So that there is always something in the house or apartmentcomfortable, they must have properly organized heating. One of the best solutions is to install electric underfloor heating with your own hands. Such heating will provide comfort, it does not take up room space, does not spoil its appearance and effectively heats the room, can be used as primary or additional heating.
Scheme of warm floor under laminate.
Features of ceramic tiles
If this coating is usedindependently, then it is cold. But if a warm floor is laid under the tiles, then such a solution will allow you to effectively heat the room, it will be pleasant to walk on such a covering. You can lay a warm floor, electric or water, yourself. It can be used both as a main and an additional source of heating.
Scheme of laying ceramic tiles on the floor.Laying a warm floor allows heat to spread from the bottom up, with the warmest air located at the bottom, and slightly cooler at the top. This distribution of warm air is the most comfortable for a person, when the feet are warm, and the air at head level is cooler. Do-it-yourself installation of a warm floor is an affordable solution for any home craftsman, after which ceramic tiles are laid on top. This type of heating does not dry out the air, there is no increased air circulation, so dust is not transferred and there are no drafts. Laying ceramic tiles as a covering for a warm floor allows you to get a durable structure that is not afraid of temperature changes and has high thermal conductivity. Both electric and water heated floors can be installed under ceramic tiles with your own hands. Return to contents</a>
Features of the water floor
Filling of water heated floors.This type of heated floor can be installed in any room, which is why it is very popular. First, a system of tubes is installed through which the coolant will move, and then the floor covering is installed on top. Most often, this is tile, but it can also be laminate. The composition of a water-heated floor:
- the top layer is ceramic tile;
- under it is a layer of glue;
- concrete or sand-cement screed;
- system of tubes;
- reinforcing mesh;
- heat-insulating material;
- prepared basis.
Before starting installation around the entire perimeter of the roomit is necessary to lay a damper tape, it will compensate for the expansion of the concrete base during its heating. The concrete screed can be poured only after the installation of the water floor system is completely completed. To speed up the drying process of the screed, you can use an already installed warm floor, through which the coolant is passed, but it is not recommended that its temperature exceed 30 degrees. Return to the table of contents</a>
Features of electric underfloor heating
Scheme for installation of electric underfloor heating.Another common solution is a warm electric floor. It can be cable, film or infrared. You can buy a cable in reels or ready-made sections in the form of mats. Types of electric warm floors differ in the way they are installed. Power is supplied to the cable through a thermostat, which allows you to regulate the temperature. If a regular cable should not heat up during power transmission, then in a heating cable everything is the opposite. When an electric current passes through it, the cable heats up, which ensures that the room is heated. Both the cable and the mats are laid in a concrete screed. When using mats, tiles can be laid directly on them; no additional work is required. When using a single-core cable, its end must return to the beginning after installation. If a two-core cable is used, this is not required. A warm electric floor can be laid on top of old tiles or screed.
Infrared heated floor diagram.For this purpose, ready-made heating mats are used. They can be cut to turn 90 or 180 degrees, but this must be done carefully, avoiding damage to the cable. Electric cables are not laid under places where large household appliances or furniture will be located, so as not to overheat them. The finishing screed is laid only after the operability of the entire system has been checked. In order for the electric floor to effectively heat the room, the thickness of the screed should not exceed 50 mm, otherwise it simply will not be able to warm up. When laying an infrared film floor, it is necessary to use a heat-reflecting material that does not contain aluminum foil; polypropylene film is used for this. The infrared floor is mounted where it will not overheat, otherwise it will fail. If tiles are to be laid on it, a hard heat-reflecting underlay must be used. If furniture is to be installed on top, the distance from the floor to its bottom must be at least 30 mm. When laying ceramic tiles on this type of heating, the seams should be 2-3 mm wide to ensure their unimpeded expansion during surface heating. In the case where electric underfloor heating is used as the main source, 140-180 W of power is required per 1 m². If this is an additional source of heating, then only 80 W is enough. Return to contents</a>
Self-assembly of electric underfloor heating
Options for laying out underfloor heating pipes. To carry out the work you will need:
- finished mats or cable;
- thermostat;
- heater;
- reinforcing mesh;
- sand and cement mortar;
- rule;
- ceramic tiles or other flooring.
First, preparatory work is carried out,during which remove debris and dust, and seal all existing cracks. Now you need to cover the surface with a primer for concrete. According to the previously made furniture placement scheme, mark the floor surface so that there is no heating cable in these places. A damper tape is attached to the wall along the perimeter of the room and a layer of insulation is laid on the floor, most often it is penofol. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top. Now you can proceed to laying the mats, while ensuring that they do not intersect. You need to step back at least 50 mm from the wall, at least 100 mm from other heating elements. After laying the mats, they are connected to the thermostat and to the network, after which a test run of the heating system is performed. If everything is normal, you can proceed to the next stage. Pour a screed about 10 mm thick. You need to wait until it dries completely, and check the operation of the system again. If everything is normal, you can lay tiles or other flooring. As you can see, underfloor heating is a great solution for both primary and additional heating. Not only is it pleasant to walk on, it is also unnoticeable, so it will not interfere with the design of the room, like conventional heating radiators.
