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» Electric floor heating: pros and cons. Water heated floor: pros and cons of technology. What coating is the heated floor compatible with?

Electric floor heating: pros and cons. Water heated floor: pros and cons of technology. What coating is the heated floor compatible with?

By nature, people are thermophilic, so every owner tries to insulate his home as much as possible.. Some use a heater, some insulate the facade, and some install heated floors. If all these methods of accumulating heat indoors are used together, then you definitely won’t have to worry about the house being cold in winter. The harm from an electric heater is obvious - it dries out the air in the room, but is underfloor heating harmful to health? This needs to be sorted out.

Advantages of heated floors

Before we begin to understand why heated floors are so dangerous for humans, we cannot fail to mention its advantages. Among them:

  • environmental friendliness. This type of heating proved to be an order of magnitude better than electric heater. The temperature of the carrier is at such a level that the operation of the system does not affect the environment in any way;
  • efficiency. This is almost the most economical system heating today;
  • quick heating of the room. The convector will first heat up and then dry out the air in the room, while the warm floor will begin to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room from the first minutes;
  • heating elements are hidden from view. This allows you to implement any design idea, because there is no need to install any bulky boilers and pipes;
  • durability and structural strength. If you use high-quality materials and follow installation technology, the need for preventive repairs will not arise for many years;
  • versatility. This heating system can be used in both residential and office premises..

Reading the above information, it is easy to understand why heated floors are in such demand among consumers. And yet, what is its negative impact on human health?

Fiction or real harm

The harms and benefits of heated floors are something you should understand before installing them in your home. Which accusations against this heating system are fiction, and which are actually true?

The following negative characteristics are attributed to this heating system:

  1. Release of toxic substances when the floor covering is heated. This assumption can be immediately refuted. Even if you lay linoleum or PVC tiles on the floor, no toxic substances will be released into the air. To cause harm to humans from fumes from the surface low-quality materials, you need to get the floor pretty hot. Does anyone really walk around their home as if walking on hot coals? The coolant temperature is 45C, and the floor is usually heated to 28C, which is quite safe.
  2. Harmfulness of electromagnetic radiation. Warm floors are made not only from pipes that cut into the heating system. The design of this heating system comes in several other types: heating mats, infrared thermal film, electrical cables. All of these options involve connecting to an electrical outlet, and like any Appliances, which runs on electricity, such warm floors emit electromagnetic waves. However, no matter what cable is used for the floor structure, single-core or double-core, the radiation intensity will be negligible. However, doctors do not recommend increasing the level of electromagnetic radiation in your home. Many consumers are thinking about the dangers of infrared heated floors. In fact, this radiation is safe for humans.
  3. Furniture cannot be placed on heated floors. But this is just the opposite. If you do not provide for the installation of heating elements in areas with furniture, then what to do when you want to update the room and rearrange it? It turns out that sofas and wardrobes will move to heated areas of the room, and you will have to walk on the cold floor. It's not rational. If you look at this issue from the point of view that the temperature of the coating can affect the durability of pieces of furniture, then you definitely shouldn’t be afraid of this. The floor is not hot, and under the influence of 28C nothing will happen to the furniture.
  4. Walking on a heated floor is harmful. Why should this fear be true if on the hottest days of summer everyone happily walks without shoes on the hot sand? And children love to take off their shoes and run around barefoot warm earth, because adults themselves say that it is useful.
  5. Warm floors dry out the air in the room. Of course, if you place the heating elements too close to each other, the room will be too hot, and this risks drying out the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose. There is nothing left to do but ensure the room is humidified by regularly using a humidifier. However, if the floor design is thought out correctly, it will not reduce the level of humidity in the apartment.
  6. Due to the heated floor, the room is very dusty. The idea of ​​this heating system is not to dilute cold air warm, but radiate heat, i.e. it does not raise air masses from the floor covering. If a person is allergic to house dust, then there is nothing left to do but clean more often, and it does not matter whether the house has a heated floor. Breathing dust is harmful, however, the wind raises whole clouds of dust on the street and few people think about its dangers.

The above accusations against heated floors are mostly untrue. Of course, some of these problems will pop up, but they are always the result of improper placement of the heating elements.

What is the negative impact of heated floors on human health?

