Installation of a warm floor allows you to make living in a country house or even a city apartment much more comfortable. Modern systems of this type are reliable, not too expensive and, most importantly, relatively easy to install. If desired, you can mount them, including with your own hands. It is allowed to install the "warm floor" system under almost any coating, including under ceramic tiles.
Heating mats
By design, there are several varieties of "warm floor" systems. Mats are one of the most popular types of this equipment. The heating cable in them has a small cross section and is fixed with the required pitch to a fiberglass mesh. The latter, if desired, can be easily rolled into a roll. When installing the system, you just need to roll out such a mat on the floor in the right place. The advantages of warm floors of this variety are considered to be insignificant thickness with high work efficiency.
When choosing equipment of this type, among other things, you should pay attention to its design. If desired, you can choose single-core ortwo-core mat "warm floor". In the first case, only one cable of a certain diameter with two or three layers of insulation is used. Two-core systems have a slightly different design. In this case, two cables are used, which significantly increases the heating capacity of the system. In such mats, the circuit is closed at the end of the cable. In this case, the contacts are interconnected.
Of course, there are on sale today, including mats for laying a water-heated floor. They are a heat-insulating material with grooves made in it, into which plastic pipes are inserted during installation.
Mat of which manufacturer to choose
Today, many manufacturers produce this type of underfloor heating, which is easy to install. Most brands of such plates and nets available on the market today are of very good quality. The most popular at the moment are mats-thermoregulators belonging to the "warm floor" system, produced by two companies: Devi and Foam Shield. The first manufacturer delivers quality electrical systems to the market. Their main advantages are reliability, long service life and not too high cost. If desired, you can choose Devi mats designed for installation under a laminate, parquet board or carpet.
Firm "Penoshchit" produces high-quality water floor slabs. The thickness of the substrate for mats from this manufacturer is usually 30 mm, which is quite enough for high-quality insulation. Another popular brandsystems of this type are "Format" mats for underfloor heating. The material of this manufacturer is also valued for fire safety. For the manufacture of mats, the company uses a special expanded polystyrene, which includes flame retardants. Plates of the brand "Format" meet not only Russian, but also European quality standards.
Preparatory work
So, let's see how a modern electric underfloor heating is mounted. Tile mats are quite easy to install. But, of course, before starting their installation, it is imperative to prepare the base. This operation includes the following steps:
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The location on the wall of the thermostat is determined. A groove is hollowed out in the selected area. The thermostat should be located at a height of no more than 30 cm from the floor. A wide strobe is made from the groove down. Subsequently, the wires for powering the cable and the sensor connection circuits will be laid in it. After completing all these operations, the floors should be swept with a brush.
- The base itself is carefully leveled. If the floors under the mats have significant differences, it is worth pouring them with a cement screed. The thickness of the latter should not be less than 3 cm, otherwise it may crumble during the operation of the floor in the future.
Installation of mats
Next, let's look at how the "warm floor" system is actually installed. Mats are laid on the base onlyafter it is marked according to the project. It is not necessary to fix the grid to the floor with any additional devices. Rolls are simply gently rolled out on its surface. Cutting them is done with a sharp construction knife. Parts of the mats should not overlap, but end-to-end. Subsequently, they are connected to each other with a loop. When installing mats, the following rules must be observed:
- It is strictly forbidden to lay the mesh in several layers according to fire safety standards.
- The gap between the heating elements of the mats and the walls should be at least 5 cm. Leave at least 10 cm of free space before the radiators.
- When cutting mats, the main cable must not be cut. This should definitely be taken into account when drafting the project.
- The cable is not mounted under stationary furniture and household appliances.
After the Devi warm floor (mats) is laid, you should drill a strobe at the base to the groove leading to the groove for the thermostat and lay the main wire in it. Further work on the installation of the "warm floor" system can only be continued after the cable resistance has been measured. It must correspond to that specified in the technical data sheet.
The next step in the installation should be laying a groove for the tube, in which the sensor and wires will be located. It is also brought to the thermostat.
Connecting the system
The circuit assembly itselfunderfloor heating system is as follows:
a thermostat is inserted into the grooved groove;
the ends of the wires of the heating wire, sensor and power supply cable are stripped;
twisting is performed according to the scheme specified in the passport to the sensor
Features of assembling water structures
In country houses very often they install not an electric, but a water heated floor. Mats made of expanded polystyrene, having a significant thickness, are not always used in this case. Usually they are used when it is planned to install the "warm floor" system as the main source of space heating. Preparation of the base for systems of this type is carried out in the same way as for thermomats. But in this case, before laying the plates on a leveled and cleaned floor, a waterproofing film is also laid, and a special damper tape is laid around the perimeter of the room. The "Foam Shield" ("Format" or any other) water heated floor mats themselves are mounted tightly end-to-end over the entire area of the room.
Today, if desired, you can pick up mats of any required size. Most often on sale there is a material with dimensions of 1x1 m or 0.8x0.6 m.
They fasten mats when laying with special locks available in their design. In some cases, polystyrene foam elements can be fixed directly to the floor with glue. In this way, usually thin mats are installed.
After the plates are mounted, pipes are neatly placed in their grooves. Fasten themon special clamps. The laid underfloor heating lines are connected to the collector and the assembled system is checked for operability. When performing the last operation, it is recommended to start the equipment at a pressure slightly higher than the working one.
The system assembled in this way is poured with a concrete screed. Approximately two to three weeks after this, you can begin to install the final coating.
When installing a water system, the floor level usually rises a lot. Therefore, at the final stage, the owners of the house usually have to, among other things, change doors and sills.
Features of pouring the screed for finishing
On thermomats, tiles can be installed in two ways: directly on the grid with a cable or through a leveling screed. In the first case, the installation must be carried out with the utmost care. Walking on the floor and laying tiles should be done carefully, trying not to damage the cable. In this case, the base must be primed before laying the mats.
The coupler is performed in the usual way. The only thing, in this case, it is allowed to make it not too thick (only to close the cable). Above the polystyrene foam slabs with pipes, when installing a water floor, a standard concrete screed 3 cm thick is arranged.
Installation of tiles
Thus, now you know how the "warm floor" system is assembled. Mats are laid according to a certain technology. Tiles after their installation are laid in the usual way. That is:
- Diluted special tile adhesive for underfloor heating systems.
- Then, using a notched trowel, coat the floor with it over an area of 1 m22.
- Apply glue to the tile and firmly press it to the floor.
Grout
The thickness of the adhesive layer when installing tiles on thermomats should not exceed 2 cm. In order for the coating to turn out even, be sure to use plastic crosses. Grouting is done a day after laying the tiles. The warm floor itself can be turned on no earlier than three weeks after finishing work.
