To ensure that the temperature in the room remains uniform in all areas, you can install heated floors. This method of maintaining heat compares favorably with the effect of radiator heating. Therefore, owners of houses and apartments are faced with the problem of choosing a safe heated floor.
Depending on the technologies used, the following are distinguished:
1. Using water as a thermal fluid is the most economical solution. It is not difficult to install a water floor under the tiles with your own hands: to do this, pipes laid around the perimeter are connected to the hot water supply system. The option is in demand in suburban construction, and by existing standards implementation in conditions apartment building impossible.
2. A good alternative is an electric warm structure, in which heating occurs using a conductor - a cable. According to reviews, electric heated floors still allow you to save energy, for example, when they are systematically used in dachas. Modern automation makes the technology safe to use. To find out how electric heated floors are installed, just study the recommendations of their manufacturers.
3. Installation of film-type devices is easy and quick and does not require professional skills. For laying under tiles, it is convenient to use the material in thin mats.
Popular manufacturers
Consumers can buy heating mats and floors, as well as heating cables, based on the information below:
| Manufacturer | Model | Description | Approximate price, rubles |
| Teplolux | MH 1-155 | The thin warm mat MH 1-155 belongs to a series of designs with a single-core MINI cable attached to a carbon mesh. It has a power of 155 W and a heating area of 1 m2. MH 4.2-640 – 640 W, per 4.2 m2. Both models do not require a significant increase in thickness during installation. | 3 500 |
| MN 4.2-640 | 6 000 | ||
| CALEO | LINE 130-1 | Heated film floors from the LINE series are ideal for dry installation without the use of tile adhesive. LINE 130-1 has a power of 130 W, suitable for an area of 1 m2. The power of the second LINE model – 130-4 – is four times higher; for space up to 4 m2. | 1 500 |
| LINE 130-4 | 5 000 | ||
| Nexans | TXLP/1R-17 | Heating cables TXLP/1R-17 and TXLP/2R-17 (single and two-core) with a linear power of 17 W per meter are used in combination with a thermostat. Length varies from 17.6 to 194 m. | from 5,000 for 17.6 m |
| TXLP/2R-17 | from 5,500 for 17.6 m |
Before installing heated floors in wooden house, you need to decide on their type and installation technology. An important condition successful implementation is good insulation and alignment. Surface evenness will be ensured self-leveling coating. The scheme for laying ceramic floor tiles on warm self-leveling floors involves eliminating voids between the floor and the tile.
The price range for heated floors from the listed manufacturers varies widely. Thus, the cost of water and heated infrared floors directly depends on the size of the sections, and therefore the power and heating area.
During construction or renovation, specialists are increasingly refusing to classical scheme heating in favor of an innovative floor heating system. Heated floors - modern, comfortable, effective method make your home warm and comfortable at any time of the year, without disturbing the style of the interior. This technology is widely used in residential, office and industrial settings.
Conventional heating includes radiators that heat the air only near the window. In this case, as a result of convection, the warm flow rises from heating devices, gradually cools and falls down, returning along the floor to the radiator. With this heating scheme, the heat distribution is uneven, the warmest place is near the ceiling, and the coldest place is at the bottom.
A warm floor consists of a base, a heating element distributed throughout the room, auxiliary elements (sensors, thermostats, couplings) and a decorative covering. The floor is heated evenly throughout the room to the same temperature.
Advantages of a “warm” floor:
On a note: Underfloor heating can be the sole or auxiliary heating system.
Disadvantages of "warm floor":
Depending on the heating element, heated floors are divided into several types, each of which has its own installation features.