Now we should talk about more significant problems that may arise when using heated floors:

  1. Uncomfortable temperature conditions for sleep. There really is such a problem, since at the height at which it is located sleeping area, the air temperature reaches 23C. It is too hot and not everyone can sleep peacefully under such conditions. Somnologists say that the most comfortable temperature for sleep it’s 18-20C, so the heating will have to be turned off at night, and this is not economically viable. However, there is a way out: you need to install a thermostat and connect it to the heating system. With its help, you can easily regulate the temperature and set the most comfortable sleep mode. In addition, in bedrooms it is better to place heating elements with a larger pitch.
  2. Warm floors are harmful to the health of people with vascular diseases. This is true, because it is harmful for a person who suffers from varicose veins or swelling of the lower extremities to keep their feet warm. In this case, again, you will need a thermostat that will allow you to select the most suitable mode.
  3. Housewives suffer the most from such a heating system. This opinion came about because women, standing at a hot stove on a warm surface, risk earning gynecological disease and varicose veins. To avoid this outcome, it is recommended to cover the floor with parquet boards rather than artificial material and install an adjustable system whenever possible.

What you should pay attention to when installing heated floors:

  • compliance technological process when installing a heating system;
  • arrangement of heating elements with large pitches in bedrooms;
  • provide the ability to set different temperature conditions;
  • choose quality natural coating, for example, special parquet board which will not dry out and will be safe for health.

There is no need to talk about any incredible harm of heated floors for human health. This modern system heating, which allows you to heat the room well and at the same time save money.

Advantages of heated floors

Heated floor has the following advantages:

  • comfortable floor surface temperature;
  • uniform heating of the room;
  • increase in air temperature in the room.

It must be said right away that a heated floor system cannot replace conventional heating. Traditional radiators provide the main heating of the air in the room. Warm floors can only be used as additional heating of the room. These are the disadvantages of a warm water floor. It is usually used to warm up the floor - nevertheless, walking on a warm surface is much more comfortable than walking on a cold one. But at the same time, thanks to this system, the room will be heated better, since another heating source is added to the traditional radiators. On top of that, the heat will be distributed evenly, as the room will heat up over the entire area.

Features of underfloor heating systems

The optimal floor surface temperature is 25-28 degrees. When installing the system, it is worth considering that the highest temperature will be observed at the very beginning of the water heated floor - as it moves through the pipes, it will drop. This problem does not arise with electric floors.

As for whether there is harm heated floors, then their surface temperature will be higher than the air. But this cannot contribute to the occurrence of a cold - on the contrary, you are more likely to get sick when moving on a cold surface. By installing a heated floor system in the bathroom, kitchen, or children's room, you don't have to worry about illnesses - as you know, colds often occur when the feet are hypothermic (read: “Heated floors for the bathroom: the right solution”).

Heated floors have disadvantages, including, for example, the inability to fully control the temperature. This mainly applies to water systems. The heating level of electric floors can be adjusted, if, of course, you purchase a good sensor that accurately measures the temperature. Experts advise installing programmable electronic devices - with their help you can set the desired level of air or floor surface temperature, and when this indicator is reached, the system will automatically turn off. Read also: “How to choose a mobile heated floor for a carpet - types. characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.”

Heated floor installation

The heating element is placed on thermal insulation material When installing heated floors, a screed is poured on top and the floor covering is laid. As for whether heated floors are harmful, this statement is absolutely false.

As for the fact that heated floors are harmful to health, this is absolutely false - heating floor surface can only have a positive impact on your health. But for such a system to last for a long time, it must be installed correctly.

Pros and cons of heated floors, is there any harm to health, are there any disadvantages of heating, photo and video instructions


Pros and cons of heated floors, is there any harm to health, are there any disadvantages of heating, photo and video instructions

Pros and cons of heated floors

Water heated floor is a heating system that uses hot water as a heat source. The operating principle of this system is extremely simple: it is mounted on the floor flexible pipe, along which it goes hot water. The system heats the liquid central heating or an autonomous boiler. The most popular is the scheme for connecting the system to gas boiler, since in this case heating will not be associated with seasonal shutdowns.

Advantages of water heated floors

If the indicators of warm water floors are calculated correctly, then the system will delight you with its efficiency and durability. The main advantages of water heating include the following parameters:

– relative low cost of installation, which is very important given the high cost of the equipment itself. Many consumers choose this option precisely because of the simplicity and accessibility of installation;

water system, unlike other types of heated floors, can be used in combination with almost any floor coverings. Carpet, ceramic tile, laminate and even linoleum - that’s far from full list possible options;

– the ability to connect the system to an autonomous heat source or centralized heating;

– maximum heat retention, for example, in a room with normal dimensions the savings are about 30%, and in a home with a ceiling height of more than 3 meters – about 50%;

– the possibility of completely abandoning traditional heating systems, allowing to significantly expand the usable area of ​​the room;

- at battery life heating will not depend on interruptions in the power supply network.

