How to perform an installation of underfloor heating

primary or secondary heating system « warm floor" is becoming more and more popular among the owners of city apartments.This is not surprising - the presence of well-mounted and adjusted heating floor surface gives many advantages.

This approach allows you to feel much less dependent on the central utilities that have no secret, the beginning of the heating season does not always coincide with the onset of cold weather.« Warm floors" provide uniform heating without creating a horizontal convection currents, often causing unpleasant drafts. creates the most comfortable vertical distribution of temperature - the main heat in the feet area with a gradual decrease with increasing height.It becomes possible to create zones with more or less heat, depending on the destination space.How to perform the installation warm floor yourself: is it possible, how similar processes with a false, in what sequence performed - answers to these questions will be discussed in this publication.

Existing types « warm floors»

Variety floor heating circuits is large enough, but basic principle transfer of heatenergy can be divided into two large groups:

1. «Water warm floors» - as is evident from the name, is a system of pipes with circulating coolant on them, placed in the floor thickness.The fluid is used for heat transfer, it receives heat in the autonomous heating system, connected to the boiler of or other type , either from the central heating network.You can find even a mention of the water circuits connected to the hot water supply system, of course, if it provides a constant circulation.

However, for urban flats high-rise buildings, since we are in article is it is about them, such a floor heating system is not the best solution for several reasons:

• Connection to the district heating circuit will require mandatory consultation with the organizations responsible for housing and communal services.And not the fact that such permission will be obtained - settlement boiler capacity may not be sufficient to ensure additional points of consumption, and the drop in temperature in the heating risers can cause a fair complaints from neighbors about the house.
• Ensuring proper and uniform circulation of the coolant through the pipes « warm floor" will require the mandatory installation is cumbersome and complicated to set up a distribution collector cabinet with pump equipment, that in the conditions of close city apartments is not always possible.

• Water « warm floors" always require sufficiently thick (at least 50 mm), and a massive concrete screed.This can cause unacceptable additional burden on the floor slabs, are not provided for the building project.In addition, height tie plu with with loi compulsory insulation significantly raise the surface of the floor, as in a standard city apartment with this particular "do not run away."
• And, finally, can not ignore the fact that the pipe, walled in the floor, are a source of potential threat of leaks with very unpleasant consequences.Even visually observe the accident occurred will be difficult, even more so - it quickly eliminate.As a result, , there is a possibility of flooding of the lower neighbors.

Water heated floors longer be appropriate in a country house, which was created and debugged entirely autonomous heating system, and the state of emergency with the pipe would not give to anyone except the owners , no trouble.However, this is a personal decision for each owner of the apartment, and if you decide to still stay in this embodiment, the details of such « warm floors" can be found in the relevant publication of our portal .

2. for an apartment located in an apartment building, your best option is to use an electric « warm floor» :

• These floors are more advantageous in terms of safety - the risk of any cause whatsoever inconvenience or trouble to neighborsHardly ever.
• Installation of the heater does not require any concord events - the main thing that has been laid the corresponding power supply line.
• not require such a thick layer of ties, and some species of « warm floor" in it do not need to.There is a clear saving "precious" centimeters above floor level.
• not need complex control cabinets - control and adjustment are made from compact panels, which are comparable in size to a conventional switch.The accuracy and speed of adjustment is much higher than the "water" of the sexes.The presence of the electronic thermostat allows you to achieve significant savings - on the surface will always be a set temperature controlled thermal sensor and the control unit will carry out on and off the heating as needed.

• Installation of such systems « warm floor» - much easier and less time-consuming and not so expensive.
• If installation and connection made by all the rules, purchased high-quality material, such « warm floor" is true will last a very long time - periods calculated for decades.

systems electric floor heating presents several varieties:

• heating cables, that are placed on pre-term insulated surface, and then close the concrete screed - laying the basis for the final coating.

themselves cables can also seriously vary:

a) Solid cables conventional resistive action - heat produced for through internal electrical resistance of the conductor, as in conventional heating coils.

heating part of the cable lies in the powerful bilayer insulation between the layers of which is laid additional copper shielding protection.On both ends of the cable is connected special drip with "cold" conductors, which are used to connect to the circuit box terminals and in the process virtually no heat.

