When making underfloor heating from a heated towel rail in an apartment, you must obtain permission from your management company. The approval procedure is complicated, since the laying of such highways affects the design of the house. After all, it must be borne in mind that the pipes of the warm floor are connected to the central heating. And secondly, they can leak at any time. As a result, you will simply flood your neighbors from below.
Design and operation
There are no requirements for warm air in the bathroom for underfloor heating. The main thing is that the floor covering is always warm and dry. Only in this case it will be possible to provide maximum comfort, and the drops will quickly disappear from the surface. And if one heated towel rail is not enough for heating, it is recommended to install a warm floor - with its help you will be able to get rid of fungi, musty smell and mold. In other words, a heated floor in the bathroom from a heated towel railcan perform its functions perfectly, and its connection is very simple.
Installing a floor heating system will create a normal microclimate in the room, which will get rid of excess moisture. Moreover, the floor can be both water and electric. The first option is made on the basis of plastic or metal-plastic pipes enclosed in a concrete screed. This is the most economical option, but it is quite difficult to implement.
As for electrical structures, even in bathrooms they will be absolutely safe. All active elements are located under the floor in the screed. Power is supplied via a power cable. A good option is an infrared film type floor. To mount it, there is no need for arranging a screed. In addition, it is possible to adjust the temperature. The floor is laid directly under the tiles.
Of course, a liquid system is usually installed together with a heated towel rail, since it does not require large operating costs. The heated liquid enters the circuit from the hot water supply system of the apartment.
Liquid Towel Warmers
A heated towel rail is a type of radiator that has the shape of a coil. The coolant circulates through this tube. The fluid model is mounted using fittings that allow it to be connected to a central system. Electric models have in their design a heating element - a heating element. The principle of operation for both devices is similar - the pipe warms up forcoolant account. At the same time, the air in the room is dried, moisture is removed from the towels. Batteries are mounted on the walls. Next, consider how to make a warm floor from a heated towel rail in your apartment or house.
Disadvantages and advantages of fluid designs
During installation, the heated towel rail must be inserted into a hot water supply. This design is the most popular. At the same time, there is no dependence on electricity supply, and there are such advantages:
- The design is as simple as possible.
- Increased security.
- Easy to maintain.
- Low cost and many models.
- Effective work.
But there are several disadvantages:
- Depends on the hot water supply to the system.
- Scaling and corrosion appear inside, the case heats up worse.
Quite often air traffic jams appear in such structures, which worsen the heating, the warm floor starts to work worse. Through a heated towel rail, if you connect it, then the efficiency drops many times over.
Electric Towel Warmers
In fact, this is a simple radiator with a closed circuit, but only their dimensions are slightly larger. You can install the radiator anywhere, as long as the power cord reaches the nearest outlet. Of course, the wire is not allowed to hang and be greatly stretched. It is necessary to lay it on the floor, and the best option is to install a separate line. Two types of structures can be distinguished:
- Oil - they have a high heat capacity.
- "Dry" - there is no working fluid, a heating coil is used instead.
Advantages and disadvantages of electric models
Benefits include:
- Great resource.
- Designs are highly reliable.
- Consume a fairly small amount of electricity.
- The device can be switched off and on as needed.
The disadvantage is that there is a dependence on electrical energy. The second disadvantage is the high cost. In addition, timers, thermostats, automatic protection can be installed.
It is worth noting that combined designs can also be found on sale. They are included in both the heating system and the power supply. The main thing is to choose the right place where the device will be installed.
Combination options
Towel dryer is a device that allows you to heat the bathroom. In addition, it is used for drying towels, linen, etc. Often, homeowners, together with a heated towel rail, install a warm floor, and connect them into one circuit. It is possible to connect to any type of pipelines:
- To the main risers.
- To district heating (rarely used).
- To the hot circuit recirculation branch.
These connection types have different modes of operation. If you connect the circuit of the warm floor and the heated towel rail to the central heating system, it will turn out that it will only function in the winter. If connected to a riser, you will get low system performance. The most suitable would be inclusion in the recirculation line.
As for the specifically heated floor, it can be connected to the heated towel rail in series, in parallel, through a circulation station. Let's consider them in as much detail as possible.
Parallel connection
This connection option can be made using tees. The tube that goes to the floor system is connected with a tap. Be sure to install a valve that allows you to regulate the flow of coolant. This connection option has one drawback - the likelihood that an insufficient volume of liquid will pass through the system is extremely high.
This is due to the fact that the circuit resistance is higher than that of a heated towel rail. To ensure the full circulation of water, it is necessary to significantly limit the consumption of the heated towel rail. To do this, close the inlet or outlet valves. That's just such actions can affect the overall pressure in the house.
A good solution is to install a low power circulation pump (50 W is enough). With its help, the entire system can be filled with coolant. Just have to spend on electricity.
Sequentialinclusion
The junction point is in the section of the riser. When implementing such a scheme for connecting a heated floor from a heated towel rail, both devices will be able to work simultaneously. It is necessary to turn off the riser and cut out a section of the pipe from it. A tap and a valve are installed in the cut (2 valves can be used). It is through this fitting that the pipeline is connected.
The disadvantage of this solution is that there may be a lot of resistance in the operation of the riser itself. And if you attach a valve to it for adjustment, then the negative effect will only increase. It is highly undesirable to install a circulation pump, as it will be an obstacle.
Heat exchanger
The best solution would be to use a unit with a pump and a heat exchanger. In the latter, the coolant is heated. In this design, it is possible to achieve the formation of full-fledged hydraulic independence.
It is best to connect the pump in series to the heated towel rail. In addition, a bypass must be installed. If you perform a parallel connection, then the same disadvantages will appear as with a straight tie-in. And the main disadvantage is the low flow of liquid.
Sequence of work
First of all, you need to completely remove the old flooring. You will need to expose the concrete base. Then clean the surface, waterproof and level it. Be sure to perform thermal insulation,so as not to warm the room under you. Let's look at how to make a warm floor in the bathroom from a heated towel rail. To do this, the following manipulations are performed:
- Specific installation depends on what materials are used. Polypropylene pipes, for example, are connected with fittings. Metal-plastic must be selected and purchased in such a way that, when laying, the smallest possible number of connections is made. Pipes made of stainless steel or copper should be mounted using elbows made of similar materials.
- The elements must be fixed on the base using clamps.
- With the help of couplings, the circuit is inserted into the system. The main thing is to avoid sharp turns of the tubes.
- A reinforcing mesh is being installed, which will increase the strength of the concrete screed.
- Glue damper tape along the entire perimeter of the walls. It will avoid cracking of the cement base when it dries.
- Install the beacons and pour the concrete mixture. Drying will last long enough - depending on how thick the layer is. On average, this process takes about two weeks.
It is recommended to moisten the coating with water when drying - this will avoid drying out. After the circuit is connected to the heated towel rail, you need to test the system and install the finish coat. It can be a tile, linoleum, self-leveling floor.