There are quite a lot of advantages of water heated floors, but there are no ideal systems, so even this option has its negative sides.

Disadvantages of water heated floors

The disadvantages of using a water heated floor system include the following points:

1. Installation of this type of heating is possible only in private houses, since most apartments do not have necessary conditions for its installation.

2. When choosing an autonomous operating option, heating can only be partially controlled if the system is connected to centralized system, then adjustment is not possible at all.

3. If defects in the pipeline system are not detected in a timely manner, there is a high risk of flooding.

Of course, we have not considered all the advantages and disadvantages of water heated floors, but the main pros and cons are reflected. In general, although this system requires compliance with certain conditions, it is one of the simplest and most effective in the category of underfloor heating.

Which heated floor is better: advantages and disadvantages

    • Which heated floor is better: advantages and disadvantages
    • Construction and renovation: infrared heated floor
    • Carpet or linoleum: which is better to choose?

    Classification of heated floors

    Warm floors are divided into: electric and water. Electric heated floors are divided into:

    Electric heated floors

    This type of flooring has high energy consumption. Therefore, they are mainly used for heating individual areas of the house. Most often, electric floors are used to heat balconies, loggias, bathrooms or children's rooms. If you install an electrical system for the entire house, then the monthly energy consumption can significantly hit the owner’s pocket.

    Typically, electric floors consist of a group of cables or heating elements connected into mats. But there is also a completely different subgroup. Innovative electric floors include film and infrared floors. The essence of their work is to heat special infrared rods or film.

    The main advantages and disadvantages of electric heated floors are as follows:

    • Reliability. Electric floors have a long service life;
    • Electric underfloor heating is also used as an auxiliary heating source;
    • Installation is carried out only on a dry base;
    • Additional equipment is required in the form of a thermostat, regardless of the coating on top;
    • In addition to thermal insulation, such floors require grounding.

    This type of floor is used quite rarely. Low popularity is associated with high consumption such a floor of electricity. This is the main disadvantage of this floor.

    During installation, either single-core or two-core special cable can be used. Before installing the cable, be sure to make a tie. Cable heated floors also include floors whose system consists of sections or mats. For this type of flooring, a screed is not needed.

    Infrared floor is a new product on the building materials market. It is also called carbon fiber. Long-wave infrared rays are completely safe for the human body. A huge advantage of such a floor is the preservation of optimal humidity in the room where such floors are installed. IR floors are divided into two types:

    Rod heated floor is a new generation product. Immediately after its appearance on the market, this type of floor heating was a success. It consists of conductive busbars and flexible special rods.

    The advantages of this type of heated floor are:

    • reliability: it is believed that carbon heated floors can last more than 50 years;
    • economical and corrosion resistant;
    • no electromagnetic radiation;
    • possibility of installation in wet areas, for example, in the bathroom;
    • high heat transfer: rod heated floors can be used as the main type of room heating;
    • resistance to mechanical damage;
    • the presence of self-regulation provides protection against overheating and burnout.

    But there is also important nuance: This gender lacks mobility. Once installed, it cannot be moved anywhere.

    The operating principle of this type of floor is identical to carbon. It is best to use film flooring under laminate because the heating is low and the coating does not deform. The film floor can heat up to a certain specified temperature regime, and then switches to economy mode. Film heated floors are the most energy efficient. Thanks to the ability to switch modes, up to 30% of energy consumption is saved. An undoubted advantage is the possibility of installation on horizontal, vertical and inclined surfaces. Film heated floors cannot be installed under carpet or tiles. Before installing a film heated floor, there is no need to screed the floor or other additional manipulations.

    Water heated floor construction

    In appearance, a water-type heated floor is a radiator installed on a horizontal surface. Its main advantage is the ability to install and heat the entire house or apartment at the same time. The popularity of this system is also due to the ease of installation both in the premises under construction and in those in use. Also, water heated floors save energy.

    The disadvantages of a water heated floor system include:

    • high installation price;
    • the reliability of a water heated floor is noticeably lower than that of an electric one;
    • difficulty in adjusting the temperature;
    • a water heated floor system cannot be installed under heavy furniture;
    • a water-heated floor noticeably dries the air in the room.

    An aquarium installed on the floor or a purchased air humidifier will help solve the last problem.