Table 1. Types of heated floors
| Properties | Water heated floor | Cable heated floor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating element type | Hot water pipes | IR film, IR rods | Cable |
| Installation time | From 4-5 days | 1 day | 1 day |
| Application | Floor | Floor, ceiling, walls. | Floor |
| Repair | Only defective segments can be repaired; the rest of the system works | If a single section is damaged, the entire system fails. | |
| Maintenance | Required | Not required | Not required |
| Zoning | Impossible | Maybe | Maybe |
| Installation cost | High installation costs, low operating costs | High equipment costs, low operating costs | Relatively inexpensive installation, high energy costs |
| Possibility of use in multi-storey buildings | No | Yes | Yes |
| Life time | Up to 50 years old | Up to 15 years | Up to 25 years |
warmstad floor heating
The most common system today is electric floor heating. A variety of cables that convert current energy into heat are a heating element. Installation of thermal insulation, grounding, installation of thermostats is required of varying complexity. Automatic sensors are able to turn on the power to the system when the temperature drops, and the thermostat maintains the surface given parameters. A compact control and adjustment system saves space; connections are made for each room separately.
On a note: installation of an electric heating system does not require approval if the total power consumption does not exceed 15 kW.
Advantages electric floors heated:
Main disadvantage such a system - the high cost of electricity, even with high-quality insulation premises operating costs will be significant.
To install heated floors, resistive or self-regulating types of cable are used. They are used in rooms with complex layouts, since they can be laid in any configuration.
When choosing the type of cable, the heat transfer power, as well as the area and volume of the room, are taken into account.
In a single-core resistive cable, heat is generated by one conductive core. It heats up quickly and has a constant heat transfer along its length; overheating is possible in certain areas. Such a cable is connected to electricity from both sides, i.e. When installing, you need to lay it out in a loop so that the beginning and end meet in one place, or lay another supply wire. This is the most cheap option, but it emits strong electromagnetic radiation.
A two-core resistive cable consists of two cores; one or both are used to generate heat (then the other will be a conductive element). It has two layers of insulation, which eliminates short circuits. A two-core cable is more convenient to use; power is supplied only from one end, and a sealed coupling is installed on the other. It has a higher degree of electromagnetic protection.
Resistive cables are distinguished by their simplicity of design, low price, increased power and stable characteristics over the entire service life. But they are sold in pieces of a certain length, they cannot be cut in any way, so if one section breaks, you have to replace the entire section.
Self-regulating heating cable has a different operating principle and structure. It changes heating power when the surrounding temperature changes, ensuring uniform heating of the entire floor surface at minimum costs electricity. The design of such a cable is more complex: in addition to the current-carrying cores, it contains a polymer semiconductor matrix, which is a heating element and allows you to regulate the temperature. In the event of a breakdown, only a section of the cable can be replaced. This heating element has reliable protection, safe and durable. Possessing significant heating power, the self-regulating cable is economical; when laying, it can be cut into sections of any length. The disadvantage is the high price.
Electrical cable systems are widely used in combination with any decorative coating.
The heating mat is a fiberglass mesh base with a two-core cable attached to it. They simplify and speed up the installation of heated floors, since the cable along them is already fixed at a certain pitch. Porcelain stoneware or granite tiles are ideally combined with this system as a decorative floor ceramic tile, in this case no additional screed is made, and the heating element is mounted in a layer of tile adhesive. This is a reliable, durable and safe technology for creating heated floors.
It is very convenient to use mats in certain areas - in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the hallway where you take off your shoes. Although they are also used as the only source of heating for the entire room. It is necessary to carefully consider the selection of the power of the mats, high-quality cable and regulators. In order not to waste electricity, you need to choose mats so that at the lowest power they heat the room to the desired temperature.
When choosing quality materials, correct installation and operation, this type of “warm floor” is durable and reliable.
Infrared flooring is universal and suitable for any type of housing.
It differs in the method of energy transfer; heat transfer occurs through exposure electric current on carbon elements, which creates infrared radiation that heats the floor.
Two types of infrared elements are used:
Film - a thin polymer film, inside of which copper conductive busbars are located and graphite paste is sealed. The thickness of this film is less than 5 mm. The heating intensity is controlled using a regulator.
With great dignity infrared film is its simple installation. No screed is required, but a layer of heat-reflecting substrate must be laid underneath.
Infrared heated floors are efficient, economical and reliable. The film is characterized by high heat transfer with low energy consumption.
