In recent years, district heating bills have been rising relentlessly. In this regard, many apartment owners are thinking about installing autonomous heating of their homes. Underfloor heating is one of the most affordable options today. They can serve as both an additional and a primary source of heat.
Despite the fact that such systems have been used for a long time, many people still have a lot of questions about their operation and installation. Can I install underfloor heating on my own? How difficult is this process? What floor heating options exist today? We answered all these questions in our article.
What are floor heating systems?
Modern floor heating systems are represented by several options. Their difference lies in the type of coolant used. It can be electric and water.
The last option consists of a water circuit and a cabinet in which the heating intensity controls are located.
Electrical varieties are cable and film. In the first case, the surface is heated by a power cable through which current circulates. The film floor works on the basis of infrared radiation.
Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Laying a warm floor is not considered a particularly difficult process. Work can be done by hand. However, for this you need to know some nuances.
Installation of water systems is considered the most time-consuming process, and any home master can connect film floors. Let's take a closer look at each view, its properties and installation.
Characteristics of infrared floors and their applications
Infrared floors are considered the simplest and most widespread varieties. They are presented in the form of transparent film sheets, on which conductive carbon strips are located every 1.5 cm. On both sides, the canvas is covered with a heat-resistant polymer composition that ensures the integrity of the product.
Laying a film underfloor heating is considered the easiest. In the process of its installation, it is not necessary to fill in the screed and carry out a complex connection. The material has a low cost and can be used in any premises.
The advantages of this type of heating include:
- easy to install (no special equipment required);
- uniform surface heating;
- ease of adjusting the system operation;
- mobility (in caseheating sheets can be taken with you when moving).
Disadvantages include increased energy costs and the presence of electromagnetic radiation.
You can use such systems in both large and small rooms. In order to save energy, canvases can not be placed over the entire surface of the floor, but only in places where there is no furniture and where residents of the apartment most often go.
Infrared film can be mounted under any coating. It is possible to lay underfloor heating under laminate, linoleum, carpet and parquet. In rooms with high humidity, similar systems can also be used.
Infrared film installation features
If you decide to install infrared type floor heating yourself, then before starting work, take into account two basic requirements:
- For high-quality space heating, the film should occupy at least 70% of the floor surface.
- It is not recommended to place the film in places where massive furniture and appliances are installed. This will cause the conductive strips to overheat and fail.
- Before you start installation, draw up a rough layout of the bands. It will need to be applied to the base.
Special attention should be paid to the surface on which the film will be laid. It should be even and smooth. Otherwise, the thin film may be damaged.
Film Heating Mounting Technology
If the floor surface is characterized by large drops, cracks and grooves, it should be leveled with levelingformulations. Start work only when the screed is clean, smooth and dry.
Laying a warm floor with your own hands is done as follows:
- Lay thermal insulation material over the screed. If you chose laminate, linoleum or carpet as a finish, you can use soft materials. An exceptionally solid substrate is laid under the tile. Glue the joints of materials with adhesive tape with heat-reflecting properties.
- Measure the required length of the heating cloth and cut it with scissors. Please note that you can only cut the film between the carbon heaters.
- Cover the entire floor with foil (according to your layout). The front side is the surface on which the heating strips are fully visible.
- Clamp the edges of the copper busbars (located on both sides of the tape) with special terminals. In this case, the smooth part of the clip should be between the busbar and the film, and the second - outside the copper strip.
- On the other side of the canvas, insulate the bare copper strips with bitumen tape (the tape is supplied in the installation kit).
- So that during the installation process the strips do not "ride" on the thermal insulation, they must be carefully fixed with adhesive tape.
- Lay adjacent canvases end-to-end. When doing this, make sure that the heaters of adjacent strips do not touch.
- Strip the edge of the mounting wire from insulation by 5-8 mm. Insert the bare part of the wire into the clamp and squeeze with pliers. Connect wires to each terminal in the same way.
- Insulate the copper strip and the tips of the clamps.