    Which heated floor is better: advantages and disadvantages - which heated floors are better - Construction Materials


    👍 Warm floors are not only comfort for residents, but also additional system heating the room.

Efficiency of water heated floors: pros and cons

The climate of our latitudes does not allow us to provide coziness and comfort in our homes during the cold season without a heat source.

Unfortunately, the heating system used does not always sufficiently warm the room over the entire area.

Because of this, with the onset of cold weather, discomfort begins due to the cold penetrating into the house.

One of the promising options for heating systems in houses and apartments is water heated floors.

Peculiarities

Water heated floor systems are a fairly new solution in the field of built-in heating systems. The peculiarity is that the coolant in in this case is heated water circulating through pipes laid in the floor, which transfers heat radiated through the decorative floor covering into the room.

At the same time, the efficiency of water heated floors is high; this type of heating seems to be extremely economical, allowing one to reduce the cost of heating a home to a comfortable temperature by 20-30, or even 50%. It's all about the temperature of the circulating fluid, which, as a rule, does not exceed 50⁰C, and often 40⁰C is enough.

Why? It's simple. The floor in a room, in the case of a heated floor, is a continuous convective surface that radiates heat. At the same time, the floor covering remains pleasant and comfortable, without posing a risk of burns, and the air in the room is heated evenly over the entire area.

Unlike traditional heating radiators, a heated floor immediately warms the air to comfortable temperatures below (22-24⁰С), while at head level the temperature is already somewhat lower (18-20⁰С), and an overheating zone does not form under the ceiling, no overheating occurs. empty heat losses. This property is one of the advantages of water heated floors, as it provides optimal “healthy” heating that promotes comfort and health.

Pros and cons of water heated floors

Like any type of heating, water heated floors, of course, have their own advantages and disadvantages. And this must be taken into account when deciding on installation of this type heating system.

The undoubted advantages of water heated floors include the following:

  1. Economical– compared to radiator heating from 20-30% to 60%. When heating water to low (30-50⁰C) temperatures using gas in autonomous systems, especially with large heated areas, a water floor is even superior to an electric floor in terms of operating costs (up to 5-7 times more economical).
  2. Safety, because the pipes with the coolant, firstly, have a low temperature, and secondly, they are completely hidden. This eliminates the risk of injury and burns.
  3. Comfort, ensured by uniform heating of the air and pleasant tactile sensations when walking on the floor barefoot.
  4. Aesthetics, because the built-in system solves the problem of hiding or camouflaging unaesthetic radiators and opens up wide horizons for implementation design ideas for remodeling and interior design.
  5. Smooth and soft heating, safety for capricious floor coverings due to gradual heating and low temperatures, absence of thermal shock (in the case of installing a thermostat and the ability to control the temperature of the coolant).
  6. No generation of harmless electromagnetic field and oversaturation of air with positive ions.
  7. Water heated floor does not dry out the air in the room.

While listing the advantages of water heated floors, it is worth analyzing its disadvantages:

  1. Labor intensity of installation– to lay a water floor you will have to start major renovation with leveling and thorough preparation of the subfloor surface. The system consists of several layers various materials, including waterproofing, cement- concrete screed and decorative flooring.
  2. Significant initial costs for installing a hydronic floor option- approximately 5 times higher than electric or traditional radiator. However, with active use, water heated floors demonstrate high efficiency and pay for themselves.
  3. It is impossible to install heated floors, for example, on stairs and in small corridors. In such areas it is required additional installation radiators.
  4. The likelihood of a leak and the difficulty of eliminating it– to find damage and repair the pipeline you will need complete dismantling floor covering and screed removal.

Due to the risk of leakage and, accordingly, flooding of neighbors below, water-heated floors are not recommended for installation in multi-storey buildings. Also, when connecting water-heated floor circuits to the central heating system, there is a high risk of pressure drop in the system throughout the house and a sharp decrease in heating efficiency.

Health effects

Is it enough to analyze the information on the query “water heated floor advantages and disadvantages” to make a final decision, especially if people with poor health live in the home? On the one hand, if the difficulties do not frighten you, but the advantages captivate you, it is worthwhile to critically evaluate them again.

The point is that she main feature and the advantage of this type of heating, namely, a constant elevated floor temperature, which allows you to “keep your feet warm” all the time, can also have a downside.

Namely, to provide negative impact on vascular system legs, because blood constantly flows to the “warm” legs, putting constant stress on the veins and expanding them.