The disadvantage of IR film is that it is afraid of overheating (200°C and above), so it is not placed under heavy household appliances and furniture.
Rod infrared mats are tubes filled with a carbon composition, which are connected in parallel to two current-carrying busbars in polymer insulation.
Each rod functions independently, and if one or more of them breaks, the system will still work. Carbon rods self-regulate as temperature changes external environment the amount of heat generated changes. The system must include a thermostat and a floor temperature sensor; if they are not installed, the heating elements will operate constantly at the same power, and this is not economically profitable.
Advantages of rod infrared mats:
The disadvantages are the high price and short service life - up to 10 years.
Define optimal power heated floor is necessary to ensure comfortable temperature in room.
Let's use the formula:
Р= S floor xР 0
where P is the power of the heated floor, W; S floor – usable area of the room, m²; P 0 – power density, W/m².
The useful area of the room is the area free of furniture and heavy objects, on which a heated floor is laid.
We take the specific power according to the reference table depending on the room; these data are used if the warm floor will be additional heating. For main heating, the power is 160 – 180 W/m².
Table 2. Power density
Let's look at an example. Given: living room on the 2nd floor, area 25 m², furniture occupies 4.2 m². You need to find the power of the heated floor, provided that this is an additional source of heating.
S floor = 25 - 4.2 = 20.8 m²
According to the table we take P 0 = 120 W/m².
P = 20.8x120 = 2496 W
You can also use an online calculator to determine the power of a heated floor.
We consider the technology for laying electric heated floors in our
Step 1. To perform the installation correctly, you need to draw a floor plan of the room, mark the areas where the furniture will be located, and calculate the area where the IR film will be laid. At the same time, you need to know that if the IR system is the only source of heating in the room, then the film should occupy 80% of the area, if an additional one - 40-50%.
On usable area it is necessary to place the sections in such a way that they fill the entire room as much as possible, but do not intersect. An indentation of 15–20 cm is made from each wall. It is optimal to arrange the strips in length (no more than 8 m) in order to minimize the number of connection points; a transverse arrangement is also allowed.
Step 2. When choosing materials, take into account that the power of the film is selected depending on the decorative floor covering, room and type of heating system.
Table 3. Thermal film power
For saunas and industrial use film with a power of more than 220 W/m² is intended.
It is optimal to choose a film with a thickness of 0.3 mm; it is durable and resistant to deformation. For small room It is advisable to purchase material 50 cm wide.
A set of warm infrared floors includes: thermostat, temperature sensors, connecting clips, cables, IR film.
Step 3. The next step is to install the thermostat. The diagram shows the installation location of the thermostat, connecting contacts and sensors. It is placed at a height of 15–20 cm.
To lay the cable, drill a vertical hole in the wall to the point where the thermostat is attached. Electricity is supplied from the nearest outlet; it is better to place the wiring in a plastic corrugated pipe.
On a note: To reduce the length of the wire used, it is recommended to place the thermostat on the wall perpendicular to the direction of laying the strips.
Step 4. The carbon film is mounted on a perfectly flat, cleaned base. The floor must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust, and the horizontal surface must be checked. The permissible height difference is no more than 3 mm. If necessary, fill cracks and pour thin concrete screed or leveling mixture.
Step 5. Laying waterproofing will protect the system from moisture coming from below. To do this, use polyethylene film no thinner than 50 microns, the joints are connected with sealing adhesive tape.
Step 6. Izolon, Penofol, cork backing, foil coating. The layer thickness should be 3–5 mm. The substrate is placed over the entire area close to the walls, the joints are secured with masking or aluminum tape.
Step 7 Cutting the film into strips the right size. IR film can only be cut in places designated by the manufacturer; the material cannot be cut at an angle.
Step 8 We lay out the strips according to the plan, retreating 10–20 cm from the walls. In this case, the copper busbars are placed at the bottom. The distance between the canvases is 1–2 cm, secured with hot glue or double-sided tape.
