the name implies.

Despite its apparent simplicity, this option is not suitable for execution in apartment buildings for the following reasons:

in the heating system, the temperature of the coolant is 90 °, for a warm floor no higher than 40 ° is required;
coolant pipes laid on a heater and embedded in a screed, the thickness of which is 20-30 mm greater than the diameter of the pipes, will significantly raise the floor level. It is impossible to maintain the height in the light from floor to ceiling required by the standards of 2.4 m with a floor height of 2.8 m, without taking into account the thickness of the floor;
to connect to the heating system, a permit from the housing department is required;
if you manage to obtain such a permit, and the height of the ceiling will allow you to make a warm water floor, you will need a complex system for regulating the temperature of the coolant, and the warm floor will be warm only during the heating season!

If your goal is to install a water underfloor heating on a balcony in a cottage with an individual water heating system - then this system is optimal.

An electric underfloor heating is easier to perform. With minimal electricity consumption, its device does not require a permit. It can be difficult to lay cables, but the installation of heating mats is simple and accessible to a person without the skills of a builder.

It is even easier to make a film warm floor, it does not require a screed. Heating films are placed in a layer of tile adhesive (if the floor covering is a tile), or covered with a substrate (in the case of a laminate covering).

Infrared floors are not much more expensive than heating mats. Cable floors are cheaper than mats, but a thick screed is required, and this is an additional waste of money and time, since the screed takes time to mature.

Floor insulation is a necessary preliminary stage

We begin the work on laying a warm floor of any system with insulating a concrete slab of a balcony or loggia. This stage is necessary if you do not want to heat the street together with the floor. Even if the neighbors below have insulated their balcony, your insulation is still necessary. You will need materials:

Several solid bricks;
Vapor barrier material;
Insulation;
Cement-sand mortar for masonry;
Wooden beam with a section of 50x50 mm;
For subfloors - moisture resistant chipboard, fiberboard or cement - particle board;
Level;
Self-tapping screws.

At this stage, you make a warm floor on a loggia or balcony - the difference is small: in terms of material consumption for the loggia, you do not need a brick and mortar - there is initially a wall around the perimeter.

We begin laying the warm floor on the balcony by laying a brick side on the outer edge of the slab. We put the brick on the edge with mortar, the side is 130 mm high (120 - brick and 10 mm mortar). After 3-4 days, when the solution has set, we put a layer of vapor barrier on a cleaned, washed and dried base. The vapor barrier protects the insulation from absorbing moisture from the air, the wet insulation does not work.

As a vapor barrier, a special non-woven material is used - geotextile or rolled bitumen-polymer materials (technoelast, uniflex). The budget option is plastic wrap.

It is not recommended to use materials such as roofing material (cardboard impregnated with bitumen), roofing felt (leather or fabric impregnated with bitumen), glassine (kraft paper impregnated with bitumen) for vapor barrier - they last up to 5 years, and they are permissible only in temporary structures ... The vapor barrier is laid dry.

On top of the vapor barrier, we build a frame from a bar on self-tapping screws, the cell of the frame is not more than 60x60 cm. The bar for the frame must be antiseptic (protected from rotting in a humid environment) and impregnated with a fire retardant (protection against fire). Using wedges made of wood or chipboard to building level display the frame horizontally. We put insulation in the cells of the frame.

As a heater, we use slabs based on stone (basalt) wool - an effective lightweight material with excellent thermal performance, 50 mm thick. As a budget option - plates from extruded polystyrene foam grade 35. The insulation has a zero water absorption rate, low density and thermal conductivity. Both materials belong to the group of non-combustible. We cover the insulation with another layer of vapor barrier, which we attach to the frame with a stapler.

We put a subfloor on the frame - cement - fibrous, chipboard or wood - fibrous moisture resistant boards, fix them to the frame with self-tapping screws. If you have chosen a water or cable system as the underfloor heating system, the heating elements of which are laid in a screed, we recommend using cement-bonded particleboard for the subfloor, as it is the most resistant to moisture.

The insulation is completed, we are proceeding with the installation of the warm floor.

Do-it-yourself water-heating floor on the balcony

How to make a water-heated floor on a balcony? Having purchased the required materials -

coolant pipes,
foil gasket,
temperature sensor,
thermostat,
dry mortar mixture for screed,
vapor barrier,
damper tape -

let's get to work. The technology for making a water-heated floor on the balcony is not complicated, but there are some subtleties:

a foil insulating gasket is spread over the subfloor, reflecting the heat flow upward;
if planned warm skirting board- in the wall along the perimeter of the balcony, a strobe is made for the coolant pipe at the level of the finished floor;
coolant pipes are laid out with a gap of 30-40 cm and attached to the collector;
we lay the temperature sensor, mount the thermostat on the wall in an accessible place;
along the perimeter, a damper tape is glued to the wall, which compensates for the thermal expansion of the screed with a temperature difference;
perform a screed - pour a solution of light fine-grained concrete or another recommended by the manufacturer of the floor system. The screed must be homogeneous, without voids, with a height of 20-30 mm more than the diameter of the coolant pipes. The air is driven out with a brush. The horizontal is verified by the beacons. The screed is left for 3-4 weeks to ripen;
cover the screed with a layer of vapor barrier;
lay a clean floor.

For a water-heated floor on a balcony or loggia, a ceramic tile covering is ideal; a laminate that is approved by the manufacturer for use for a water-heated floor can be laid.

The underfloor heating can be linoleum or carpet.

If you want a warm plinth, to install the coolant pipe, you need to make a line in the wall along the perimeter of the loggia or balcony, otherwise the insulated plinth will protrude from the wall plane by 80-100 mm. Installation of a water-heated floor on the loggia completely repeats the above scheme.

Electric underfloor heating on the balcony

Installation of an electric underfloor heating is easier than a water one. There are no such harsh conditions when pouring the screed, and the screed itself is thinner. Main stages:

Installation of heat-reflecting foil pad.
Layout of the heating cable or mats according to the manufacturer's instructions, installation of the system under a warm skirting board;
Installation of a temperature sensor and thermostat, connection of the supply and return cables to the power supply system.
Bonding damper tape around the perimeter of the walls;
Pouring the screed from a light mortar, 15-20 mm thick, along the beacons, forcing air.
Implementation of clean floors and skirting boards.

For an electric underfloor heating on a loggia or balcony, any material is suitable as a covering: ceramic tile, natural stone, laminate, linoleum - it all depends on the taste of the owner.

Now let's take a closer look at each stage.