Such heating cables - the most inexpensive, but they have one serious inconvenience.When on the surface of the floor by layout of must necessarily take into account the fact that both ends must converge at a single point - in the place of the thermostat setting.In words - it is simple, but in fact may have serious problem.And has one major drawback - the cable is heated uniformly throughout its valley, quite wasteful energy spending.

b ) From a technological point of view is much more convenient to work two-wire resistive cables .

as the heating element in such cables may be used as both wires or only one, but serves only the second conductor in this case.In any case, circuit isolation is provided by the presence of the terminal coupling, which provides bridge connecting both conductors.Typically, cables are sold with pre-installed at the factory clutch, providing complete sealing contact.

internal structure is different from the single-core presence even a single layer of insulation on each of the cores, which excludes short-circuit."Cold" at the end of mounting such a cable one, and it seriously simplifies the process of laying it on the floor.True, the price of heating cable already higher.

in) If argue from a position of operating efficiency, the best choice becomes self-regulating sturdy cable.It has a completely different structure and uses a heating principle.

two conductors are also enclosed in double insulation and copper proluzhenny shielding layer.However, between the conductors in electrical communication in a semiconductor matrix, the passage of an electric current through which cable and causes heating.But the most important thing - not even in this.Specially selected matrix composition responsive to temperature, changing the conductivity of each portion on the entire length of the cable.In cold places, the conductivity, and consequently, the heat - the maximum (in the diagram area 0- A ).When rise conductivity decreases the temperature of the matrix (area In ) and when it reaches a certain heating temperature (area With ) semiconductor "locked", almost stopping or minimizing the passage of an electric current.Similarly, the constant self-control is carried out in all of cable that provides uniform heating across the floor surface while minimizing power consumption.

More one advantage of such cables - unlike stranded or twisted pair resistance, which is usually implemented in the form of finished products certain length semiconductor can be cut to the required size - for this there are special places cut with certain step (usually 250 or 500 mm).Install a simple terminal insulating sleeve in this case is a snap - it has no electrical connections.

stand like cables, of course, not cheap, but spent funds soon will be justified by savings on the bills for power consumption.

• Electrical resistive heating mats - is, in fact, also two-core heating cable, but only enshrined already with certain loop step on glass fiber mesh base.

This design gives several important advantages:

- greatly simplifies the process of laying of heating elements for on the floor surface - no additional parts for him.This, by the way, is reflected in the overall height to create a "cake".

- screed thickness can be reduced, and in some cases, for example, in Laid-tiles - all have the opportunity to do without screed or leveling compound.

• electrical systems « warm floor" infrared operating principle.

The main difference between these systems - in the process of energy transfer.Work items are made of special materials, that , not heated much themselves, create a strong flow of infrared radiation that transforms in contact with the opaque surface into heat energy.

Infrared « warm floors" are represented by two species:

a) Film heating elements .Between the two layers of durable transparent plastic film located copper bus bars.They are interconnected parallel strips containing carboxylic paste that when a current flow of radiate infrared.

thickness of such film elements - less than a millimeter, which is very convenient to put them under the flooring.No tie is not required, in principle, which greatly simplifies and accelerates the installation of "warm floor".Such film coating sold by the meter, and you can always pick up the required number of in developed depending on the heating circuits.

b ) Rod infrared heating mats.In this case, between the parallel arranged conductors carboxylic semiconductor rods with a pitch from each other 100 mm.The total width of the mat - 830 mm.

Parallel connection rod heaters ensures the efficiency of the system even if one or more cores for some reason will fail.

Such heaters are self-regulating feature, similar to the one described above.It gives free movement of large pieces of furniture in insulated such system room - overheating and burnout mats not happen , as in the case of violations of the heat exchange heating elements in this place simply "will lock" without any damage to the rest of the surfacefloor.

difference from film heaters but, in fact, the design - rod mats always require a screed thickness of 20 mm - without her processes with a amoregulyatsii is broken.Without tie they can only be laid tiles, but in this case, the adhesive layer should have the same thickness.

How to calculate electric warm floor

Before proceeding with installation warm electric sex, and even more to acquire the necessary components required to make a careful calculation of its parameters.Proceeds from the floor space, which will installed heating system of the floor surface, and of , will whether such heating used as a primary or it is only intended to increase the overall level of comfort.

To calculate take the following benchmarks required heating power per square meter of floor area, with a standard ceiling height of a city apartment:

Location apartment	«warm floor" - the main source of heating	«warm floor"- additional heating system
apartment on the ground floor	180 W / m²	110 ÷ 130 W / m²
apartment is located above the heated ski	150 W / m²	100 ÷ 110 W /m²

However, we should not forget the fact that the heating elements do not fit on the entire surface.Sex on the ground or above unheated rooms main source of heating.Downstairs is located a heated room additional heating source.Sex on the ground or above unheated spaces Additional heating source.