Underfloor heating in living rooms. Underfloor heating: where it is possible and where in no case should it be installed. Rod warm floors

In which room to make a warm floor
With the advent of summer comes the most favorable time for construction and repair work. Just at this time, without sacrificing comfort, you can start improving the heating system by supplementing it with a warm floor.

The "warm floor" system is located between the base and the floor covering. Underneath is a layer thermal insulation materials to keep the heat out. From above, the heating elements are covered with a concrete screed, wood, polystyrene or just a floor covering. Heating elements raise the temperature of the floor surface, from where heat is distributed throughout the room.

The first question to be answered is: which underfloor heating option is the best solution for your apartment?

You may already be choosing between a “water” floor (in which the heat carrier is water or another liquid that gives off its heat to the floor covering) and an “electric” floor (for which a heating cable with a high resistance alloy core is laid under the floor covering). However, for interiors, there are also "air" floors (with hot air as a heat carrier circulating through the air duct system), "infrared" floor on carbon rods - the most modern offer on the market (electricity is supplied to carbon rods, which heat the flooring). Another type of infrared floor (light option) is a heated floor made of thermal film with carbon elements, to which electricity is also connected.

Without dwelling on the analysis of the pros and cons, let's summarize briefly: a water floor is economically beneficial for use as the main heating, it takes time to lay (especially if the floor is poured with a concrete screed) and the work of the team, but it is most effective when used on large areas . A popular option for supplementary heating is electric flooring: it does not raise the level of the floor as much and does not threaten to leak, in addition, it provides faster heating compared to a water floor. On the other hand, it is accompanied by the presence of an electro-magnetic field, which is not very favorable for the human body. The air floor in Russia is extremely unpopular, as it requires special air ducts, besides, the gas cools quickly. Infrared floors are the "healthiest" option currently available, as electromagnetic radiation is kept to a minimum, but it's more expensive than the rest. In addition, the infrared floor does not require a long wait before being put into operation.

The next stage is the choice of premises in which heated floors will be located. If we are talking about underfloor heating as the only heating system, it is clear that they will be in all rooms. But when used as an addition to the main heating, it is necessary to determine in advance where to lay the heating elements.

In bathrooms and bathrooms, it is laid so as not to stand on cold tiles and reduce overall humidity. Black fungus will not form on the tiles and the curtain in the bathroom, and condensation will no longer accumulate on the walls. When drying clothes, underfloor heating in the bathroom or utility room significantly speeds up the drying process. Here, the appearance of a warm floor is fully justified.

The second most functional place for a warm floor is a glazed balcony or loggia. Heating helps to quickly turn them into an additional room or a winter garden.

The warm floor in the nursery is no longer so unambiguous. Of course, children prefer to crawl, sit and lie on the floor. But for the floor in the nursery, "warm" coatings are usually used: children's carpet, cork, massive or parquet board. They do not require additional heating and are heat insulators, which will significantly reduce heating from below.

To make a decision regarding the kitchen, you will have to weigh the pros and cons. If there will be tiles on the floor, and small children spend a lot of time here, then a warm floor will be a good help. If there is a laminate in the kitchen, the children have grown up, and the ventilation system perfectly gets rid of moisture, then the warm floor will only dry out the air.

The flooring in the bedroom is usually made, as in the nursery, from "warm" materials. In addition, according to the recommendations of doctors, a person has a better rest in rooms with a temperature reduced by several degrees. Thus, in the bedroom you can do without a warm floor.

In the living room, heating elements are necessary if different types of flooring are combined. In this case, a warm floor is made, for example, under a porcelain stoneware walkway that separates the zones of the room.

Is it possible to heat the house only with underfloor heating? From the legal side

Answer: No. If you apply to a large construction company with such an idea, they will refuse you. Why?

1) According to SP60.13330.2016 clause 5.13, the heating system must operate at -25 ° C for 5 days (for Moscow). If it stays at an average of -25 ° C for 5 days, no warm floors can cope.

2) According to SP 60, paragraph 6.4.8 - The temperature of the floor surface should be no more than 26 ° C, and for children's institutions -23 ° C. The temperature is too low to heat the room. Radiators heat up to 80 o C.

3) According to SP 60 clause 6.4.4. - 50% of window width must overlap heating device. WITH warm floors it's impossible.

How to bypass restrictions?

1) You can ask the construction company in the Terms of Reference for the contract not to write the construction region and set an arbitrary outside air temperature, for example, not -25 ° C, but -18 ° C. Then the designer will be able to calculate the heating system with underfloor heating at -18 ° C. But at -25 ° C, you will have a hard time.

