Heated floor systems today are used both as the main and as an additional heating of housing. Recently, their popularity has increased significantly, as these devices can significantly reduce the cost of heating a room.
Traditional and most familiar to the consumer is a water heated floor. In the apartment it can be installed with the help of specialists or on your own. But about what difficulties may arise during its installation and how to properly perform such work, we will tell in this article.
Is it allowed to install water floor systems in the apartment
Before deciding on the arrangement of such heating, you should find out if a warm water floor is allowed in the apartment. Since the device is connected to the public heating system, such work requires obtaining permission from the housing and communal company and the heating network, and, as practice shows, it is almost impossible to do this.
Everything is explained by the fact thata water floor leads to a significant increase in energy costs and creates an additional load on the heating system, which was not taken into account during the design. To exclude such a phenomenon, it is necessary to install devices that provide forced circulation of water (a pump and a mixing unit), and this is very difficult to do on the basis of central heating.
The only exceptions are the rooms in which there is autonomous heating. In this case, by installing a water heated floor in the apartment, the owners just need to register the changes made in the BTI.
What threatens homeowners for illegal installation of a water circuit in the floors
Nevertheless, despite all the prohibitions, many owners decide to independently connect a warm floor from the central heating (in the apartment), after which they face various troubles and sanctions. Namely:
1. If there is a need to sell an apartment, it will be impossible to do it legally.
2. In the event that a circuit break occurs and the apartment is flooded from below, all the costs of its repair will be borne in full by the owner of the warm floors.
3. If the illegal redevelopment of the system is revealed by representatives of the heating network or the housing office, the owner of the apartment cannot avoid litigation, sanctions and fines.
That is why, when deciding to connect a warm floor from central heating in an apartment, you need to weigh the pros and cons well. To do this, consider what other advantages and disadvantages this heating system has.
Dignityunderfloor heating
Homeowners who installed a water-heated floor in an apartment note the following positive aspects of such redevelopment of heating:
• the room becomes much more comfortable than when heated by stationary radiators;
• all rooms in the apartment are heated evenly;
• the level of humidity in the room practically does not change, the air does not dry out;
• heating costs are reduced by up to 40%;
• the system does not affect the appearance of the room (unlike bulky radiators and pipes).
If we compare the water circuit and film heating, the first option has an undeniable advantage due to the absence of electromagnetic radiation. The cost of energy resources during the operation of water heating is also less than when using electrical counterparts.
Negative aspects of the system
If we talk about the shortcomings that a water heated floor (in an apartment) has, then the following facts can be attributed to them:
• due to a sufficiently large layer of screed (about 10 cm), the height of the room is noticeably reduced;
• if poor quality materials or mistakes were made during installation, there is a high probability of a breakthrough, which brings a lot of problems;
• Since a water-heated floor is laid in a screed, its installation can only be carried out at the stage of building construction or during a major overhaul;
• work on arranging the system is very laborious, so not all owners can do itinstall it yourself.
Water floor installation
As it has already become clear, a warm floor is mounted in a screed. The device is presented in the form of tubes, which are located under the floor covering and filled with cement mortar. The design is connected to a heating system, from which hot water or a special liquid enters the pipes.
Circulating through the pipes, the coolant heats the floor covering, due to which the room is heated.
If you look at the underfloor heating system in layers, you can see that the elements are arranged in the following order:
1. Concrete slab (floor base).
2. Waterproofing material.
3. Insulation.
4. Heat reflector (foil sheets).
5. Reinforcing mesh.
6. Pipes.
7. Tie.
8. Finishing material.
Laminate and linoleum are used as flooring in living rooms, as these materials are less susceptible to deformation and perfectly transmit heat. In the bathroom and kitchen, a warm floor is laid under the tiles (water). It is quite easy to do such a finish with your own hands, in addition, ceramics have increased wear resistance and good heat dissipation.
Which pipes and insulation can be used
We have already considered the advantages, disadvantages and elements of floor heating with a liquid heat carrier, it remains to understand what materials are used in the process of its installation and how to independently perform the necessarywork.