- Bring the wires to the thermal sensor. They can be laid in a strobe, hidden under a plinth, or stretched in an outer box.
- Make a hole in the wall for the thermostat. It must be installed at least 15 cm from the finished flooring.
- Place the temperature sensor under the black sector of the film. Bring it to the regulator. Lay the wire in the gate.
- Connect the regulator to the mains and check the system operation.
Now you can lay linoleum, parquet or laminate. It is possible to lay an electric underfloor heating under the tiles. In this case, the film is covered with waterproofing, a reinforcing mesh is laid, after which tile adhesive is applied.
Description and features of the cable floor heating method
In cable-type systems, a steel or copper power cable is used as a heating element. It can be of two varieties:
- solid core;
- two-core.
In the first version, the cable has one core made of galvanized steel or brass, and in the second - two cores. Systems with a single-core cable are affordable, but their installation is a bit complicated. The laying of the underfloor heating cable should be done in such a way that both ends of it fit the thermostat.
Two-core cable is connected only at one end, and a special sleeve is installed from its second end.
Among the cable floors, there is another variety - heatingmats. In such systems, the same heater is used, but it is mounted on a plastic or fiberglass mesh.
During the installation process, it only needs to be rolled out over the surface and connected to the network. Mats for laying underfloor heating greatly facilitate the installation process, due to which they are more popular than conventional cable.
The scope of such systems is very diverse. Single-core cables are used for heating industrial and warehouse premises. Variants with a two-wire heat source can be installed in private houses and apartments with high ceilings. The last condition is due to the fact that during the installation process, the underfloor heating is laid in the screed. Due to this, the height of the walls decreases.
How to install cable heating yourself
For self-installation of cable floors, remove the old layer of screed and clean the base. A waterproofing material must be laid on the concrete base, which will go on the walls by 10 cm. The edges of the waterproofing are fixed to the wall with a damper tape (along the entire perimeter). After installing the heating system, excess material is removed.
Before laying the warm floor, a heat-insulating layer is installed. For this purpose, you can use sheets of expanded polystyrene (thickness from 20 to 50 mm) or mineral wool (not narrower than 100 mm). A reinforcing mesh is fixed over the insulation.
The technology of laying a warm floor involves the following steps:
- Checking the resistance of the heating cable. If the indicators do not differ much from those stated on the package, you can proceed with the installation.
- Determine the installation location of the thermostat and temperature sensor. The first device should be located at a height of 50 cm from the floor level. Make a hole in the wall and a hole in the floor.
- "Snake" start laying the cable on the surface. The wire can be fastened with ties or special tapes.
- If you install underfloor heating in a damp room, be sure to ground the system. To do this, use a regular copper cable. The electrical network must be equipped with an RCD module.
- Locate the heating cable so that the distance between adjacent turns is at least 5 cm. The distance from the walls should be 5-7 cm.
- Connect the power wire and the heating element at a distance of 15 cm from the wall.
- When the cable is laid out on the floor surface, recheck its resistance.
- Turn on the thermostat and check the operation of the system. If the cable gets warm, turn off the power regulator.
- Proceed with the installation of the screed. The thickness of the layer should be about 5-6 cm.
Until the screed is completely dry, do not turn on the heating! When the grout dries on its own, connect the regulator and start installing the final flooring.
Installation of electric mats is carried out in the same way. The only difference is that you do not have to lay out the cable yourself.
What materials can I useuse floor heating?
In most cases, craftsmen lay the electric underfloor heating under the tiles. Such a coating perfectly transmits heat and warms up quickly enough. When using ceramic or porcelain stoneware finishes, you do not have to carefully choose the cable capacity, since both of these materials withstand high temperatures.
However, often underfloor heating is laid under the laminate. When choosing such a finish, consider its low thermal conductivity. Low power systems will take longer to warm up such coverage, while more powerful options use more electricity.
If this fact does not bother you, get special varieties of laminate. They should be marked "Н20". It indicates the possibility of using the material with heating systems.
