Installing underfloor heating is no longer considered somethingamazing. Today it is not even necessary to contact specialists with such a request. It is possible to arrange a warm floor with your own hands, following detailed instructions.
Warm floor is a heating systempremises, which provides for heating the air from below. First of all, you need to find out what the operating principle of the electric and water device of the heated floor is. Knowing this will significantly minimize the financial costs of repairs and eliminate some mistakes when laying the underfloor heating system.
Some of the history of floor heating systems
An ancient type of heated floor.Heat largely determines the comfort and coziness of the atmosphere in the house. Low temperature living conditions not only cause discomfort to a person, but are also dangerous to health. The development of floor heating systems has its roots in centuries-old history. For example, in Ancient Rome there was a principle of heating the floor in a bathhouse similar to the operation of a warm floor. Smoke from the stove passed through special channels under the floor covering, heating the room. In addition, the stones retained heat for a long time, which made it possible to economically consume burned fuel. When steam (water) heating appeared, it quickly became a common way of heating the floor. Warm floors heated by water are also quite popular today. Return to contents</a>
Advantages of using floor heating systems
The advantage of underfloor heating compared toradiators is that the heating of the house occurs evenly. In the past 40 years, electric underfloor heating has been widely used. And there are many reasons for this: from simple installation and maintenance to durability and relatively low cost of electricity. In harsh climates (Scandinavia, the Far North of Russia, etc.), electric underfloor heating becomes simply irreplaceable for heating homes. Combined heating systems are no less popular now: underfloor heating plus standard heating. Due to the combination, it is possible to reduce energy costs during the heating season. Let's consider what is the fundamental difference between underfloor heating and classic water heating. Naturally, in comfort. Remember the principle of operation of conventional heating: the radiator is placed on one of the walls and in most cases under the window, since this is where the maximum heat loss occurs. Heated air is directed upward, displacing cold air masses there. The most comfortable temperature is 1.5 - 2 meters from the heating radiator. Heating the room air with the classic heating option is not done in the same way. The operating principle of the "warm floor" system is somewhat different. The heated area in the room is several times larger than the area heated by the heating radiator, since the heating element is laid under the entire floor surface. No other type of heating will provide the same degree of comfort for the feet as a warm floor. Despite this, it also has its own disadvantages. They are explained by the fact that the temperature range in which a person feels comfortable is not very large: from + 23ºС to + 28ºС.
Advantages of underfloor heating.The comfort zone in the room shifts slightly and is located not at a certain distance from the heating device, but at a certain height along the perimeter of the room, depending on the layout of the heating cable. The comfortable temperature zone is located at the bottom of the room, reaching a height of no more than 1 meter from the floor surface. At the same time, there are colder air layers at the top of the room. However, human physiology allows us not to consider such air distribution uncomfortable. Moreover, a warm floor makes it possible to easily change the temperature level in the heated room. To do this, just turn the handle once or set a command in the Smart Home system. Note that this is typical only for an electric heating system. In a situation where a do-it-yourself warm floor is represented by a water or combined system, such an opportunity simply becomes unavailable. Note that the functioning of the floor heating system is affected by the furniture in the room and the carpet. This is due to the fact that each type of material has its own thermal conductivity, which is measured in W / m * K. This value is of particular importance when choosing a heat insulator and directly the floor covering on which you will have to walk barefoot (parquet board, linoleum, laminate, ceramic tiles, etc.). Return to contents</a>
Arrangement of a floor heating system
When installing a heated floor, it is usedspecial heating cable. Many people wonder how. In fact, the device of such a system is very simple. Both water and electric floors are laid on a special heat-insulating material. After that, a cement screed is poured, on top of which the finishing coating is laid. Water or a special electric cable acts as a heat carrier. We will tell you about the installation of the latter in more detail. The appearance of the cable of the underfloor heating system is very similar to the antenna cable. The first differs from the second only in its purpose: it does not aim to transmit a signal over a distance, but converts electrical energy into heat. An important criterion characterizing the underfloor heating system is the specific heat release. This parameter varies in the range of 15-25 W / m among different manufacturers. Keep in mind that the thickness of the insulation covering the heating element allows it to withstand heating to temperatures above 100 ° C. This is very important, since the cable is often hidden in a cement screed. The cable must give off heat without damaging the insulation layer.
