The system of warm water floor today is one of the most popular means of additional heating in private homes. Compared to electric floor mats, such communications are cheaper in terms of coolant consumption, but they require more effort for a technical device. The organization of the water floor heating control system is a key stage of installation activities, providing for a number of electrical and commissioning operations.
Water floor structure
Typical floor system with water heating can be conditionally divided into two parts, one of which will be the heating unit itself, and the second - the control and management infrastructure. The working part with the coolant contains the following elements:
- Underlay on the rough surface that forms the structural base for laying the heat distribution contours.
- Waterproofing with damper tape.
- Insulation that prevents heat from escaping to the rear.
- Heat-conducting pipes.
- Finishing layer of structural coating.
The operation of heat-conducting circuits is regulated by means of a water-heated floor control unit, which also consists of several functional parts that deserve special attention.
Control node device
In the configuration of the floor heating with a water pipeline, a mixing and heating unit is supplied, which, depending on the design, can be connected to one or more heating circuits. Its basis is formed by a heating element with a power of 1000 to 1500 W, a collector group and a circulation pump. In addition to this node, you can connect an intelligent water floor heating control system.
Advice from the experts: the regulation system should be made as segmented as possible in terms of the levels of shut-off valves connection. This means that control must be provided by both mechanical control elements and a combined thermostat. Moreover, it is desirable to place the shut-off valves on all circuits in a separate order, which will make the system more cumbersome, but will increase the reliability of control in emergency modes.
Circulation pump function
The working process of the water floor begins with the delivery of water from the central water supply and raising its temperature in the heater. Further, the ready-made coolant must be distributed along the laid contours. This task is performed by the circulation pump. In the control system of a water heated floor, this equipment has its own auxiliary tasks that go beyond the regulation of the flow distribution rate. For example, the pump can be provided with water flow sensors, record critical pressure indicators and, in some configurations, perform the tasks of shutoff valves. This set of functions depends on the device of the pump and how it is placed. By the way, complex systems, in which one control unit covers several heating systems (boilers, radiators, hot water), contain several circulation pumps to ensure sufficient distribution power in several coolant delivery zones.
Servo control
Mechanical control and management infrastructure today is implemented on the basis of a servo drive that allows you to control the flow of coolant by closing and opening manifold valves. There are two types of these regulators - normally closed and normally open. The difference between them lies in the principle of interaction of the device with electrical voltage. In a closed system, the valve opens only when voltage is applied, and the normally open control mechanism closes when a similar electrical voltage is applied.signal.
The most widely used control systems for underfloor heating are a servo drive with a temperature sensor, which allow monitoring heating indicators in one mechanical unit. However, the addition of a thermometer option is more of a cosmetic nature, since in automatic thermostats the same sensors are implemented with a wider functionality. By itself, the concept of a mechanical regulator with integrated measuring devices is outdated.
But is the principle of controlling a water-heated floor heating with a servo drive without a temperature sensor so good? Despite the lack of a temperature indicator function, the drive mechanism can still perform its main task by receiving temperature readings from the thermostat. The main thing that the servo must do is to accurately regulate the state of the valves mechanically.
Control unit for water floor
Basic electronic control component that provides ergonomic user interaction with water floor functionality. This unit is based on the principle of water temperature regulation, which is implemented by means of a heating element. In reviews of controlling a water-heated floor through temperature controllers, many emphasize the convenience of working with models provided with an LCD display and touch buttons. Typically, electronic thermostats are criticized for low regulation accuracy even compared to mechanical counterparts, however, modern modifications of the control unit allow adjustments up to 1 degree.
Implementation of automation
Automatic control systems are a kind of superstructure on electronic thermostats, expanding their basic capabilities. The key difference between automatic regulation is the possibility of autonomous operation of the system. In particular, modern regulators work on the principle of proportional-integral control, which means independent accounting and decision-making on setting the temperature regime based on the current initial data on temperature and pressure. At the same time, the full toolkit of control functions by the user is preserved. Along with direct mechanical or electronic regulation, the owner can use the remote control of the water heated floor from the phone via Wi-Fi or cellular communication. The automatic thermostat itself can keep statistics on indicators by season, making predictions about possible future changes in settings according to specified algorithms.