The safety of the product also plays an important role. The corresponding coatings are marked "E1" and "E0". Such products do not emit harmful substances into the air when heated, which means that they can be laid on top of a warm floor.
Features of water heating
Water heating is based on the circulation of water along the circuit laid in the screed. This type of heating is familiar to everyone, because it is on this principle that central heating works. But, unlike cast iron radiators, heating from the floor provides a uniform supply of heat to the room.
The advantages of systems with a water circuit include:
- environmentalsecurity;
- no electromagnetic radiation;
- possibility of use as the main heating;
- no electricity costs;
- can be used with any type of floor covering.
Laying a water-heated floor is carried out in a screed. For the correct functioning of the system, the installation of special equipment is required. The installation process itself is also quite laborious. All this negatively affects the cost of water systems. However, reliability, high performance and durability more than cover all of these shortcomings.
The water circuit can be installed in any premises, but it is almost impossible to meet it in apartments. This is due to the special technical characteristics of water supply systems in multi-storey buildings. Most often, laying a water-heated floor is done in private buildings.
If it is necessary to install the system on the second floor of a country house, then the thermal circuit can be laid between the log or directly on the rough flooring. Subsequently, it is sewn up with a floorboard. This technology of laying a warm floor is used due to the impossibility of pouring pipes with concrete. In addition, it allows you to reduce the cost of installing heating.
Device of the water heating system and piping options
During the installation process, the water circuit is laid out in several ways. The layout of the underfloor heating is selected depending onarea and room characteristics. The following configurations are possible:
- snake;
- double helix;
- double snake.
Double helix laying is used in cold rooms of a large area. Its principle of operation is based on the fact that a hot pipe is intertwined with a colder one, which contributes to uniform heating of the entire room.
Snake position is used in medium sized rooms. Water circulates along the contour from the outer wall to the inner.
A double snake is equipped in cases where the room cannot be evenly heated by a single method. The principle of its operation is based on the fact that the heating circuit is laid in a double zigzag. In this case, the inlet pipe passes close to the outlet.
Besides the heating circuit, each water system includes:
- pump (for forced water circulation);
- node for mixing the coolant;
- collector;
- waterproofing layer;
- thermal insulation.
If you need to install heating in the basement or basement, the thermal insulation of surfaces should be given maximum attention. This is due to the large heat transfer to the soil. It makes no sense to install a floor heating system without high-quality insulation.
Technology for installing a water heating system
Before laying the pipe for underfloor heating, it is necessary to prepare the base. The old screed needs to be knocked down, the floors cleaned of debris, and bumps removed. If the basevery crooked, you can level it with a small layer of screed. After the floors have dried, you should proceed with the installation of the system.
Technology of work:
- Install damper tape around the perimeter of the floor.
- Place the insulation on the base of the floor. You can use polystyrene foam, foam plastic, etc. Glue all the seams between the insulation elements with adhesive tape. The height of the thermal insulation layer is selected depending on the climate of the room. It can vary from 3 to 15 cm.
- Place a plastic sheet over the thermal insulation.
- Lay a reinforcing mesh on the insulation. Pipes will be attached to it.
- Locate the heat circuit using the chosen method. Fix the pipe on the grid using plastic clamps. It is impossible to pull the pipes strongly tightly! Leave room for material expansion.
- Fix the beginning of the pipe on the supply manifold, and its end on the return manifold.
After completion of the work, the system must be pressure tested. This allows you to immediately identify all existing defects and errors in the work. If there are no comments on her work, you can start pouring the solution.
During the installation of the screed, the pipes must be under working pressure. For the manufacture of the solution, the cement composition M-300 should be taken. The height of the tie should be about 50-70 mm.
You can start laying the finish coat after the solution has completely dried. This process usually takes 3-4 weeks.
On top of the system can be laidtiles, parquet and laminate. Laying of a warm floor and under linoleum is carried out. For this, heat-resistant varieties of roll coatings are selected.
Whatever underfloor heating system you choose, the main thing is to install it correctly. In this case, you are guaranteed the desired warmth and comfort!