Heating cable design.When the cable overheats, the insulation layer will be damaged, causing a short circuit. Repairing a heated floor is quite troublesome and expensive, since it is not possible to accurately determine the location of the cable defect. Therefore, you should not purchase a cable with too high a specific heat output. When laying the cable, you should maintain the distance between the threads recommended by the manufacturer. This fact can also cause overheating and subsequent short circuit of the heating cable. Such breakdowns are impossible when using a water underfloor heating system. However, the latter also has its own difficulties. For example, cracking of pipes or fittings with subsequent leakage of the coolant. Such an accident will not be so dangerous if it happens in your own home. Since we are talking about damage to only your own property. But when such a nuisance happens in a multi-story residential building with several apartments, then one of the possible consequences is compensation to neighbors for material damage caused as a result of flooding their apartments. Thorough waterproofing can reduce the unpleasant consequences of an accident. But when connecting a water floor system to a central heating system with high water pressure, waterproofing will not help at all. Return to contents</a>
Installation and features of the installation of electric underfloor heating
Electric underfloor heating diagram.In order to install a heated floor with your own hands, you need to know some features and the correct sequence of actions. First of all, you should decide on the purpose, that is, why the heated floor is installed: for additional heating of the home or as a full-fledged heating (for example, on an insulated balcony). We will describe the procedure for installing a heated floor system as an additional element of heating an apartment. Often, this type of system is installed in the kitchen or in the bathroom, since this is where it is possible to lay heating elements under the tiles. This is considered the optimal method for installing a heated floor. For an additional system, 100-120 W per square meter of area will be enough, while a high-quality heat insulator will certainly be used. For a kitchen area of 10 m², about 45-50 m of cable will be required. The seller can clarify the length of the last element, since he knows the power of the heating element. You should also find out from him the minimum possible gap between the heating cable threads - the gap will help to exclude local overheating of the cable. If you are planning to do finishing work in a room where there will be a heated floor, you should remember that the cable should be laid before gluing the wallpaper. Before laying the heating element, the space is cleared of furniture, the old floor covering is removed and the floor surface is thoroughly prepared (leveled, the resulting debris is removed, and a thin screed is cemented as needed).
Connecting electric underfloor heating.After that, prepare a place on the wall for installing a specially designed electric thermostat, which will regulate the heating of the heated floor. If necessary, equip independent wiring to turn on the floor heating system. After these preparatory activities, proceed to the installation of thermal insulation and directly to the installation of the heating cable. Some experts recommend laying a waterproofing layer in addition to the thermal insulator to avoid condensation in the area of the heating elements. Polyethylene film can act as waterproofing. Innovative technologies in materials make it possible to reduce the loss of usable space (keep in mind that the thermal insulator, cable, screed - all these layers together reduce the usable living space). Penofol is often used as a thermal insulator - a modern type of insulation equipped with a special foil layer (thickness - 14 microns) and polyethylene foam with an adhesive side. This type of material is quite light and thin. The thermal conductivity coefficient of penofol is 0.049 W/mK. Penofol is produced in rolls. After installing penofol (foil side up), the joints between the sheets are sealed with mounting tape. After covering the entire area with insulation, a very thin reinforcing mesh is placed on top of the latter. The main purpose of the latter is considered to be:
- protection from overheating of the cable in contact with thermal insulation;
- Strengthening of sand-cement mortar, poured on the floor.
The cable is laid using a mounting kit.foam fixed to the floor. The tape allows you to avoid kinks and create the necessary gaps between the cable loops. The heating element is laid, maintaining a step of 20-25 cm. Normal operation of underfloor heating systems is not possible without the use of a special temperature sensor. It is important to install it so that you do not have to destroy the concrete screed in the future to replace it. To do this, the temperature sensor is placed in a tube filled with cement screed together with the cable.