Preparatory work

First, you need to remove all layers of the old flooring from the balcony. Only clean concrete should remain. The surface must be cleaned of dirt and dust so that all layers of the future floor are perfectly mounted.

To install an electric underfloor heating, it is necessary to obtain a flat and insulated surface. Therefore, it is necessary to make a sub-floor that will contain the insulation layer. The subfloor must be high enough, but not violate the following technical requirements:

the step between the room and the balcony should not exceed 15 cm;
the total height of the balcony must be more than 2.4 meters;
the height of the balcony railing must be at least 1 meter;
if there are small children in the house, the minimum height of the fence is increased to 1.5 meters.

Work on the insulation of the floor on the balcony begins with the creation of a subfloor.

After completing the insulation work, the balcony fence can be extended. However, do not make the subfloor too high. This will reduce its durability and make the use of the balcony not very convenient for the residents of the apartment.

For more information on the preliminary work before laying the warm floor, see this video:

Thermal insulation of the base of the balcony

Screw on the concrete base of the balcony crossbeams from a bar at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. They do not need to be leveled in height, since the longitudinal beams will be responsible for the evenness of the floor.

Then screw the longitudinal beams to the transverse beams - after 25-30 centimeters. Select the highest spot on the longitudinal beams and level the entire floor using mounting wedges or pieces of chipboard. By placing them under the beams, make the base of the floor as flat as possible.

The entire space between the beams must be filled with insulation. For example, mineral wool is suitable.

Chipboard sheets are laid on the finished base of the floor. Use here plain plywood or boards are not allowed. The peculiarities of the use of the floor will quickly render the boards unusable. Chipboard is screwed to the longitudinal beams with self-tapping screws.

Next, you will need construction foam... With its help, it is necessary to seal the seams between the chipboard sheets, as well as between the sheets and walls of the house. This will ensure proper insulation of the future floor. On this rough work end.

Electrical cable installation

The next stage in the preparation of a warm floor is the installation of an electrical cable. A special heat cable is laid with a "snake", and the laying pitch (the distance between the cable turns) must be calculated in each individual case.

If the step is too small, a huge amount of expensive cable will be consumed, and the owner of the apartment will receive nasty bills from government services every month. If the step is increased, the efficiency of the floor will not be high at all.

Therefore, the calculation of the step of laying the heat cable must be performed according to a special formula:

L = Ww.kab * 100 / Ww. sex

Formula values:

L is the step length of the heat cable, cm;
Wud.kab - the power required for one meter of cable (on average, it is 20 W / min, depending on the type of cable);
Wood. floor - the specific power of the floor, which is calculated per square meters. The normal indicator of specific power is considered to be 200-230 W * m2.

The cable should be laid along the balcony. Every bend in a heat cable is a waste of energy and floor efficiency. On standard balconies, with an area of about 5 square meters, the laying step is approximately 10 cm. optimal distance between the wire.

Watch this video to see the installation of a warm electric cable floor visually:

Underfloor heating connection

The cable is fixed on a special mounting tape, laid with a snake over the entire future balcony floor. Then the heat cable is connected through the thermostat to the network. This device is necessary to regulate the heating of a warm floor.

A floor sensor must also be connected. Otherwise, you will not be able to monitor the normal operation of all systems. If you are pondering how to insulate a cold concrete floor on a loggia with ideal conditions for a tile, then the installation of a regulator and sensors is simply necessary. Different tiles will reduce the heating efficiency of the balcony.

After completing the connection of all the necessary devices, you need to test the system. We check the integrity of all electrical connections, the operation of each piece of cable. If you miss a mistake at this stage, it will be very difficult to fix it later.

Screed and finish for electric underfloor heating

The next step is the screed. It is poured with liquid cement and serves as the basis for the future decoration of your balcony. Do not use metal elements to reinforce the screed. This can cause malfunctions in the electrical equipment of the underfloor heating.

After completing all the work, the balcony should stand for about five days. During this time, the screed will dry completely, it will be possible to lay the finishing material. It is not recommended to use parquet or linoleum, because these materials are heat insulators.

The best option for this type of balcony insulation is tiles. It adds efficiency to the electric balcony heating system.

Tile - optimal coverage for electric balcony floor

Film (infrared) floor heating device

In terms of ease of installation, an infrared warm floor holds the lead among all systems, since it does not require a screed. Step by step works:

We lay out the heat-reflecting gasket;
We lay out and install infrared films into the system, including a warm skirting board;
We install a regulator and a temperature sensor;
We lay the substrate;
We carry out finish coating, install the skirting boards.

Film underfloor heating is quickly mounted, used immediately after installation, and is characterized by uniform heating of the floor surface. For covering in this system it is best to use laminate and other wood materials: board, parquet, and also carpet.

The film underfloor heating is characterized by low energy consumption and a service life of up to 50 years.

In case of failure of one of the sections, the system will continue to work, and repairs will not be difficult. Higher material costs are offset by lower operating costs.

As a specialist comment

The choice of a floor heating system is a matter of economics and consumer taste. The device of a warm floor on the balcony is fundamentally no different from the device of a warm floor on the loggia.

Not considering the water underfloor heating system as not widely used due to legal restrictions, of the other two systems, both electric underfloor heating and infrared have no restrictions.

The choice of a clean floor covering affects the choice of a floor heating system:

Tile - good for any system
Laminate and other wood materials, linoleum, carpet - the best choice film warm floor.

When using laminate and other wood materials, linoleum, carpet, make sure that no precipitation falls on the floors - the balcony or loggia must be glazed. It is better to consider the device of a warm floor on a balcony or loggia as part of a comprehensive insulation, use the same materials for insulation.

Installing a warm floor on a loggia or balcony with your own hands is an interesting and useful process, which does not cause any special problems to the skillful owner of the premises. Anyone who is serious about the process can do all the work with their own hands.

After reading the article, you have any questions or have personal experience for self-installation of warm floors on a balcony or loggia? Please share them in the comments.

If you found the article useful for yourself, please share a link to it on social networks.

How to create comfortable conditions in the cold season not only in the living quarters of the apartment, but also where the builders did not provide for heating radiators? It is about balconies and loggias.

In cities where living space is very limited, they often become cozy nooks for relaxation. But how do you make them warm and comfortable? One of the options is to lay a warm floor on the balcony, having previously insulated the outer walls and installing plastic windows.

How to do it right? Which heating system to choose? You can find the answers to these questions in our article.