Therefore, it is recommended to install a water or electric floor in rooms with periodic and short-term presence of people there, or to limit the time they walk on the floor or stay on it.

The question of whether heated water floors are harmful to the general physical condition and well-being cannot be answered unambiguously. The air in the room is not overdried, there is no improper mixing of layers, but in the case of heated floors it is difficult natural ventilation. In order to avoid air staleness, it is necessary to ventilate the room more often and take care of forced ventilation.

On our website you can also find out the following information about the warm water field:

And also read here about the installation and installation of a Rehau heated water floor.

Conclusion

Water heated floor is an effective alternative to radiator heating and a good option for first floors, private houses. However, making a decision about installation requires a scrupulous analysis of the pros and cons.

Pros and cons of water heated floors: its effectiveness, is it harmful to health, as well as advantages and disadvantages


The article contains detailed information about the pros and cons of water heated floors, its effectiveness, whether it is harmful to health, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of such a floor.

“I reasonably believe that batteries are last century in private housing construction. Why are they needed if you can make a warm floor and enjoy life,” says FORUMHOUSE member with nickname Maikl8. And indeed, different types Warm floors are being used more and more often in country houses. Why they are good, what their strengths are and what to expect from them, we will consider in this article.

  • Water heated floor: pros and cons of the system
  • Warm electric floor: types of cable electric floor, their disadvantages and advantages
  • Infrared heated floor: film and rod
  • How to choose a heated floor

Water heated floor

Water heated floor is the most common heating system individual house. Its important component is pipes made of polypropylene or metal-plastic. The system also includes circulation pump, manifold-mixer, and three-way valves (according to the number of water circuits).

Here's how this system works: the heated liquid moves along the heating circuit and transfers its heat to the screed. The cooled water goes back, flows into the boiler, heats up again - the cycle repeats. Limiters built into the system prevent the floor from heating above the set temperature.

Pros and cons of a water heated floor system in a private house

Flaws

Advantages

Difficult installation. If using a concrete screed, you need to wait at least a month until it dries completely. Need a boiler room.

Compatible with different types of floor coverings.

The initial costs will be several times (3-5) more expensive than an electric floor.

Very efficient system. The temperature of the circulating fluid is 35-50 degrees, this greatly reduces heating costs.

When this is the only way to heat a house, complex calculations are needed.

May be the only SO at home.

In case of leakage, complete dismantling of the covering and removal of the screed will be required.

Does not generate an electromagnetic field.

A wide variety of floor coverings are compatible with hydronic heated floors, and you can lay a carpet on it.

Does not dry out the air in the room.

Water floors are divided according to the type of installation: usually the pipes are poured into a screed, but there are also flooring systems, wooden or polystyrene.

sly2k FORUMHOUSE Member

A 50 mm board is placed on top of the logs, recesses for laying tubes are milled into it, then foil is laid into the recesses (as waterproofing and for better heat distribution), and metal-plastic pipes are laid. All this is covered with boards (20 mm pine), the boards are coated with polyurethane varnish on both sides.

Each type of water heated floor is good in certain conditions.

Lightweight and quickly warming up flooring system is considered ideal solution for panel houses.

The concrete system is chosen for capital, powerful buildings. It, as already mentioned, is more expensive, but it is an indispensable element of an energy-efficient home.

Installing a hot water system is an extremely important task: a leak will mean repairing the subfloor, covering and finishing.

Electric heated floor

Electric heated floors are divided into:

  • Cable. The heating element in them is a resistive heating cable with a conductive core protected by a sheath.
  • Heating mats – cable on a mesh backing.
  • Infrared film floors – film with carbon stripes.
  • Infrared rods. The heating element is a carbon rod.

Cable floor

Electric cable flooring is usually installed in city apartments and country houses, as part of combined system heating. He's good where he's supposed to be minimal screed, or tiles with glue (that’s why they are so often installed in the kitchen or bathrooms).

This heated floor in the house is not suitable for main heating, but it is good, for example, for heating in the off-season.

IN electric floor Resistive or self-regulating cable may be used. Resistive can be single-core or two-core (the method of laying a heated floor depends on this; two-core is much more convenient), self-regulating - only two-core.

Variety

Advantages

Flaws

Single-core resistive cable. The unheated end is connected to the temperature regulator, the main cable is placed in a “snake” under the floor, the second unheated end is pulled into the initial connection and also connected to the thermostat.

The maximum heating temperature is several times higher than that of a two-wire one.
Consumes little electricity.
It's inexpensive.