Step 9 To connect the cable to the film, special clamps are used. One side of the clamp is placed between the film and the copper strip, and the other on the busbar.
The wires are inserted into the already installed clamp and processed with pliers. The wires to the terminals are mounted in parallel, i.e. the left only with the left, and the right with the right. The connections are insulated and crimped tightly.
Step 10 The wires connecting the heated floor to the network and the thermostat are laid to the wall and hidden in the baseboard.
A groove is made in the thermal insulation, sections of wire protruding above the film are placed there, and secured with tape.
Step 11 The contact points of the electrical wires and the cutting line of the copper bus are insulated with vinyl - with mastic tape on both sides.
Step 12 The temperature sensor is attached to the graphite strip on aluminum tape, as close as possible to the thermostat, but at a distance of at least 50 cm from the wall.
Step 13 The temperature sensor is insulated and connected by wire to the thermostat.
All connections are insulated with special overlays
Water floor heating is a system of bendable tubes through which circulates hot water, supplied from gas or
Water heating is prohibited from being used in apartments above the first floor, provided that in the basement or ground floor no living quarters. Therefore, it is used in private houses with individual water supply, and in multi-apartment buildings, if the system was originally provided for by the project. The law prohibits unauthorized connection to central heating and hot water supply.
At concrete method pipes are laid under a screed with a thickness of at least 3 mm; decorative flooring can be done no earlier than after 28 days.
If you need to reduce the load on the floors, or the height of the room is limited, use a floor laying system. The pipes are placed on polystyrene foam mats, and a screed is poured on top.
In houses with wooden floors, pipes are laid in wooden grooves.
Despite the complexity of installation, the water floor system is cost-effective and durable. The main disadvantage is the possibility of leakage and difficulty in repair. It is not recommended to use a warm water floor as the main heating in the house.
It depends on the purpose of the room, the type of heated floor, budget and personal preferences of the owner. What should you pay attention to?
First of all, not every type of coating is compatible with one or another type of heated floor. For example, parquet is not recommended for use with cable system due to the risk of overheating and fire.
Ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles are universal option under any warm floor. It is resistant to impact high temperatures, moisture and dirt. Tile - environmentally friendly material, which does not emit harmful substances even when exposed to high temperatures. It has high thermal conductivity, which means it heats up quickly. For heated floors, it is advisable to choose tiles small thickness.
When choosing a laminate as a finishing coating, you need to take into account its features. Laminate can be used if the heating elements of the system are distributed evenly over the entire area of the room, and their heating temperature does not exceed 27–30°C.
When purchasing, choose laminate class 32 and higher, optimal thickness boards 8–10 mm.
There should be symbols on the packaging indicating that this material can be combined with warm floors. Low formaldehyde content is designated E0 and E1.
Linoleum and vinyl coating have good elasticity and moisture resistance. With heated floors, thin linoleum without insulation on a smooth base is used. So that it does not change its properties, optimal temperature heating should be no more than 27°C. When choosing this material, it is important to pay attention to the markings.
Using cork in combination with a heated floor is ineffective due to its low thermal conductivity, but if necessary, use a glue-free cork coating.
When choosing carpet for a heated floor, preference is given to natural materials, since synthetics emit heat when heated. harmful substances. Operating temperature of the floor heating system when used carpeting project 3–5 degrees more. The length of the pile affects the thermal conductivity of the carpet, best choice There will be a thin short-pile carpet made of wool or felt.
When purchasing a decorative floor covering, ask the seller for a certificate this material, which will indicate its detailed characteristics and conditions of use.
A properly selected heated floor can be used with any floor covering. A large number of options for floor heating systems, modern materials allow them to be installed indoors for various purposes and operating conditions. It is important to maintain the power of the heating system and not exceed the permissible operating temperature of the finish coating.
Electric floor
When arranging our homes, each of us tries to create the greatest possible comfort and coziness in ours. Installed heated floors cope with this task perfectly. Typically, such work is ordered to qualified craftsmen, but the technology for installing heated floors is not so complicated that home craftsman I couldn't deal with her. You just need to have some knowledge and desire to do this business.