Management in the Fibaro system
Fibaro offers a customized solution for controlling water floor functions in the form of a Z-Wave kit. The system includes a control panel, a thermostatic unit and a software PID controller, in which you can set the floor heater operation schedule for days and weeks in certain modes. Of course, the function of intelligent temperature control, which is performed based on the information of the complete sensor on the wire, has not gone anywhere. To the operating features of the Fibaro underfloor heating control system, you caninclude advanced cooling options and the “Antifreeze” option, which activates the heating automatically, even if it was turned off forcibly. This feature is implemented for security reasons, since at certain (extremely low) temperatures, freezing of the coolant circuits is possible.
Danfoss control
The manufacturer of heating equipment and accessories Danfoss also offers special kits for controlling underfloor heating. In this family, the mechanical infrastructure for organizing water heating with a mixing unit and a collector group is especially successfully implemented. This solution is suitable for houses where it is planned to organize complex heating together with radiators. The technical basis for the control of Danfoss underfloor heating is a distribution manifold, to which a mixing unit is connected. This configuration is beneficial in that during floor operation, the optimum temperature of the coolant is 35-40 ˚С. In the process of mixing hot water from the boiler and exhaust cooled streams from the radiator unit, an optimal heating mode is achieved that does not require adjustment. The user also sets specific parameters using an electronic thermostat, including the one that comes with the water floor.
Control via Arduino controller
The use of controllers justifies itself in homes where multifunctional control of entire groups of heating systems is provided. programmerThe Arduino microcontroller is the most suitable for use with household underfloor heating devices. By means of special settings, the user compiles a control algorithm taking into account the list of input indicators. In modern systems of this type, remote control capabilities are also widely used. So, the control of the Arduino water heated floor can be organized through the same smartphone by downloading the appropriate Android application with a graphical interface. Among the main tasks that can be solved using such tools are the following:
- Temperature setting and regulation.
- Monitoring data that comes from temperature sensors.
- Informing about the technical condition of the system.
- Inclusion of emergency modes with an alarm when signs of a leak or an uncharacteristic change in key performance indicators are detected.
Installation of the control node
It is advisable to place the control devices as close as possible to the place of operation of the heating pipeline. Fastening operations using a complete set of clamps and mounting panels are easy to perform without the help of specialists, with your own hands. Water heated floor control can be carried out both from the installation cabinet and remotely. Therefore, it is important to consider in advance the most convenient installation locations in terms of access. At the same time, it is not recommended to mount the assembly with the collector group directly to the supporting structures, since the operation of the warm floor contributes topropagation of vibrations and noise. It is advisable to fix the system with screws to the installation panel through a damper gasket, which will dampen vibrations and sound effects.
Checking the system for leaks
Before the first start-up of the floor heater, it should be tested for tightness, that is, the presence of possible leaks. To do this, it is necessary to keep the system under pressure, which is 1.5 times higher than normal operating indicators, for about 5-10 minutes. In this case, the maximum value should not exceed 3 bar. If during this period the pressure does not exceed 0.2 bar, this means that there is no leakage in the connections. Depending on the option of a specific water-heated floor control system, critical pressure drops can also be reported by automation through special indicators. Moreover, the notification functions also allow the possibility of being included in the general alarm systems of the house.
Conclusion
The practice of supplying heating systems with “smart” regulators and controllers has significantly increased the comfort of equipment operation. It is enough to recall the possibility of controlling a water-heated floor from a telephone at a distance in order to assess the degree of technological development of thermostats. But not only because of convenience, automatic control systems have become popular. Workflow optimization also contributes to energy savings and improves system security. Another thing is that the factor of user influence still remains, on which the algorithms of the work of programmers andwater floor controllers.