U resistive cable uniform heat transfer in all areas, overheating of the floor covering under the furniture and failure of the system is possible. It is better to have the heating cable under large furniture it was not - this will have to be foreseen during the design.

Two-core resistive cable. It is enough to connect it to the thermostat at one end. This is convenient for large areas and complex house layouts.

Easy to install, you can lay a heating channel high complexity. The voltage that passes through the wire does not affect the electromagnetic pulses.

Self-regulating cable (two conductive cores are in contact with a matrix made of a special polymer material).

Depending on the temperature in the room, it independently changes the heating power. Well protected from mechanical impact. It cannot overheat due to the design features. It lasts a long time and almost never needs repairs. Compatible with any surface and under any furniture. Contours can be made different sizes(and less than 1 sq.m.). Easy installation of heated floors.

Expensive. Special ballasts are required. Provides a comfortable temperature only on the floor surface and is not able to quickly warm up the room.

When installing a resistive cable floor, it is important:

  • calculate cable length
  • pay attention to the material (brass, nichrome or copper). They have different properties and electrical resistance indicators
  • strictly observe the permissible distance between heating elements specified by the manufacturer (usually no more than 12 cm)
  • perform the calculations correctly - it is impossible to remove or add part of the wire at the installation stage

When making calculations, they are usually guided by the following data (on square meter premises):

  • Bedroom – 100-150 W/sq.m;
  • Kitchen, hallway, corridor - 150 W/sq.m;
  • Bathroom - 150 W/sq.m
  • Balcony -200 W/sq.m

Warm floors under tiles: heating cable mats

Heating cable mats are the best heated floor for laying under tiles, because they can be laid directly into a layer (up to 1 cm) of tile adhesive. Thin cables can also cope with this task, but their range on sale is usually limited.

kjr11 Member FORUMHOUSE

Manufacturers prefer to glue thin cables onto mats and sell them at a higher price.

The mats are suitable for all finishing coatings. Compared to a simple cable floor, they are much faster and easier to install - the cable is already fixed to polymer mesh, and you just need to roll it out on the floor. The mats use both single-core and double-core cables, and with the same power, single-core cables are about 15% cheaper. So the difference is only in price and the magnitude of the electromagnetic field - for single-core ones it is much stronger. If this factor is important, it is better to overpay and buy heating mats made from a two-core cable.

Another big plus is that if any part of this system breaks, the rest will work.

There is only one minus, but a big one - quite high cost.

Infrared carbon floors

Infrared floors consist of heating elements filled with a carbon mixture and fixed to a polypropylene base. When exposed to current, carbon emits heat waves with a length of 8–14 microns; the waves pass through the floor covering and warm up the objects in the room (the air only slightly). A room heated by an infrared carbon floor is always very comfortable - there is no dry air, which is why we suffer so much in winter.

Rava Member FORUMHOUSE

It heats up objects: tables, stairs, walls, that’s the whole point. You open the windows wide, ventilate, and when you close everything, it’s warm again. Because not only the air is warm, but everything around it.

Infrared floors are not afraid of frost: you can come to a cold place in winter Vacation home on the weekend after a week of hellish minuses, turn on the system and it will work normally, and a comfortable temperature will be established very quickly (the system enters operating mode in 5-7 minutes, but such a floor cools down immediately).

Film and rod floors have their own characteristics.

Film floor

Rod floor

Mounted without wet processes, dry flat surface under finishing coat. Installation is quick, with the ability to dismantle the system and use it again.

Laying is carried out in a screed or a layer of tile adhesive (2 cm) with mandatory thermal insulation of the rough base. Foil materials are not allowed for the coating substrate.

It is not recommended under carpet, carpet tiles, linoleum on felt - these coatings reduce the heating efficiency several times. Parquet and massive board possible if the operating temperature of the system is not higher than 28 degrees.

Self-regulating system: if the floor temperature rises in the area under the furniture, the power consumption of the heating elements decreases. And vice versa.

It can be cut into pieces and placed arbitrarily - this allows you to heat only some local areas of the room: passages, places where children play, etc.

A core floor can be installed in any room; large furniture and equipment can be placed on top.

If any section breaks, the floor will work as before - you won’t even notice it.

Thanks to the parallel connection scheme, the system will operate stably even if several heating elements fail.

