This article will focus on the water floor project. Here answers will be given to questions about why it is needed and how to properly implement it. The scheme of a water-heated floor is also described in detail.
Features of drafting a project
In some cases, its presence is desirable, and in others it is mandatory. It is better that it be if the warm floor is an auxiliary (that is, not the main) system. It is also desirable to make a project when it occupies a small area (up to 20 sq. m.). If this floor is the main heating system (or auxiliary), but affects a larger area, then drawing up a diagram is a must.
What is all this for?
When installing a system of such a floor in a new building, as well as in some other cases, official commissioning is required. If the project is not drawn up, then you can get a refusal. Thus, it is recommended to take care of it in advance. Otherwise, you still have to do the drafting of the project, only already "in hindsight". If it comesabout installing a water-heated floor system with hiring professional builders, it is best to resort to drawing up a contract. It is based on the project. The latter is a mandatory part of the contract.
Pricing policy
If there is no project, then the cost and terms of work in any case increase significantly. The fact is that in such a situation, the installation or construction process will be unorganized. According to experts, the purchase of the system and its installation require up to 60 euros per 1 sq. m. m. Based on this, for a house with an underfloor heating area of up to 100 square meters. m., will have to spend up to 6 thousand euros. Thus, the installation of the system and the price of the equipment are commensurate with the cost of the structure itself. In this case, you will have to start saving. This applies to the work performed, equipment and materials. It is possible to reduce costs for the latter. This requires an accurate technical calculation. The scheme of a water-heated floor is already drawn up on its basis. Due to this, an unjustified overestimation of the heating power is excluded. In addition, the provision of comfortable conditions in the house is guaranteed. The layout scheme of a water-heated floor allows you to take into account all the important details, as well as save on the purchase of the necessary equipment.
Features of technical calculation
As practice shows, a do-it-yourself scheme for a water-heated floor is rarely drawn up. Design requires some knowledge. In addition, you need to be aware ofproperties of various materials, the principle of operation of the heating system, as well as the norms and rules of installation. The diagram of the installation of warm water floors must contain a technical calculation. It is carried out by the designer. In order for the thermal calculation of the house to be made, you need to provide specialists with the following information:
- Information about PSO rooms (indicate the type of coverage and furniture installation location).
- Location of taps and risers inside the structure.
- Required room temperature information.
- Information about the material of the outer walls (the type of doors and windows is also indicated here).
- Location of the boiler and its height above the floor.
- Floor plan of the house (the dimensions of the outer walls, doors and windows are indicated).
The scheme of laying warm water floors is carried out on the basis of a technical calculation.
Important information
The scheme of laying warm water floors includes many elements. It is worth paying attention to ensure that important points are not missed by the designers and are agreed with the owners of the house.
Split the premises into fields
The process of dividing into sections is a very important point. If you ignore it, then, most likely, the destruction of the screed will occur. It depends on its thermal expansion. The division into fields occurs just to compensate for it. The number of sections obtained depends on the geometry and area of \u200b\u200bthe room. In this case, the maximum area of the generated field is not more than 40 square meters. m.
Expansion seams
They are provided along the boundaries of the fields, which are obtained after the breakdown of the premises. This is done so that the screed does not crack. In essence, expansion joints are a kind of gaps. They can be filled with damper tape, polyethylene foam or XPS. In order to carry out the laying of the pipe through the expansion joint, it is placed in a protective rigid casing. The latter is a corrugated tube, the length of which is up to 500 mm. Please note that only the return or supply line of the circuit can pass through the expansion joint.
Installation technology
It is mandatory to coordinate this moment with the designer. The selection of materials used for laying pipes will depend on the method chosen. Currently, the most common two technologies for installing underfloor heating: "dry" and "wet". The choice of top finishing coating depends on the required heating temperature of the pipes. For example, the maximum parameters allowed by the manufacturer are 25 degrees. The indicated floor heating temperature may not be sufficient. In some cases, a change of the top decorative coating is required. Wall heating system can be installed.
What should happen after the design is completed?
It is assumed that the owner will have a floor plan of the heating system in his hands. It should clearly reflect information about all components of the system:
- Automatic settings.
- Pipe placement (length and diameter of sections are indicated).
- Details of required power for each room (floor heating or radiator heating).
- Location and size of radiators.
- Full pipe laying scheme (indicates the diameter and length of each circuit of the system, the temperature of the coolant, the spacing of such a warm floor).
The drawing should reflect the complete scheme of the water-heated floor. The thickness of the concrete screed is also indicated here. The owner must be provided with all the information about the specifics of materials and equipment that will be used to install a water heated floor. The installation scheme will allow you to avoid mistakes in the process of the work itself.
Required tools and materials
In accordance with the information contained in the technical plan and the scheme for connecting a water heated floor, you need to prepare before starting work:
- Distributor with flow meters.
- Manifold cabinet.
- Plasticizer (added to concrete, designed to fill the floor).
- Pipe fixings.
- Complete tool kit for expansion joints.
- EPS strips or damper tape.
- Heat insulation material.
- Special pipes that are designed for underfloor heating configurations (must be oxygen tight, temperature and pressure resistant).
The main plan should also be accompanied by a diagram of the collector of a warm water floor.
More questions
At the design stage, you need to know the following:
- Finishing variations.
- Variations of pipe laying patterns.
- System fluids.
During the installation process, it will be too late to determine this. It is better to take care of this in advance at the initial design stage.