2) Add electric heaters to the underfloor heating project as an additional source of heating. Whether you put them on or not is up to you. But in the project they should be.

“Where is it legally allowed to heat a house with underfloor heating?”
Permissible in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Rostov-on-Don and in the Crimea.

“Why is the question “is it possible to heat the house with underfloor heating” incorrect?”
We don't need to heat the house! In the boiler room, garage, storerooms, it is enough to maintain +15 ° C. We need to heat each room separately. And with a warm floor, this is problematic, because there is simply not enough room area to compensate for all heat losses.

On the practical side

Answer: You can, but there are conditions. Let's figure it out.

What is cheaper radiators or underfloor heating? Radiator Kermi 12/400/1100 for 800 W with complete set we will cost 10 600r. Installation - 2000 rub. Total: 1 radiator -12600 r.

A warm floor from 1 m 2 gives off approximately 75-85 watts. We get that to replace the 800W radiator with a warm floor, we need 800/75 = 11 m 2 of the floor area.
A warm floor of 11 m 2 with a laying step of 150 mm will do without pressure testing - 23 295 r, and with compression - 30 295 rubles

Conclusion: Heating with radiators will cost 2 times cheaper than heating with a warm water floor system.

Disadvantages of underfloor heating

1. Floor area requirements

Warm floors are effective only on the area not occupied by furniture, i.e. without sofas, wardrobes, beds and carpets.Furniture blocks the heat flow from the floor to the air, so heat exchange does not occur and the room is not heated.

To heat with a warm floor, you need to abandon monolithic furniture. Wardrobes, sofas and beds should be on legs, because. block the heat flow by 40% of the area of the room.

In the calculation, we do not have enough free floor surface for space heating. But you can increase the area so that heating without radiators becomes possible.

Example #1. Bedroom 21 m 2 with two stained glass windows.

The warm floor is effective only on 13 m2. The remaining 8 m 2 is occupied by a bed, bedside tables and wardrobes. We get 13 * 75 W / m2 \u003d 975 W produces a warm floor. But the corner stained-glass window creates monstrous heat losses - 2380W (112W / m 2). So we do NOT go through heating with a warm floor.

Example #2. Children's and dormitory with regular windows

Children's (left) and dormitory (right).

In the nursery there are 2 windows with a window sill. The bedroom has 1 panoramic window.
Considering the total area, both rooms can be heated with underfloor heating.
The area of the nursery is 18.4 m 2, we multiply by the power of the warm floor 75 W / m2 - we get 1380 W, and 1100 W is required.
In the bedroom - 20.4 m 2: 75 * 20.4 \u003d 1530 W with the required 1260 W. Let's go...
But 40% of the floor area is occupied by furniture. Furniture absorbs heat and releases it very slowly. Therefore, there is NOT enough free space for heating with warm floors. You need radiators. In the nursery = 11.2 m 2 x 75W = 840 W, instead of 1100. In the bedroom: 12.4 m2 x 74W = 930 W instead of 1260.

Conclusion: Everything is very individual. It is necessary to calculate heat losses taking into account the parameters of walls, windows, ceilings, cardinal points of a particular building. In example No. 1 in the bedroom 2380W, and in example No. 2 - 1260W. Approximately the same area of the room, but completely different heat loss. If you order a heating project, you can change the configuration of the room or the arrangement of furniture so that heating with warm floors will be possible.

In the nursery, the area without furniture is 11.2 m 2, and we lack only 3.5 m 2 in order to heat the room without violating the norms only with warm floors (1100 W / 75 \u003d 14.7 m2).In the bedroom, the free area is 12.4 m 2 - we lack 4.4 m 2 (1260/75 \u003d 16.8 m 2 - the required area).

How much floor space is required for heating?

S pom - area of \u200b\u200bthe room in m 2
For a room with 1 window and a window sill: S pom x 0.69 (69% of the floor)
For a room with 2 windows on different facades: S pom x 0.79 (79% of the floor)

For a room with 1 stained glass window: S pom x 1 (100% of the floor area)
For a room with 2 stained-glass windows on different facades: impossible.
For a room with a corner stained glass window (as in example #1): not possible.

For room 1, a stained-glass window should be made with a warm floor with a reduced pipe laying step in the window area.

How much, on average, should the area of the room be increased in order to heat only with warm floors?