First of all, you need to choose high-quality pipes. Many prefer foam products, as they are the cheapest. This savings is not justified, since plastic pipes are characterized by less heat transfer.
In the case of water floors, it is preferable to use metal-plastic options with a diameter of 20 and 25 mm. They have perfect value for money. If your budget allows, you can install more expensive options such as corrugated stainless steel and copper.
Next, you need to decide on the choice of insulation, on top of which an autonomous warm floor (water) will be mounted. In an apartment, polyethylene foam (with a reflective coating) and thin polystyrene foam are most often used. If the apartment is located above an unheated room, expanded clay can be used as thermal insulation.
Required Devices
The main components of a water floor heating system are:
• liquid heating boiler (in case of independent heating);
• pressure pump;
• pipes for wiring;
• ball valves;
• pair of manifolds with regulation and adjustment system;
• fittings;
• water circuit (pipes).
Pipe laying methods
Before proceeding with the arrangement of the system, it is necessary to determine the method of laying pipes. The scheme of a warm water floor in a house can be presented in two versions. In the first, the pipes are laid with a snake, and inthe second - a snail.
The "snake" installation method is considered the simplest, however, when using it, the surface temperature in different parts of the room may vary.
The snail arrangement prevents overheating, but piping and system design is much more difficult.
Recommendations for installing the system with your own hands
You can install the water circuit yourself, for this you just need to take into account a few recommendations and follow the instructions clearly.
1. First of all, it is necessary to remove the old finish (if any) and clean the floor to the concrete screed. The new coating will be 6-7 cm higher, which owners of rooms with low ceilings should take into account.
2. If you are equipping heating in the bathroom, then in order to lay a warm floor under the tile (water) with your own hands, you need to completely dismantle the screed.
3. If metal pipes are installed in the room, they must be replaced with plastic ones so that rust does not appear at the joints. If the circuit is installed in a stationary heating system, the pipes do not need to be changed.
4. To protect the floor from leakage, reliable waterproofing should be placed on it. For these purposes, a special mastic is used, which, after hardening, does not allow moisture to seep to the neighbors.
5. Next, the heater is installed. The material is located with a reflective coating outward, and the seams between the sheets are glued with adhesive tape. An additional layer can be laid on top of the insulationwaterproofing. This will reduce the risk of water leakage.
6. A damper tape should be glued around the entire perimeter of the room (along the edges of the insulation material). After that, mats for the installation of underfloor heating are laid.
7. Pipes are mounted on top of the mats (in the chosen way). The distance between the turns of the pipe should be at least 30 cm. At the base, the pipe is fixed with special clamps or staples (made of strong wire) that are stuck into the insulation. If you purchased special mats with pipe notches, this procedure is not necessary.
8. Both ends of the pipe are brought to the place where the floor collector will be located. With its help, the system is connected to the main heating or access to the boiler.
9. After assembling the system, water is pumped into it and checked by creating maximum pressure. This is done to detect leaks and repair defects.
To reduce the cost of arranging the water circuit, pipes can not be laid in places where furniture will be located.
Important nuances
If the floor heating is laid under ceramic tiles, the thickness of the screed should not exceed 5 cm. Also, the pipes must be placed at a distance of 15 cm from each other so that they warm up the space to the right extent, and cold areas do not form between them.
Under linoleum and laminated panels, the screed is made even thinner, and for strength on topheating systems lay reinforcing mesh.
The first heating of the floor may take several days, but the system will maintain the desired temperature in the future. Some areas of the apartment can be heated all year round (where the floors are tiled). In this case, full warm-up in the cold season will take less time.
In conclusion, the topic will touch on the cost of warm water floors. In an apartment, taking into account the material and installation, experts will make floors for 1300-2600 rubles per m². The price depends on the quality of the purchased equipment and the complexity of the project. If you calculate, then the total amount is quite high, but after 5 years of operation the system fully pays off. And given its long service life (about 50 years) and rising heating prices, then perhaps all the trouble to install a water circuit is fully justified.