Features of the floor for the balcony

The most important issue when arranging a balcony is the ability to reduce heat loss. First of all, it starts with the installation of double-glazed windows and insulation of the ceiling and walls. After completing these works, you can start looking for a heat source. It is unrealistic to take out radiators to the balcony, extending the heating system for a city apartment. Therefore, only floor heating remains. Which of the existing systems to choose?

But the balcony floor has its own characteristics. Firstly, it is not insulated during the construction of the building. Secondly, it has small area which can make it difficult to install heating cables. Thirdly, it is not designed for heavy weight. Therefore, not all types of underfloor heating available on the construction market can be used to insulate a balcony.

Which heating system to use

Since the balcony floor is most often a small-sized floor slab, you will have to give up water heating. Electric models remain:

Infrared
Cable
Film

Which one to choose for the loggia? If you follow the recommendations of the manufacturers of heating cables, then their power should be about 190 W / m². Based on these values, ultra-thin film warm floors will have to be discarded immediately. They are available up to 160 W / m². So cable-based models remain.

Moreover, the latter fits on an area of at least 70% of the entire room, under a concrete screed. Thickness, which is allowed up to 7 cm. But it is better if tiles are chosen as the floor covering.

Infrared floor heating on the loggia is used no less often than cable. Usually it is laid under laminate or parquet flooring. Since of all existing models underfloor heating, it is the only one that does not lead to drying and cracking of wooden floor coverings. It can have a wattage of 180 to 220 W / m², which is ideal for a balcony.

Installation of such a floor is carried out using a dry method. A layer of foil-clad thermal insulation is laid on the prepared surface, on top of which a heating film is placed. Then the entire structure of the warm floor is covered with a laminate or board.

Electric cable - everything you need to know about it

The device of a warm floor on the balcony has its own specifics. Typically, the difference between the loggia and the living quarters is from 10 to 15 cm. This allows you to use a large layer of thermal insulation laid under the cable.

If your goal is to achieve a comfortable temperature on the loggia, similar to the climate of living quarters, then you will have to use extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 2 to 5 cm or other similar material.

Wiring diagram for a warm electric floor

This will help prevent heat from spreading downward. The thickness of the concrete screed or tile adhesive can also be increased to 5 cm. Of course, this will slightly increase the heating time of the floor covering, but at the same time it will be compensated by the large cooling inertia. Since cable underfloor heating for a balcony is most often used not for heating, but as heating, then when calculating the cable, a specific power of up to 250W / m² is taken into account.

Using such a design, the laying step is calculated by the formula - the area divided by the length of the heating element. But for an ordinary cable, the distance between adjacent cores is 5 cm, which is practically difficult to accomplish. Therefore, for a balcony, they usually take a warm floor with an increased power of 28 W / m running. If necessary, heating elements can be laid on the walls of the loggia.

Before installing the cable, the floor surface must be leveled and insulated. A metal mesh is laid on top of the thermal insulation layer to which the heating element will be attached with clamps. This method allows you to achieve the optimal design pitch.

When installing the cable, it is necessary to take precautions so as not to damage it on the mesh. After the installation is completed, the screed is poured. She represents cement-sand mixture... Then the floor remains uncoated for several days until the mortar is completely dry, and only then the laminate, board or other material is laid.

Before performing the tie, do not forget to sketch the position of the cable, its couplings. And after the floor is poured, the resistance of the insulation and heating elements is measured.

Infrared film

Application is not always possible cement-sand screed for arranging a warm floor, since its weight may exceed the maximum permissible for a floor slab. In such cases, infrared film is used. It is based on heating elements that emit heat rays. They do not heat the air, but directly the floor covering and this is different from the cable models.

Connection diagram for infrared floors

Infrared underfloor heating can be installed under any floor covering. Their operation is possible immediately after installation. But due to their design features and the method of installation, the infrared film cannot be placed on areas where furniture will be located.

Comparing infrared and cable heating options, we can say with confidence that the first is more profitable for use on a balcony or loggia. This is achieved through:

the film radiates heat from the entire surface, and the cable only radiates along the power rods
the small thickness of the infrared floor screed compared to the electric one saves energy
heating objects (for infrared), and not air, allows you to achieve a comfortable temperature in the room much faster

After conducting this comparative analysis, we were able to convince ourselves of the possibility of saving even with an electric underfloor heating.

What do consumers choose?

To make a warm floor on a balcony or loggia is available to everyone. There are a lot of materials for the installation of a specific system on the market, which allows you to make a choice at your own discretion.

There are differences between the manufacturers' proposals, so you shouldn't skimp on quality. You should purchase products famous brands... This will help to get the most comfortable temperature on the balcony or loggia at no additional cost.

If the choice is made in favor of infrared film, then its advantage is the possibility of using it with any floor covering. It does not require an expensive grout screed and can be turned on immediately after installation. Installation of infrared systems is very simple, if necessary, such a warm floor can be moved to another place. It is these qualities that have made infrared systems the most popular and have brought them a huge number of positive reviews.

In favor of film warm floors is the fact that their use is completely safe for people living in the house. But there are different opinions about cable. Many people think they are unhealthy to use and consume a lot of electricity. So make your own conclusions.

What do you choose?

So, what model of warm floor have you decided to place on your balcony? If you haven't made a choice yet, explore two options: cable and infrared. Which one will be optimal for you depends on the characteristics of the room to be insulated, the floor covering and the desired result.

Having chosen one of them, you can do the styling yourself, but it is better to invite specialists. Since they will be able to cope with this task much faster and better.

The floor is the coldest of all building envelopes. Considering that a person is constantly in contact with the floor surface, homeowners have long sought to make this contact comfortable. Laying insulation under the finishing of floors, cladding with materials with high heat-insulating characteristics are passive measures in this direction, since they are aimed only at retaining heat in the room, and not at generating it. The emergence of systems called in everyday life "warm floors" has become a solution to the problem, moreover, not only comfortable contact with the floor surface, but also their heating.

Underfloor heating has long ceased to be exotic, but the rather high cost of arranging housing with them still prevents the widespread use of this equipment in everyday life. However, users who have equipped their homes with underfloor heating and appreciated their advantages are seeking to expand the scope of these systems, while putting up with even a decrease in their effectiveness.

Warm floor under the tiles on the balcony with panoramic glazing

Consider how to install a warm floor on a balcony, without confusing it with a loggia, and the rationale for performing this operation.

Types of underfloor heating systems

The task of this type of heating equipment is to increase the temperature of the floor finish to a value that is comfortable for contact with the human body. This is achieved by heating the layer arranged under the floor cladding, in which the heating circuit is located. This layer can be made of cement-sand mortar or other material - depending on the type and design of the underfloor heating.