Heating systems come in several types. By type of support for the functions performed - electric and water. In turn, electric ones can be made of a heating cable, film materials and special heating rods. The peculiarity of using heated floors is that they heat up not only your room, but also the effect of increased temperature on the floor covering.
Therefore, it is necessary to take seriously the choice of materials for flooring. They can release harmful substances. In addition, their own insulation technologies may interfere with heating through a radiant floor system. Therefore, you should not lay, for example, linoleum with double insulation on a heated floor.
A water floor can be installed under any available floor covering. There is only a limitation on the installation of the system itself. It must not be placed in apartment buildings, since this violates common system heat supply. If you decide to do this, you need to coordinate the project with utility services. For a private home, this solution is the most optimal in terms of economy, operational safety, and durability.
If you lay thermal film on top soft covering(carpet, linoleum), the base needs to be made more rigid. For this, sheets of plywood or MDF are placed.
If you are interested in installing heated floors on water, you will need additional skills - preparing a solution, installing beacons and logs. To create a concrete screed you need to purchase:
A second coating of concrete is necessary not so much for strength as for uniform distribution of heat over the surface of the coating. For strength they are sometimes used wooden joists, between which pipes or cables are laid. Drying time for concrete screed is 3-4 weeks. To reduce the time it takes to dry the floor, you can temporarily connect water heating. But its temperature should not exceed 30 degrees.
Full heating of the room gives a much greater effect than local heating using a heater or battery. Full heating means heated floors. This method of heating a room was used in Ancient Rome. Back then, the prototype of a modern heated floor looked like a furnace with a pipe running under the floor and releasing gas. Today, heated floors operate much safer, as water or electricity is used for heating.
There are three types of heated floors:
Since electricity is an environmentally friendly energy carrier, this method is used in various buildings and premises. Floor heating is carried out using a one- or two-wire resistive cable. In the case of a single-wire resistive cable, a single conductor with high resistance is used. In a two-level cable, a copper conductor is laid together with a resistive one.
Also read materials:
On the outside, an insulating and heat-resistant shell, as well as a grounded shell, is used.
Heated water floors are a structure made of pipes with hot water supplied from a gas or electric boiler. This is the most economical type of heated floors. The downside is that heated water floors are not allowed to be installed in apartments multi-storey buildings, with the exception of the first floors.
Heated water floors are optimal for cottages and private houses.
This type of flooring appeared on construction market recently. For the operation of such floors, a film with infrared radiation is used. Anatomically, it looks like strips made of carbon conductors embedded in a polymer film. The thickness of this film is only 0.4 mm. Its main advantages include ease of installation and operation without screeds. Infrared floors do not emit harmful radiation. They are more economical in comparison with the two previous types of floors. When choosing a flooring covering over film, you need to consider that some of them may not withstand heat. These types of coverings include parquet floors and varnish coating for the floor.
Electrical floor coverings can be used:
So, if electric floors will be used as the main source of heating, then it should be no less than 5 cm. In this case, the area of the installed floors should be about 70% of the total area of the room. As an additional source of heating, electric floors are used to maintain a general microclimate together with other heating devices. For this purpose, they are used for bathrooms and swimming pools, as well as for apartments on the first floors.
Before you begin installing heated floors, you need to make sure that the electrical wiring is ready to connect additional power. You should also know what allowable current can pass through the fuses.
Installation of concrete water floors takes place in several stages:
Marking the room is necessary in order to avoid cracks in the concrete screed due to temperature changes. The ratio of plots should be 1:2.
There are many ways to lay pipes, for example:
However, it is worth considering that when installing pipes in internal walls you need to take as little steps as possible. At one end the pipe must always be attached to the supply manifold, and at the other - according to the design diagram.
Electrically heated floors are easy to install in a private house or city apartment yourself. It is enough to understand the technology of their installation and take into account the advice of specialists.