Before pouring the heating cablecarefully check the correctness of all connections. Before pouring the laid heating element, check it for correctness of the entire installation and the strength of the connections. It is important not to make mistakes at this stage, since they can be very expensive in the future (for example, you will have to open the cement screed). The readiness of the floor heating system is checked by applying voltage to the cable, as well as by measuring the cable resistance with a tester. All specified parameters are in the technical passport from the manufacturer. After checking, lay the cement screed (3-4 cm thick). Pouring is carried out evenly, while special attention is paid to ensure that no voids occur during pouring, which can lead to a cable malfunction. After pouring the floor surface with cement, wait for it to harden completely. Work on laying the finishing coating begins after 4-5 days, checking the readiness of the heated floor for operation is carried out no earlier than a month. The reason for this is not at all the dampness of the screed. Many materials become wider when exposed to high temperatures, and shrink when it decreases. Each type of material has its own coefficient of thermal expansion. If you turn on the heated floor before the concrete has acquired absolute hardness, the solution will dry unevenly, voids and cracks will appear in the screed, which were so much sought to avoid during the pouring process. This will increase the risk of early failure of the heating element. It makes sense to take into account the plan for placing furniture in the room, so as not to lay the cable in those areas where they will be placed. Return to contents</a>
Installation and features of the installation of a water-heated floor
Installation and design of a warm water floor.The water system is installed in approximately the same order as when laying an electric product. But it is taken into account that electric and water heating are guided by different laws of physics. An electric heating element heats up equally over its entire surface (or almost equally), while a water floor differs in this. The maximum temperature level will be established immediately after water enters the heating system from the boiler heating chamber. The water circulating in the system will gradually give off heat and return to the boiler already cooled. This means that the coolant circulating at the beginning and at the end of the system has different temperature readings. If the installation is carried out incorrectly, then one should not expect the efficient operation of a warm floor with water. Since the space will not begin to heat up equally. Return to the table of contents</a>Laying options
Scheme of water-heated floor with concreting. There are several options for laying water-heated floor heating:
- Concreting system (today the most common);
- flooring system.
Floor heating is also divided into:
- expanded polystyrene varieties;
- wooden mounting.
The system of floor heating with water and concreting, similar to the above-described installation of the electric heating system, has become more popular due to its cheap installation. Return to contents</a>Sequence of works All procedures forLaying water floor heating is carried out in several stages. The procedures and materials used are exactly the same as when arranging an electric heating system. But the pipes of the water system, unlike the electric cable, are not threatened by overheating. However, they should be laid carefully, without bending or breaking too much, following a strictly defined pattern. Light reinforcing mesh is not very suitable for such a situation, you will have to stock up on reinforcement with a diameter of 4-5 mm with a cell size of about 15 cm. This is determined by the significant mass of water pipes. The step of their laying can be different. Overheating is not scary for water pipes. However, you should not leave more than 400 mm of gap between the pipes, since this will significantly reduce the efficiency of the floor heating system and contribute to the appearance of "cold stripes" on the floor surface - sections with a lower temperature. Fastening of pipes to the floor surface is carried out using clamps with dowels.
Scheme of laying pipes on the floor in a snake and a snail. In practice, it is customary to distinguish several options for installing pipes of a water floor heating system:
- spiral-shaped;
- Spiral with a center shift;
- snake (parallel version);
- meander (double snake).
To select a specific optionWhen installing, it is necessary to take into account many factors, including the external surfaces, the presence of openings with windows, and others. It is in the designated areas that the pipes with the coolant should be slightly hotter than the normal temperature. The length of one loop of pipes with water from the inlet to the outlet should not exceed 100 m. This is due to the fact that large hydraulic losses are possible, which reduces the efficiency of the system. For an area of 1 m², it is necessary to prepare about 6-7 linear meters of pipes. Both ends of the pipe are brought out to the manifold cabinet. Such a cabinet is installed in a niche cut in the wall or made in an overhead manner. The location of the manifold cabinet is determined solely by the capabilities of the owner, since the manufacture of a niche is an expensive type of work. The manifold cabinet contains both pipes connecting the underfloor heating device to the main heating circuit and valves that allow you to shut off the water and set the desired temperature for the floor surface in the room. The valve can have a manual principle of operation, or it can be electronic, capturing signals from a temperature sensor. In the second case, the system will be more expensive, but also more convenient. Before making a concrete screed, the system is pressure tested to eliminate the possibility of coolant leaks. The water floor heating system using a laying method allows you to do without pouring concrete during installation. This not only brings the moment of commissioning the system closer, but also reduces the cost of possible repairs in the future. In addition, such a system is much lighter than a standard warm floor, which significantly reduces the load on the slabs of the supporting parts of the building. Compare: the weight of a standard water floor heating system is 250-350 kg, while the weight of a water floor using the laying method is only 35 - 50 kg, depending on its type. However, there is a "BUT": it is impossible to connect a water floor heating system to a central heating system without prior approval from heat supply organizations and housing and communal services. The presented installation technologies and recommendations are designed to help clarify the process of installing a do-it-yourself warm floor system.