Underfloor heating principle

The heating circuit transfers heat to the surrounding material, which in turn transfers it finishing... The heated floor cladding initiates air convection from the floor to the ceiling - even, without concentrated currents, which leads to a more comfortable heating mode of the room.

Comparison of convection from a radiator and underfloor heating

By the origin of the heat delivered, heating circuits are divided into water and electrical. Underfloor heating that uses water and electricity also received the same name.

Underfloor heating

Heating circuit such a floor is a flat coil from a tube through which a coolant circulates - hot water or antifreeze solution. Moving along the contour, the liquid through the walls of the tube gives off heat to the material environment and re-enters the heater.

Types of layout of the water heating circuit

The hot water source for the heating circuit can be a central heating system or an autonomous boiler.

In the first case, the coil does not need additional equipment, only shut-off valves are needed at the tie-in points.

If it is planned to arrange underfloor heating from an autonomous boiler, then, in addition to the circuit, it is necessary to install an expansion tank and a distribution unit with automatic control.

Electric underfloor heating

In electric underfloor heating, the heat generator is a heating circuit, which is connected to the household network through an automation system.

Electric underfloor heating is produced with three types of heating circuits:

cable;
in the form of mats;
infrared.

The first type is made of special self-regulating small-section cables that heat up when current passes through them, the second is an improved version of the first (laid on the base), the third is from infrared plate emitters.

Features of the operation of balconies

Both closed and open balconies- these are structures that have a special location, which determines individual design and performance characteristics.

Balcony slabs do not have support for outside and protrude from the load-bearing walls of the façade like cantilevers. In this regard, balconies, according to GOST, their maximum load is only 200 kg / m 2.
The enclosing structures of the balcony rooms from the street side are thinner, and therefore it is much colder in these rooms in winter.
The balconies of the upper floors are difficult to access for outdoor work.
The glazing area of balconies, as a rule, is significant, and what adds another negative factor is the water on the floor.

Based on the listed features, the following conclusions can be drawn:

The installation of warm floors on the balcony without insulation of the enclosing structures is ineffective.
and the floor should be made of light materials, easier - from the inside.
The finish of the balcony floor in the area of possible contact with atmospheric moisture must be moisture resistant.

Let's take a closer look at how to make thermal insulation of the enclosing structures of balcony rooms.

How to insulate the floor on the balcony

During the operation of underfloor heating, the maximum heat loss will be through the balcony slab. If the balcony of the neighbors below is not heated, then the heat loss will be even more significant. This means that the implementation of thermal insulation of the supporting base is mandatory, and the technology is selected depending on the design of the balcony and the height of the ceilings.

In private houses with high ceilings and loggias, the slabs of which rest on columns or walls, the choice of floor insulation methods is wide - you can use both solid sheet polymeric materials (penoplex, polystyrene, polyurethane foam), and loose (expanded clay, slag), laid with a layer of the necessary thickness.

For apartment balconies, you have to choose a material with reference to the situation, and to the detriment of efficiency, reduce the thickness of the bulk insulation.

In order for the effect of thermal insulation from expanded clay to be acceptable, the layer from it must be at least 5 cm, and for high-quality performance - up to 20 cm.

Thermal insulation of a balcony floor with expanded clay

The name "expanded clay" means expanded clay sand and gravel different sizes fractions. As a heater, this material has been used for a long time and is popular to this day, since, with the availability of the price range, it is close in merits to modern heat-shielding materials.

Gravel expanded clay is produced in the following fractions:

5-10 mm;
10–20 mm;
20-40 mm.

Fraction up to 5 mm is called expanded clay sand.

The larger the fraction, the higher the thermal insulation characteristics of expanded clay, but at the same time the greater its susceptibility to shrinkage.

Expanded clay is a hygroscopic material, and, after getting wet, it loses its thermal insulation properties, and dries for a long time. Therefore, the floor for laying expanded clay must be equipped with steam and waterproofing so that the moisture of the concrete does not accumulate in the insulation. For this purpose, a technical polyethylene film 0.5 mm thick is suitable; bulges with sharp edges should be cut off from it, and shells with a depth of more than 3 mm should be filled with cement mortar.

Checking the surface quality of the load-bearing concrete base

Important! The strips of the upper layer of polyethylene are laid across the lower one, and the overlaps of the film are coated from the inside with bitumen mastic.

On top of the obtained vapor barrier coating, expanded clay is laid to the intended level. To facilitate the subsequent leveling of the surface of the filled-in insulation, you can preliminarily install "beacons" or temporary guide rails on the floor.

Alignment with a lath of laid expanded clay

If the height of the ceilings allows, it is better to backfill in two layers, placing a fraction of 5-10 mm below, and 10-20 mm on top.

Then, along the perimeter of the room, a damper tape 10 cm wide is glued to the wall along the edge of expanded clay, which will take on the thermal expansion of the materials to be laid.

On top of a layer of expanded clay insulation, a reinforced screed made of cement-sand mortar 5 cm thick is arranged. As reinforcement, a mesh with a cell of approximately 10x10 cm made of steel or fiberglass rod is used, which can be easily knitted by hand. Before pouring concrete, the mesh is laid on expanded clay and positioned so that its plane is closer to the lower surface of the future screed.

Diagram of a floor insulation device with expanded clay

At the end of the pouring, the concrete is covered with a cellophane film and within 28 days it is fully cured.

Insulation of the floor is carried out in the same way with solid thermal insulation materials, for example, extruded polystyrene foam (foam) 3-5 cm thick - a durable sheet insulator that can withstand the load from the weight of a person standing on it.

It is convenient to put screed beacons on this material - screw long self-tapping screws to the required depth. The height of the ceilings when using foam plastic suffers less, but the price of this material is higher than the cost of foam and expanded clay.

Thermal insulation of walls

Considering that the hardness of the insulation for walls is not of fundamental importance, there are many materials with suitable characteristics today - mineral and polymer, sheet and roll, hard and soft.

When it comes to housing, it is better to abandon the use of mineral wool materials - due to their hygroscopicity, they need additional protection.

Consider the device for wall insulation using sheet polymer insulation using one of these materials as an example.

Insulation of balcony walls with expanded polystyrene

This insulation is one of the types of polystyrene, which is widespread in everyday life and is often called such. This material has many advantages, and at the same time it is cheap.

The method of attaching expanded polystyrene to the wall depends on the base material and the planned finish.

