Water heated floor has a lot of advantages due to its convenient design and uniform heating of the room. This type of heating prevents drafts and is easy to use. Despite the many advantages, it also has disadvantages. Before deciding to purchase and install, you need to pay attention to the pros and cons of underfloor heating.
Benefits
Most important aspects:
- Moderate surface temperature, able to maintain stable indoor heating. When using this type of heating, no zones are formed into which heat does not enter.
- There are no externally visible elements of the heating system.
- The possibility of installing a warm floor does not depend on the number and location of furniture in the room.
- Freedom in choosing the source of thermal energy. This is one of the main advantages of warm water floors.
- The heat flow is so stable that dust circulation does not increase, electromagnetic field does not form.
- There is no need to provide a high temperature of the coolant. The maximum possible value is +55 °C, but +35 °C is often dispensed with. The advantage of a water-heated floor in the house is the cost-effectiveness of maintaining stable temperature indicators.
- Uniform heating of the entire area of the room. At ceiling level, the temperature drops by no more than 2 degrees. As a result, energy consumption is saved by 15% or more. Using underfloor heating in industrial facilities saves up to 40%.
Cons of underfloor heating
Manufacturers do not always point out the disadvantages or limitations associated with the installation of underfloor heating systems, but they are present. The main disadvantages of warm water floors:
- Do not install the system in a shared room. In such a situation, heat loss is much higher than normal, additional operating costs are required, and system efficiency becomes minimal.
- It is often recommended to install underfloor heating to provide additional heating. It is advisable to use this system as the main source of heat energy if the building has high-quality thermal insulation.
- If you live in an apartment connected to a common heating system, installing a warm floor is almost impossible. For this you need to geta special permit that is rarely issued.
Features of the concrete structure of underfloor heating
Concrete screed in this case performs not only a bearing function, but also distributes heat. The thickness of this element varies depending on the expected loads that will be carried out on the floor, the design features of the building are also taken into account.
Concrete water floor is considered the most reliable, provides the maximum heat coefficient, so developers choose it most often. According to reviews, the minus of a water-heated floor with a concrete screed is the complexity of the repair work. If an emergency occurs, additional time will be required to ensure access to the pipes.
Also, due to the large weight created by the concrete layer, the load on the floor slabs increases. In reviews of the pros and cons of warm water floors, this aspect is usually called. In the case of high-quality performance of work and compliance of this design with the parameters of the building, the service life will exceed several hundred years. There are several mandatory layers that are laid when installing a warm floor.
Waterproofing
The choice of material in this case depends on the purpose of the premises, as well as on the construction budget. To save money, you can limit yourself to plastic wrap. This material has high reliability, versatility, and is distinguished by a low price. most carefullywork must be done in places where moisture can get in case of accidents, and water often condenses on surfaces where there is a large contrast of high and low temperatures.
Damper Tape
Allows the structure to withstand compensation loads during the operation of the premises. This structural element looks like a strip of polyethylene. Its thickness is 6 mm, the width depends on the manufacturer. When the indicators change, the screed expands, which this tape compensates for. As a result, expansion loads do not adversely affect the building. This is one of the advantages of a water heated floor in the house.
Also, the damper tape helps to avoid cracks during long-term operation of the underfloor heating system. Professionals use this structural element to distinguish large areas into small ones. In this way, the absence of cracks and deformations that can occur during temperature changes is achieved.
Which pipes are used?
Choose between plastic and metal options. To save money, they prefer plastic. The reliability of the design is provided by more expensive options. If the construction budget is high, copper pipes can be preferred.
There is no need to purchase high cost options as the product's quality performance is in line with performance standards. If you prefer plastic pipes, you need to increase the strength of the structure withby creating a reinforcing layer.
Dry construction
Refusal to use the screed is advisable in houses where hardwood floors are installed. It is necessary to consider the pros and cons of underfloor heating designed without the use of cement screed.
The finished system will have a small mass, which will reduce the load on the supporting structures of the building. Heating pipes are laid out on a base of slabs, which includes wood or plywood. For structural reliability, strips of wood or OSB are laid between the pipes. The insulation layer is laid directly on the floor.
The final layer consists of GVL boards. This material is characterized by moderate thermal conductivity, while being very durable. The slabs are made from a mixture of gypsum and wood. The thickness of the insulation in this case starts from 10 cm, which makes it possible to use a dry floor heating structure in rooms with low ceilings.
The use of such a simplified design saves time and effort, and also requires significantly lower financial costs than when organizing a concrete screed. During construction work, a minimum of waste is generated, and thanks to the use of environmentally friendly materials, there is no need to leave the house during the installation of a warm floor if the work is carried out alternately in different rooms.
Among the disadvantages of a warm water floor without a screed, relatively low heat transfer rates stand out ifcompared with the option providing for a concrete base. To ensure a cozy microclimate in the room under conditions of low winter temperatures, it is necessary to use the underfloor heating system in conjunction with other heating devices.
Light wood construction
Considering the pros and cons of warm water floors, you need to pay attention to the simplest option, which has a minimal cost. Most structural elements can be made from lumber waste. It is possible to use low quality wood that does not require pre-treatment in the production of the supporting structure.
The thickness of the support material is equal to or greater than the diameter of the pipes. If this indicator is reduced, there is a risk of deformation of the structure. The pipes are fixed with a plate, they can be laid directly on the floor beams.
The choice of materials and installation of a warm water floor takes a minimum of time, while the result is preserved for a long time. With the right device, energy savings are achieved, and the risk of heat loss is also minimized. After reviewing the pros and cons of water heated floors, you can decide whether to install them in a particular room.