Heating coatings of this type are used to heat stairs and porches in private homes, to prevent the formation of ice.

conclusions

Each type of heated floor is good for its own purposes. If the house is built on USHP, then a warm floor may be the only heating method, and a very effective one. To do this, choose a water heated floor, and if the house is not connected to gas, and there are problems with solid fuel– cable electric. Film flooring is chosen for heating some comfort zones, stairs, passages.

What do you think is better, warm floors or radiators?

Today, heated floor technology is not much inferior in efficiency to radiator heating systems, but has many advantages. We propose to consider the main advantages of hidden heating systems, installation and connection features.

Advantages of hidden heating

One aspect of the attractiveness of underfloor heating systems is the concealment engineering communications. Neither radiators, nor heating pipelines, nor shut-off and control valves will disturb the harmony of the interior. However, this is not the only advantage of the secrecy of the heating system.

If in living rooms pipes do not pass through the wall ceilings and along them, this will greatly facilitate installation finishing works. For leveling and application decorative materials The entire plane of the walls is accessible; in addition, there are no difficulties with cutting the floor covering; there is no need to hide the passage of pipes during installation suspended ceilings. The absence of visible communications is especially beneficial when changing layouts.

In addition to aesthetic advantages, there are also technical ones: uniform heating of the floor creates optimal scheme distribution warm air. Since the main emphasis is not on convection heat transfer, but on its direct radiation, there is no need to warm up the upper uninhabited zone. This ensures a reduction in heating costs of about 10-15%. What’s most interesting is that savings here do not come at the expense of comfort: the temperature in the leg area is about 20-22 ºС, in the head area it is 3-4 ºС lower.

The main disadvantages of water heated floors

The main disadvantage of a heated floor system is the complexity of its design. The process of laying heating elements in the floor is quite technological and labor-intensive, but if we are talking about a water heating system, additional difficulties arise with organizing the piping and setting up the heating operation.

This is not at all a reason to refuse to use heated floors. If you use high-quality materials and installation systems, follow the technology of laying pipes in the floor and installing floor coverings, all your efforts will pay off handsomely. Underfloor heating is a truly effective, economical and durable heating system, but, we repeat, only if it is designed in compliance with a number of key requirements.

Among the difficulties of the device, it is worth mentioning separately the need to carefully select the material for the floor screed. In addition to strength qualities, it must meet standards for heat capacity and thermal conductivity, as well as the ability to emit heat in a certain spectrum - about 9-10 microns. In principle, when heated to 40 ºС, almost all cement-bound materials emit heat in this range. All that remains is to achieve the maximum possible coating density and uniform distribution of thermal energy in warm layer screeds. For this purpose, steel fiber can be used, liquid glass or special polymer additives for underfloor heating screed - plasticizers C-3, HLV-75, BV 3M and the like.

Materials for the device

As already mentioned, underfloor heating systems require extremely careful selection of materials. Just one and a half to two decades ago, everyone was content with laying in the floor metal-plastic pipe, convincing yourself that nothing threatens the heat exchanger in the floor other than corrosion. This approach has a number of disadvantages that become apparent during the first 3-5 years of operation.

In order not to repeat the mistakes of others, for heated floors you should use tubes that, if damaged, can restore the structure of the polymer over time and have the highest possible thermal conductivity. It is impossible to guarantee that when installing the tubes they will not be broken, but for metal-plastic this, without exaggeration, is a death sentence. Cross-linked polyethylene behaves best in this regard, the alternative to which is copper. In the latter case, there are a number of additional advantages: even higher thermal conductivity, a miniscule coefficient of thermal expansion and the ability to remember shape during deformation.

For open systems heating, the absence of excess pressure can lead to the ejection of gas molecules through the walls of the tubes; over time, gas particles can accumulate into fairly large plugs. To eliminate such phenomena, modern pipes for heated floors are made of composite materials with a built-in oxygen barrier.

When it comes to materials for installing heated floors, insulation cannot be ignored. Its choice is decisive for the durability of the heating system and the floor as a whole. The thermal barrier must be incompressible, retain its shape and, naturally, have high resistance to heat transfer. Of all the options, extruded polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam are most suitable for use as a thermal cutoff; polyisocyanurate boards are less commonly used.

Do you need a backup heating system?

You can often hear the opinion that water heated floor systems are unreliable, and therefore when using them as the main source of heating, there is an illusory risk that over time the house will be left without a single source of heat. This misconception is associated, first of all, with the experience of operating underfloor heating systems, which, in essence, are budget counterfeits of the original technology.