Insulation from the inside to the wall can be mounted in the following ways:

glue on PVA or other composition that does not contain aggressive solvents;
mount on special wedging fungi;
insert into a frame made of wooden blocks or cd profiles.

Internal thermal insulation balcony walls

And on top of the insulation, the following finishing is applied:

reinforcing painting net with subsequent puttying and painting, wallpapering;
cladding on the frame with plastic panels, siding or clapboard.

Having carried out the insulation of the balcony or loggia with expanded polystyrene, from warm floors you can expect not only pleasant contact, but also heating the room.

Warm floor of a residential balcony under tiles

Having considered the methods of insulating the bearing plate and walls, you can proceed to the choice of a warm floor system.

Of the two main groups of this equipment - water and electric, systems on water seem to be more attractive. But the installation of the water heating circuit is carried out in a screed 5 cm thick.Taking into account that the floor was insulated under it, followed by the laying of a bearing layer of concrete of approximately the same thickness, for the balconies of most apartment buildings of the old building, such a load on the base will be dangerous.

In addition, in such houses, the connection to central heating requires approval, and in 99% of cases it will not be crowned with success, since the additional load from the operation of underfloor heating in individual apartments disturbs the balance of the entire water heating system of an apartment building.

Important! If the premises small area, then connecting his underfloor heating system to central heating may not affect the quality of heating the house as a whole, but such unauthorized actions are fraught with fines.

Therefore, underfloor heating on water is not suitable for old houses.

Then consider modern houses with a free layout, for example, project P44T, in which the connection of warm water floors to central heating is allowed.

Connecting underfloor heating on the balcony to central heating

At first glance, this solution has significant a plus in the form of low cost performance (no need to purchase water heating equipment) and the absence of energy costs.

Connecting the water heating circuit to the central heating

But further analysis of the situation somewhat reduces the enthusiasm due to the following available cons :

dependence on the operating mode of the boiler room (beginning and end of the heating season, emergency, scheduled work);
possible unacceptability for the installed equipment of the parameters of the coolant in the system, especially the temperature (up to 70 0 С), while in the underfloor heating circuit it should not exceed 40 0 С.

However, central heating is not the only source of hot water.

Floors with autonomous water heating

If you refuse to connect to central heating, then the water floors can be connected to an autonomous boiler, if, of course, there is one. But even if it is available, in addition to installing the circuit, it is necessary to install an expansion tank and a distribution unit with automatic control.

Distribution unit (collector, mixing unit) is an automatic system of valves and regulators responsible for the temperature of the coolant at the inlet to the circuit. Depending on the manually set temperature values, the distribution unit adds the required amount of hot liquid to the cooled coolant.

Water underfloor heating collector

The installation of this equipment will require additional space and, most importantly, such a solution to the problem is associated with significant material costs.

That is why the installation of water heated floors is carried out most often in the premises of medical and childcare facilities, less often in spacious private houses.

The conclusion suggests itself quite unambiguous - if there is an autonomous heating unit in the apartment of sufficient power, it is technically possible to install floors with water heating, but it is not economically justified.

Electric warm balcony floors

Installation and operation of electric floors also have their own characteristics:

for flooring from tiles, it is better to choose a circuit from a heating cable;
if they want to avoid dirty work and, moreover, carry out the installation on their own, then they prefer the film infrared version.

In everyday life, an electric underfloor heating is called a system with a heating circuit made of a special cable with a diameter of up to 5 mm. Such a wire is laid with a "snake" on a layer of foil-coated foam foil, located with the foil upwards, and throughout its length is fixed on it with brackets with a certain pitch.

Important! Penofol is laid on top of a concrete screed over the main foam insulation.

The coils of the "snake" are placed at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, as when laying the pipes of the water floor.

Watching the video will add clarity to the presentation:

This technology is quite time consuming, therefore, at the present time, circuits assembled from the so-called "cable mats" are more popular. Electric mats are a heating cable with a diameter of 2-2.5 mm, also "snake" fixed on a strip of fiberglass mesh.

Electric floor heating mat kit

Steam and thermal insulation under the heating mats are arranged identically to the water system, but for laying tiles on top of them there is no need to perform another screed - a concrete layer above the main insulation is enough. The ceramics can be glued directly to the mats, but the tile adhesive is applied both to the base and to the tiles using a comb-type trowel in layers of 10 mm each.

Video on underfloor heating on mats:

Electric underfloor heating of any kind is equipped with a control unit consisting of a temperature sensor and a control panel. The sensor is attached between the turns of the "snake", and the wire from it is led along the plane of the contour to the panel on the wall.

Diagram of connecting warm electric floors to the network

Important! When using a heating cable, the power of the underfloor heating system is determined at the rate of 200 W / m 2, and cable mats - 150-160 W / m 2. When choosing a system, there is no need to take into account the linear power of the cable - this has already been done by the manufacturer, and the cable cannot be cut.

Laying the contour should be done only on open areas of the balcony floor, not placing it in hard-to-reach places.

Infrared floor heating on the balcony

Warm floors of this type are by far the most popular for arranging balconies, due to the ease of installation, which takes only a few hours.

Infrared heating foil

Infrared radiation in such systems is directed only towards the room, but you still have to perform thermal insulation of the floor, otherwise, after turning off the equipment, the floor surface will quickly cool down.

Installation of infrared film is performed on foil-clad isolon - a continuous coating is made from it, gluing the joints of the material with tape with foil.

Sealing the joints of foil-clad penofol

Then, under the locations of the temperature sensor and the film connection contacts, holes are made so that these parts do not protrude above the surface.

Film canvases are cut according to the standard markings applied to them with dotted lines. Then the film is laid on the isolon and connected to the control panel in a parallel way with the obligatory subsequent isolation of the contacts.

Marking on IR-film for cutting

Temperature sensor installed in the same way as with cable mats.

On top of the infrared film, waterproofing is made of technical polyethylene - a coating of strips with gaps of 10 cm.After that, the finishing coat can be laid on it.

Video tip on the technology of mounting IR-film on the floor:

Warm floor on a glazed balcony under a laminate

Based on the conclusion that for the installation of warm floors on the balcony it is better to use electrical systems, consider which of them are optimal for laminate flooring.

Laminate over infrared and cable warm floor

It is better to start with the power required for heating.

The intensity of heating by a system with an infrared foil is higher than that of a cable loop. That is why, to calculate the required power, in the first case, a value of 200 W / m 2 is taken, and in the second - only 160 W / m 2.