Electric floor heating involves the use of a special cable, which is laid according to a certain pattern on the floor base and then connected to the household electricity supply network. The design of such a system does not require installing pipes and connecting them to heating. This distinguishes electrically heated designs from common water ones. The electric heating systems we are interested in have the following advantages:
Electric underfloor heating can be used as an additional and main heating system. But only subject to proper installation in accordance with the requirements for working with electrical installations.
The disadvantage of electric floors is the need for constant monitoring of their functioning. This problem is solved by connecting electronic devices that automatically regulate the operation of the heated floor. If such devices are not installed, the comfort and safety of using electrical heating system decreases. In addition, the type of heating under consideration requires relatively large financial costs for the purchase of the required equipment, its proper installation and subsequent maintenance (it should be done regularly) during operation.
Many consumers refuse to use heated floors, worrying about high electricity consumption. One thing can be said here. Electricity bills, of course, will be quite high. But it is quite possible to reduce costs (and significantly) by installing the already mentioned auto control systems. Save on electronic devices no need. The costs for them will pay off quickly.
Warm electric floors can be installed using two different types of cables:
Products of the first type have a core with high electrical resistance. The current passing through it turns into thermal energy used to heat the room. The specified core must be included in insulating material, which reduces the risk of electric shock. Additionally, a metal braid is placed on the insulation, which plays the role of protective screen and a grounding element.
Single-core resistive cables– the easiest way to install an electric heating system. They should be installed over the entire area of the floor base and connected to electricity at both ends of the wire used. Essentially, this means that the cable installation must be done in a loop. Single-core systems are quite reliable in operation. But when they are used, an electromagnetic field is formed in the wire. The metal braid smoothes out this process. Unfortunately, it cannot completely exclude the possibility of a field appearing. Therefore, it is undesirable to use such systems in residential premises.
If you want to have an absolutely safe heated floor at your disposal, it is better to opt for two-core cables. They have an additional conductive core. It is located between the heating wires. When using such cables there is a risk of electromagnetic field comes down to zero.
Resistive wires with one or two cores must be embedded in the concrete floor screed as carefully as possible. Otherwise, the cables may overheat and damage the entire heating system.
Self-regulating wires will provide protection against overheating and breakage
Problems with overheating and breakdown of heated floors do not arise if self-regulating wires are used. They can be used for installation under tiles and any other finishing coatings. In a self-regulating cable, the main element is a special matrix of polymer material. It guarantees the operability of the system as a whole when its individual sections overheat. Due to this, the durability of electric heating increases 5–6 times. True, the cost of self-regulating wires is much higher than the price of resistive cables.
The power characteristics of the heating cable are easily calculated. It's done like this. You need to multiply the floor area (measured in sq. m.) by the value of the installed power (in watts). The last value depends on the type of flooring. If the cable is installed for a floor under tiles, and the system will be used as an additional heating source, the recommended value of the installed power is 130–150 W/sq. m. In cases where electric heating for tiles is planned as the main one, this value is 180–200 W/sq. m.
The desired power affects the wire laying pitch
Power values for other types of coatings are given below:
Under decorative coverings from linoleum, laminated and parquet boards, carpet cable is installed exclusively to create an additional (auxiliary) heating system. As the main heat source, the heating cable can perform its functions exclusively under tile materials.
Also installation electric cable(single- or two-wire) requires calculation of the wire laying pitch. There are no problems here at all. It is necessary to divide the area of the room that will be heated by the length of the cable. Important point! The area of the room is understood as that part of the surface of the room that is not filled with furniture. There is no need to heat the floors under sofas and massive cabinets.
When all calculations have been completed and the cable has been purchased the right quantity, installation can begin electrical system heating The do-it-yourself work plan will be as follows:
All elements of the electrically heated floor are installed. Now you can pour the screed from concrete-sand mixture. Its thickness is 3–5 mm. After the screed has hardened, you can connect the system to the power supply and then lay the finishing coating.
Advice. It is better to entrust the connection of a heated floor to an electrical panel to a professional if you do not have sufficient knowledge in the field of electrical installation to perform such an operation yourself.