Judge for yourself: if low-quality pipes are used for the heat exchanger, the risk of their clogging, breakage and destruction of the screed due to thermal expansion increases significantly. Here it really makes sense to combine floor heating with the installation of radiators, although this version of the heating system is fraught with adjustment difficulties: you constantly have to adjust the flow, otherwise the temperature in the room increases to truly uncomfortable values.

However, if the warm floor is designed taking into account all technological requirements, it can work as the main heating system for many decades. Care and sensitivity during the installation of thermal insulation, pipes and when pouring screed eliminate the main risk factors for both the occurrence of leaks and damage to the floor covering or the base on which it is laid. In general, the costs of organizing a backup heating system and correct device water heated floors are approximately equal.

Preferred types of boilers

The main disadvantage of water floor heating systems is their extremely low resistance to overheating. This rule mainly applies to heat exchangers made of polyethylene - this material has one of the highest coefficients of linear thermal expansion. For copper pipes this figure is significantly lower.

Due to such restrictions, the correct selection of the boiler unit and appropriate adjustment of its operating mode are required. Boilers running on natural gas and electricity are considered the most suitable. Their thermoregulation system eliminates the supply of too hot coolant to the underfloor heating system.

The least suitable for connecting a water floor heating system can be safely called solid fuel boilers. Their peak power is almost impossible to limit, especially when periodically changing the type of fuel. That is why such systems require inclusion in hydraulic diagram special devices that maintain the water temperature in the heating circuit by mixing liquid from the return line.

Connection diagram

The final argument against underfloor heating systems is the complexity of organizing the coolant distribution scheme. If the system has more than one floor heating circuit, the installation of hydraulic manifolds with flow regulators is required.

House heating scheme with water warm floors. A - gas heating boiler; B - combined mixing unit and collector group; B - heated floor contour. 1 - boiler with built-in circulation pump; 2 - security group; 3 — expansion tank; 4 — three-way valve mixing; 5 - circulation pump; 6 - ball valve; 7 - needle valve or valve with a servo drive; 8 — pressure reducer; 9 - flow meter

On the one hand, installation and commissioning of such complex networks are comparable to additional costs. However, all the efforts to organize heating with underfloor heating are more than compensated by the comfort of its use: each room can easily adjust its own thermal regime, while the entire system can be easily and efficiently balanced even if there are several dozen “loops”.

Otherwise, the heating floor connection is made according to classic scheme organizations closed system heating with overpressure. The only addition is the water preparation unit at the make-up inlet: since the heat exchanger consists of fairly narrow channels located at the lowest point of the system, it is necessary to remove from the water all mechanical impurities that can settle and eventually completely clog the tubes.

Water heated floor is a heating system that uses hot water as a heat source. The operating principle of this system is extremely simple: a flexible pipe is mounted on the floor, through which it's hot water. The liquid is heated by a central heating system or an autonomous boiler. The most popular is the scheme for connecting the system to a gas boiler, since in this case the heating will not be associated with seasonal outages.

Advantages of water heated floors

If indicators of warm water floors calculated correctly, the system will delight you with its efficiency and durability. The main advantages of water heating include the following parameters:

Relative low cost of installation, which is very important considering the high cost of the equipment itself. Many consumers choose this option precisely because of the simplicity and accessibility of installation;

The water system, unlike other types of heated floors, can be used in combination with almost any floor covering. Carpet, ceramic tiles, laminate and even linoleum - this is not a complete list of possible options;

Possibility of connecting the system to an autonomous heat source or centralized heating;

Maximum heat retention, for example, in a room with normal dimensions the savings are about 30%, and in a home with a ceiling height of more than 3 meters - about 50%;

The possibility of completely abandoning traditional heating systems, allowing to significantly expand the usable area of ​​the room;

When operating autonomously, heating will not depend on interruptions in the power supply network.

There are quite a lot of advantages of water heated floors, but there are no ideal systems, so even this option has its negative sides.

Disadvantages of water heated floors

The disadvantages of using a water heated floor system include the following points:

1. Installation of this type of heating is possible only in private houses, since most apartments do not have the necessary conditions for its installation.

2. When choosing an autonomous operating option, heating can only be partially adjusted; if the system is connected to a centralized system, then adjustment is not possible at all.

3. If defects in the pipeline system are not detected in a timely manner, there is a high risk of flooding.

Of course, we have not considered all the advantages and disadvantages of water heated floors, but the main pros and cons are reflected. In general, although this system requires compliance with certain conditions, it is one of the simplest and most effective in the category of underfloor heating.