Laminate is a material with low thermal conductivity. Consequently, an infrared system will be more effective under such a cladding. In addition, it does not require a screed - the laminate can be laid directly on top of the infrared film, having previously performed a waterproofing made of polyethylene over it.

Combined underfloor heating

The use of cables or mats on a balcony or loggia under a laminate is also not excluded, but given the variable cross-section of the contours of these systems, it will be necessary to perform a load-bearing tie with reinforcement on top of them in order to protect the conductive elements from rupture when loaded from above. And this is additional costs and load on the foundation.

Over time, with abrasive wear of the laminate, you can not rush to dismantle it, but use this coating as a base for linoleum.

Conclusion

To increase the functionality of the balconies, they are closed and glazed, after which insulating the resulting room is no longer a desire, but a necessity.

Of all types of underfloor heating, infrared film is most suitable for a balcony, from which one should proceed. Experimenting with the allowable loads on the balcony slab can end in disaster.

The main point of the article

Underfloor heating is an effective technology applicable to most types of premises.
The two main types of underfloor heating systems are water and electric.
The choice of the optimal option for underfloor heating is carried out with reference to the heated room.
Balcony - a structure with a special arrangement that limits the permissible loads.
Insulation of the balcony when arranging underfloor heating is a must.
The choice of a way to insulate the balcony should be tied to specific gravity insulation.
Installation of a water heated floor for a balcony is at least not advisable.
Electric underfloor heating is a suitable group for selection, but for DIY execution, an infrared system is the best option.

In this article, you will learn:

What are the benefits of underfloor heating on a balcony
What's the difference between modern options underfloor heating for the balcony

People use different heat sources for their balconies and loggias. As a rule, heating systems are installed in the floor, due to which the room is installed optimum temperature and it is very comfortable to be in it. If the warm floor on the balcony is arranged according to all the rules, then it performs its function properly and provides the desired temperature.

In this article we will talk about whether it is possible to make a warm floor on the balcony, give expert recommendations on choosing a heating system and consider all the nuances of installing such equipment.

Do I need a warm floor on the balcony and what is it

In Moscow, underfloor heating on a balcony in an apartment or house is an excellent modern alternative to the traditional way of heating a home. Distributes heat evenly throughout the room and creates optimal temperature conditions- such functions are performed by the warm floor on the balcony. Reviews from satisfied owners indicate that the installation of such a system is more than justified. Therefore, the question of whether to make a warm floor on the balcony disappears by itself. For the balcony, this is the only rational decision due to limited quadrature. The warm floor on the balcony provides heating of the air from below, since the flooring acts as a heat source. The most popular today are electric and water-heated floors connected to the main heating system. One of the newest options is heating based on amorphous metal tape.

Underfloor heating on the balcony allows the owners to be warm even when it is freezing outside. Cold air heats up at the bottom and gradually rises up. This temperature distribution allows a person to feel as comfortable as possible.

The warm floor on the balcony has a high heat transfer, which directly depends on the heating element. Unlike a radiator, the floor area is much larger.

It is interesting that the construction of a warm floor was first used in Ancient rome to heat the baths. The system consisted of channels hidden under marble slabs. Heated air passed through them from the ovens. Modern systems are much more advanced, but the principle of operation remains the same.

Is it necessary to install underfloor heating on the balcony? It's up to you to decide. But, weighing all the pros and cons, remember that underfloor heating is an excellent solution for a balcony.

Benefits of underfloor heating on the balcony

So, underfloor heating on the balcony - can this system be installed? Compared to simple radiators, it is much more efficient. The system is perfect for both small and large rooms. Since a certain air temperature is maintained due to constant heating from below, very favorable conditions are created for the inhabitants.

Let's list the key advantages of the "warm floor" system:

The efficiency of the latest heating system is much higher compared to other types of equipment. This floor generates more heat for maximum comfort.
The heating element emits a huge amount of thermal energy, but it itself heats up weakly.
Warm floor is a modern and aesthetic solution. Radiators are rather bulky devices. They take up a lot of space and are often not very nice looking. The warm floor on the balcony or in any other room does not need to be decorated, as well as to keep it clean, because all the elements are hidden below.
Installed sensors allow you to easily and conveniently adjust the temperature. The system is automated and functional.
The warm floor has a very long term exploitation. The most durable are water structures. Although a water-heated floor on the balcony is not a very rational choice.
You can put a warm floor on the balcony on your own, without any special practical skills. In addition, no special equipment is required to set up such a system.
By warm floor it's nice to walk barefoot. Feet do not freeze, even if it is cold outside the window.

The warm floor on the balcony is able to replace a full-fledged heating system due to its lightness, efficiency, efficiency, durability and aesthetics.

What kind of warm floor to choose for the balcony

We examined the advantages of underfloor heating on the balcony. What is better to choose?

The underfloor heating design includes many heating elements- cables and pipes. There are 3 types of systems: water, film and electric, that is, heat is generated, respectively, by water, infrared film or cable (separate or tied into heating mats).

Each underfloor heating design has its own characteristics and advantages. There is General characteristics... Exploitation different types systems can have their own nuances. But all of them are installed on a special thermal insulation - a heat-saving layer. After it, a cement screed of the warm floor on the balcony is performed and the floor covering is laid. This is how the warm floor for the balcony is mounted. Which better option select? Let's take a closer look at each one.

Water. This system is connected to an autonomous network, but the water-heated floor on the balcony from the central heating is not worth considering. There are several reasons for this: it is quite difficult to lay such a structure on the balcony, since it weighs a lot; such an opportunity is not always available and is fraught with big problems (hydraulic calculation of the network, coordination, etc.).

One of the advantages of such a floor is excellent heat transfer, and therefore it is perfect for heating large rooms.

Electric. It is very rational to use heating cable elements for loggias and balconies. The thickness of the screed will be small - 5 cm. Air does not accumulate in the structure, due to which the system serves for a long time and does not overheat. For installation, an electrical cable is required, which is secured with a "snake". Heating elements are placed in sections, a cement-sand screed is made and a coating is placed on top. That is, you can install an electric underfloor heating under the balcony tiles.

Remember: the entire structure can be operated only a month after installation. Electric underfloor heating works through a thermostat.

Film. Often, a balcony is insulated with a warm floor using infrared technology. The heating element is a thin film with graphite strips and conductors. The current is supplied to the conductors through the thermostat. Film warm floor on the balcony and loggia - perfect solution, as it is easy to install and has great energy efficiency. But there is also a significant drawback - the high cost. Experts recommend such designs for rooms with a small area.