Water heated floors: wiring diagrams
Distribution of pipes on the base can be done in different ways. Currently, two options are used: a spiral and a snake. Any other scheme for installing warm water floors is a variation of one of the above.
Snake
This styling is suitable for most rooms that have a medium or small area. It should be noted that the initial section of the pipe will have the highest temperature. For this reason, laying should be started from the side of the wall, which has the greatest heat loss. This area is called the boundary or edge zone. Here, the laying step is reduced in order to be able to compensate for heat losses. Most often, the distance between the pipes does not exceed 300 mm. The fact is that with a larger step, a "temperature zebra" can form. In the edge zone, the distance is reduced to 200 mm. It is acceptable if it is even less. In this case, the minimum bending radius of the pipe plays an important role. The serpentine circuit is characterized by uneven distribution of heat. To get rid of this, you need to make a double styling.
Spiral
Such a scheme of a water-heated floor assumes a parallel arrangement of the supply and return pipe sections. This compensates for the drop in temperature. The spiral is great for rooms with high consumption or a large area. Such a scheme for connecting a water-heated floor is recommended when the pitch is less than 200 mm. The reason lies in the limitation of the minimum bending radius of the structure.
Features of edge zones
It must be remembered that here the step of laying the loops is reduced. This is done to compensate for heat loss. There are only two types of such zones: separate and integrated. The latter is included in one loop. Its formation occurs due to a decrease in the laying step at the outer walls. At the same time, the distance in the residence zone must be increased. The boundary area is formed using a separate loop. If the length of the latter is more than 100 m, then several similar elements will be required to heat this section. In the presence of a boundary zone, this option is most relevant. This is due to significant hydraulic losses in the circuit if the loop length exceeds 100 m.
Top Finish Details
It is a very important contributor to the heat transfer of the entire floor system. The coating material must be chosen very carefully. In this case, it is worth paying attention to its thermal resistance. The following is recommended:
- Laminate.
- Linoleum.
- Wooden board (recommended thickness - up to 15 mm; this is due to the low thermal conductivity of this material).
- Parquet.
- Ceramic tiles (recommended thickness - up to 30 mm.).
Features of wood flooring
In this case, a large number of questions may arise. Wood is a hygroscopic material. In most cases, the coating slightly reduces the relative humidity of the air directly above the floor. This is due to the fact that the temperature of the latter increases. For relative humidity "self-leveling" is unusual. If there is an increase in temperature in a particular zone, then it will definitely decrease. Canadian maple must not be used for hydronic underfloor heating. This also applies to beech. With changes in relative humidity, the geometric dimensions of these types of wood "jump" strongly. All the rest can be used in water-heated floor systems. The recommended air temperature for laying wood flooring is +20 degrees. In this case, the relative humidity of the air should be in the following range: 30% -60%. The use of any type of coating implies a mandatory limitation of the temperature that is supplied to the coolant systems. As a rule, all recommendations are in the attached manufacturer's instructions. The scheme of a water heated floor with a thermostat involves the installation of equipment to maintain a constant temperature in the system.
Fluid Information
Distilled or ordinary water, as well as antifreeze, can be filled into the water floor heating system. The last one is betteronly to be used when there is irregular heating of the room during cold periods. This should be reflected in the design of the system in advance.
Where is the best place to use?
As a rule, a water-heated floor scheme is used in a private house. When installing the system in limited areas of the premises (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom), it is easiest to use the electric variation. This is due to the fact that in a small space it is more difficult to arrange pipes than a cable. If such a heating system becomes the main one, then it is best to use a water type of construction. It should be noted that in a high-rise building with central heating it is forbidden to use a water heated floor. The scheme of the system from a separate circuit must be coordinated with the relevant authorities.
Layer construction
The scheme for installing warm water floors is approximately the following:
- Insulation (using XPS or Styrofoam).
- Waterproofing coating or pasting.
- Main plate.
More information
In a specific case, it is required to calculate the thickness of the thermal insulation that the water-heated floor will have. The schema must contain this information as well. As for roll insulation with an aluminum surface, it is recommended to use variations with a lavsan content. Thanks to him, the interaction of concrete screed and aluminum will not occur. It is also worth noting that pipe laying is alloweddirectly onto styrofoam or XPS. Thus, the intermediate layer is skipped. It is necessary to pay attention to the pipes of the water-heated floor and the concrete screed with the addition of a plasticizer. This assumes the presence of a reinforced mesh with cells. The recommended wire diameter is up to 4 mm. The thickness of the screed of such a floor (taking into account the presence of pipes) is up to 10 cm. There are certain recommendations for the use of a plasticizer. It is believed that if you add it to the composition of the screed, then you can make it so that its thickness is 3 cm, while its reinforcement is optional. This opinion is not true. The use of a plasticizer does not eliminate the need for reinforcing the screed. At the same time, its minimum thickness should reach 5 cm. In the case of using a plasticizer, it is placed in the mixture in strict accordance with the attached instructions. Its excessive amount will lead to "burnout" of the system. Thus, cracks may appear. The reinforcing mesh must necessarily be located above the pipes. Thanks to this, the operating load will be evenly distributed. At present, one can often find recommendations that supposedly the grid can be placed directly above the pipes. However, in this case, the fulfillment of its constructive role is not possible. The fact is that it is convenient to attach pipes to the grid. This is done with plastic clips. So, we can conclude that the presence of a grid under the pipes does not eliminate the need for its location directly above them. As for the floor finish, thisthe material is necessarily marked with the possibility of its use in a floor heating device.