How to choose the right underfloor heating on the balcony

First of all, when choosing a warm floor for a balcony, look at concrete screed thickness... In order to qualitatively mount a cable underfloor heating, the screed must be at least 5 cm. If it is not possible to lay such a layer of concrete, then it is better to choose an infrared or heating system with heating mats. It should be borne in mind that when installing heating mats, the floor will increase in height by 1 cm, while the installation of an infrared heating film is carried out directly under the floor.

Also, when choosing a design, consider flooring material... Underfloor heating on the balcony under tiles, concrete, stone, porcelain stoneware, it is better to install a cable. Warm floor on the balcony for laminate, carpet, PVC or linoleum - in the form of heating mats. Under linoleum, laminate or carpet, you can lay an infrared warm floor on the balcony.

When laying wood flooring, remember that its thermal conductivity is noticeably lower compared to flooring made of other materials.

How to calculate a floor system for a warm floor on a balcony

When choosing a warm floor for a balcony, it is important to correctly calculate the power of the heater and determine the required length. To do this, calculate heat losses balcony. A lot of heat energy comes out through the window openings, and therefore it is quite difficult to achieve a temperature of + 20-23 degrees, especially in winter. Therefore, experts advise to mount the heating system in heating mode.

Before installing the floor, the balcony is insulated. Ideally, heating mats, cable or infrared film should be heated to +26 degrees. This temperature is suitable for a parquet floor.

If you are using tiles, marble or other material as a top coat, it is necessary that the cable be heated to a temperature of + 28-31 degrees.

Typically, loggias require 160–180 W per m2 for heating and 200–220 W per m2 for main heating. Taking into account these recommendations, you can make calculations and establish what the ideal length of the cable should be, what step of laying, how powerful the heating system is.

Suppose the area of the loggia is 2 m 2. The floor is tiled, no screeds are expected. Let's take heating mode, which requires 200 W per m2 and calculate the heating area using the formula:

Sgr = Stot - Spr

Here Spr is the area occupied by furniture.

Suppose the area occupied by furniture is 0.5 m2. Then Sgr = 2 - 0.5 = 1.5.

In this case, the system power should be equal to 1.5 * 200 = 300 W per m2. If the screed is not intended, use thin cables that can completely fit into the layer of tile adhesive. The suitable system can be selected according to the tables, which describe the technical parameters of the equipment.

h = (Sgr * 100) / Lkab

Here: h - laying step; Lkab - cable length in meters. You need to substitute values in the formula and get the result.

If you are laying cables or heating mats, remember to step back 10 cm from the walls.

How to make a warm floor on a balcony with your own hands

Option number 1. Water system.

How to install a warm floor on a balcony? Technically, the installation of a warm floor on a balcony is as simple as installing a cable system. A concrete screed can be used to install the structure. The system can also be mounted on a dry surface - between wooden joists.

An excellent option is a concrete screed, since this material is an excellent heat accumulator. If you start the long process of obtaining permission and spend money on installation, then it is better to do it reliably and professionally.

Note! First, they always install windows and insulate the walls, and only then lay the floors, including warm ones. But the installation of floors is always ahead of the finishing wall cladding. The same applies to ceiling work.

It is necessary that the base, that is, directly reinforced concrete slab was perfectly flat. Remember: on balconies and loggias, from the very beginning, the slab is tilted slightly towards the street so that the water can drain.

This, in fact, does not create any obstacles for installation. The main thing is that the slab must be perfectly flat, without depressions and bumps. Although, if you still need to pour the screed for leveling, it is better to immediately place it horizontally.

After removing the lower concrete base to zero, waterproofing is laid on it. The floor can be covered with a layer of technical polyethylene - it is inexpensive and takes a minimum of time. When installing a warm floor on a balcony, waterproofing is always installed with an approach to the wall. The foil should be positioned higher than the finished floor covering.

Next, they make thermal insulation. It is not recommended to use mineral wool insulation on the balcony. They get wet and therefore need extra protection. On the walls and ceiling, it is better to use 50 mm thick foam boards with a density of 25 kg / m 3.

Now the floor. It doesn’t matter what material or what type you are installing the final coating. Today, the most optimal and practical option for insulation is extruded polystyrene foam in plates with a thickness of 30-50 mm. Popularly, this material is called penoplex.

Of course, the cost of extruded polystyrene foam is three times higher than the price of foam plastic and 5 times higher than the cost of expanded clay. But think for yourself, balconies and loggias are usually very small. Most likely, for the sake of the quality and reliability of the repair of this small room additional funds can be allocated.

Extruded polystyrene foam boards are a fairly durable insulation. Today, it is this material that is used to insulate the runways of airfields and toll highways. That is, extruded polystyrene foam is able to withstand a screed of any mass. The main thing is that the base is even, and the load is evenly distributed over the plane.

The piping can be fixed directly to the extruded polystyrene foam plates. For this they take flexible pipe made of metal-plastic with a cross section of up to 22 mm. It is important that it be solid, since the screed cannot be poured into the structure with adapters.

A water-heated floor on the balcony is laid in the shape of a snail or snake. The latter option is used most often in Russia, since most of our balconies are elongated in length.

Rigid plastic clamps can be used to secure the pipe to the slab. They are installed on top of the pipe and removed directly into the penoplex. Also, under the screed, a reinforcing mesh made of metal with a wire cross-section of up to 5 mm and with the help of soft plastic clamps tie pipes to it.

In those places where the piping enters and exits the concrete screed, a plastic or metal corrugation is put on the pipes. This is done in order to eliminate the risk of accidental fracture of the tubes.

Important! Before pouring the concrete screed, the “warm floor” system must be connected and tested. That is, the pipes must stand for at least 24 hours under a pressure that is twice that specified by the project.

The concrete screed itself under the warm water floor is poured over the insulation with a layer of 50 mm. The pipe must not be placed closer than 50 mm to the wall. In this case, a distance of 100–150 mm must be maintained between the pipe turns. The pipes, of course, should not cross.

Before pouring the concrete screed, it is necessary to attach a 10 mm thick tape made of foamed polyethylene (penofol) around the perimeter of the balcony. This element will provide a damping gap during heating and expansion of the concrete monolithic structure.

The easiest way is to use self-leveling compounds. But they have a significant disadvantage - a high price. Therefore, many put beacons and fill them with a screed based on a simple cement-sand mortar. Moreover, taking into account the fact that it is very easy to install beacons on self-tapping screws for insulation. After 7 days, it is already possible to step on the screed, and after 28 days to proceed with the finishing cladding.

It is much easier to install a water-heated floor on the balcony between the logs. If the concrete base is crooked, you can skip the bottom leveling screed. All that needs to be done is to substitute wedges under the logs.

The frequency of laying the lag cannot exceed 30–40 cm. The height of such a crate is made in the region of 70 mm. Here, 50 mm of insulation and 20 mm of thickness are taken into account. metal-plastic pipe... Of course, a polyethylene layer is laid under the crate.

Here you do not need to use extruded polystyrene foam boards. Simple polystyrene is also suitable, since the entire load will not be on the insulation, but on the logs. The insulating material itself is laid between the lags. In this case, the gaps are blown out using polyurethane foam.

To lay the pipe routing, you will need to cut in the logs with a hacksaw and a chisel a number of grooves 20x20 mm, along the thickness of the pipe. But for laying the finishing cladding (linoleum, laminate, carpet), you need to lay sheets of plywood on top or OSB thick from 10 mm.

The dry method of laying the water system for underfloor heating has a visible advantage: such a structure is easy to repair. But its efficiency and heat transfer rates are less than that of a structure with a concrete screed.

Option number 2. Electric underfloor heating.

Electric underfloor heating is a system based on a heating cable. More recently, experts used a twin heating cable with a diameter of up to 55 mm for installation. The entire route was secured to the insulation individually, using metal brackets.

The cable was also laid in the form of a snake. The coils were located at a distance of about 100–150 mm, as in the case of the water system.

Electric cable mats are in great demand today. In fact, this is the same cable, only twice as thin. It is attached to a fiberglass mesh. The cost of these mats is not much higher, but they are much easier to attach to the base.

Installation of heat and waterproofing is carried out according to the same principle as in the case of a water system. Concrete screed it is best to pour it under all topcoats - the only exception is floor tiles.

The thickness of such a screed is at least 20 mm. Craftsmen advise to lay a metal reinforcing mesh under the mats to protect the cable from accidental cracks. Fixing the mats on the reinforcement is an unnecessary action. They will remain in place anyway.

If as topcoat If tiles are used, then they are laid directly on the mats. For this, building glue is used. Ideally, Ceresit CT83 if you are using extruded polystyrene foam at the bottom, as it is designed specifically for this material. The thickness of the adhesive layer should not be less than 10 mm. It is applied to the tile and to the base using a comb spatula.

Any electric floor must be equipped with a control unit consisting of a temperature sensor and a control panel itself. The sensor itself is installed between the turns of the cable and from it a wire is brought out to the control panel.

The control panel is mounted side by side on the wall in a box, similar to that used for an outlet or switch. To lay the wires, a strobe is punched in the wall.

Important! If you are going to install an electric cable in a screed, you must select the power of the cable at the rate of 200 W per 1 m² of heated floor. If you are laying mats under the tiles, 140-160 W per 1 m² is sufficient.

Electric underfloor heating, regardless of the type of system, is always mounted on work surface balcony or loggia. That is, there is no need to install it under cabinets or in hard-to-reach places.

If you have sufficient theoretical skills and a good understanding of how to connect wires, then you can certainly construct a system from separate parts. Today, ready-made kits with detailed instructions and all the necessary elements, including small fittings and insulation materials, are presented on the construction market.

Option number 3. Infrared system.

This system is the most widely used today. It is so easy to mount that even a beginner can cope with it in just a few hours.

Some experts do not advise installing powerful thermal insulation under an infrared warm floor on a balcony, explaining that the principle of the system is completely different. Yes it is, but with the heaters off, your floors will simply be icy. Therefore, it is better to put plates of extruded polystyrene foam and free yourself from unnecessary problems.

Before the stage of installation of thermal insulation, any underfloor heating system is installed according to a similar scheme. Before laying the infrared film directly, the plates of extruded polystyrene foam are completely covered with foil-clad isolon - a foamed polymer sheet covered with foil.

Further, all the joints of the canvas are carefully glued with foil tape. In those places where the film is connected, holes are cut out under the contacts, as well as under the thermal sensor in the isolon, so that the thickness of the entire coating is the same.

Along the outlined dotted lines, the film is cut, laid on an isolon and along parallel circuit connect to the control panel. The contacts are crimped and protected with pieces of bitumen insulation. Installation of the temperature sensor and control panel is carried out in the same way as when installing cable mats.

A layer of polyethylene is laid on the infrared film in order to protect it. In this case, it is already possible not to glue the joints - it is enough to make a 100 mm overlap.

According to the developers, almost any floor covering, with the exception of tiles, can be laid on such a film. As a rule, they use an infrared warm floor on the balcony under the laminate or parquet.

Installing a warm floor on the balcony: video

You can install a warm floor on the balcony with your own hands. Video:

If you need a high-quality warm floor on the balcony, it is best, of course, to trust the professionals. Contact a company that provides services for the installation of such systems, and order the work to specialists. Experienced craftsmen will do everything from A to Z: they will carry out calculations and qualitatively install a warm floor on your balcony.

How much is a warm floor on the balcony

How much does it cost to install underfloor heating on a balcony? The price depends on:

system type;
installation method;
power;
complexity of work;
urgency of installation;
heating area;
pricing policy and the prestige of the company.

The larger the area of the room that needs to be heated, the more heating elements will be needed. Accordingly, the price for work will be higher. Chinese models of underfloor heating are cheaper than European ones. If you need urgent installation of underfloor heating on the balcony, the cost will increase.

In the modern market, you can find warm floors of domestic and Korean manufacturers. The most popular Korean systems are Sun Power Film SPF, Caleo UNIMAT RAIL, Caleo GOLD.

Among the popular domestic systems, NEOCLIMA NMB535 and FLITE 20TLBE2 can be noted.

Russian enterprises offer to install a warm floor on a cold balcony at approximately the following prices:

Cable systems- from 600 to 1000 rubles per square meter.
Self-adjusting cable models- from 1,500 rubles per running meter.
Heating mats- from 900 rubles.
Double-core mats- from 1,500 rubles per square meter.
Film options- from 300 to 600 rubles.
Sensor installation- from 800 rubles.
Additional floor screed- from 450 rubles per m2.
Additional tiling- from 1,500 rubles.

Companies selling warm floors also install them. We recommend not to refuse the service, since if defects in the design are detected during installation, you can easily prove it and demand compensation. If on this issue you turn to another private specialist or install a warm floor on the balcony yourself, it will be more difficult to return the defective product.

To cooperate with the "My repair" Company is reliable and prestigious. The specialists working here are professionals of the highest level. The company "My Repair" works throughout Moscow and the Moscow region.