Taking into account the fact that 40% of the area is occupied by furniture, we can say:

For a room with 1 window and a window sill by 6% (S pom * 0.06)
For a room with 2 windows on different facades by 16% (S pom * 0.16)
For a room with 1 stained glass window by 41% (S pom * 0.41)
For a room with 2 stained-glass windows on different facades by 52% (S pom * 0.52)
For a room with a corner stained-glass window (as in example No. 1) by 79% (S pom * 0.79)

How I calculated it:
The warm floor produces 75-85W / m 2. Let's take 82W / m 2. The free area in the room is on average 63%. For heating a room with 1 window, according to calculations at 20 objects, 57 W / m 2 is required, with 2 windows - 65 W / m 2, with 1 stained-glass window - 86 W / m 2, with 2 panoramic windows on different facades - 95 W / m 2, with a corner stained-glass window - 117 W / m 2. Calculation: (57/82)-0.63= 0.06 (6% for a room with 1 window).

Conclusion: It is permissible to heat with underfloor heating in rooms with 1 or 2 ordinary windows. If the windows are stained glass, the warm floor will not cope.

How to increase free space:

- combine dressing room and bedroom, i.e. remove the door
- replace monolithic furniture with "cabinets with legs";
— remove carpets;
- constructively increase the room to the center of the house i.e. deepen the room from the outer walls;
- along the walls and windows, reduce the step of laying the floor. This will save about 7% of the area, but will lead to a rise in price. installation work by 30%.

Example #1. You have a bedroom 15.8 m2 with 1 stained glass window

You want to heat it only with underfloor heating. In this case, the free area must be increased by 41%, i.e. 15.8 * 0.41 \u003d 6.47m 2.

Solution. You combine a bedroom with a wardrobe of 5.3 m2 i.e. remove the door, and along the window reduce the step of laying the warm floor (-7% \u003d 15.8 * 0.07 \u003d 1.1m 2).

Eventually: CAN be heated with underfloor heating.

Example #2. You want to heat a living room of 65 m 2 with underfloor heating

P The room is angular with 2 stained-glass windows, which means you need to increase the floor area by 52%. 65 * 0.52 \u003d 33 m 2.

Solution. We make overheating zones along the windows - we reduce the pipe laying step to 50 mm (-7% \u003d 65 * 0.07 \u003d 4.55 m 2). It remains for us to find 33-4.55 = 28.45 m 2 of free space. In the living room, 2 sofas occupy (2.2x2pcs = 4.4 m 2) - we make them on legs. The remaining 24 m 2 cannot be compensated. We combine the zone of the corridor and the living room - we remove the doorway.

Eventually: there are too many structural alterations, so it’s easier to refuse heating with underfloor heating and hang a radiator.

“How did you calculate all this, not knowing the constructions of the house?” I have designed heating and underfloor heating in 30 cottages in different regions Russia. He designed Russian Railways facilities, residential modules in Moscow, Kamchatka and Norilsk. If you have any questions, call me and I will explain. You can call me: +7-963-729-71-20

Is it possible to make a warm floor in the corridor and compensate for the lack of heating in the bedroom at the expense of the corridor?

Unfortunately, no, it doesn't work. Heating of each room is considered separately. Doors will block heat flow. It will be warm in the corridor, and cold in the room. Heat loss occurs through the outer walls and windows in a particular room. The corridor is most often located in the center of the building, so the heat loss in the corridor is scanty. We close the bedroom door and block the heat in the hallway.

Eventually- the corridor will be warm, the rooms will be cold. In practice, no more than 200W of heat can move freely when the door is opened.

Conclusion: Rooms with stained-glass windows cannot be heated with warm floors, even in violation of the norms. We need to increase the floor area by 52-79% in order to heat with warm floors, and this is simply unrealistic. To answer accurately, you need a thermal calculation taking into account the material of the walls, insulation and brand of windows of a particular building.

2. Choice of flooring

Floor surface - only tiles or porcelain stoneware.

The builder may choose the wrong pipe, laying step, screed height, and all this will not be critical. Wrong flooring will kill the system!If you decide to heat with warm floors - your favorite material is ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware.Porcelain stoneware gives off heat 2.5 times better than ceramic tiles and 15 times better than polymer floor covering.

Parquet, laminate, PVC, cork - all this is not suitable for underfloor heating systems. Laminate and parquet give off heat 6-7 times worse than tiles. A cork - 20 times.

Important nuance: the internal composition of the material is not so much important as the surface itself! Matte and ribbed surfaces of the same porcelain stoneware give off heat 30% worse than smooth ones.

Conclusion: If you decide to heat with underfloor heating, or just make a system of underfloor heating - use only tiles and porcelain stoneware. There are parquets that can be installed on underfloor heating, but they give off heat poorly and even additional shielded materials do not greatly save the situation.

3. Floor surface temperature

Why does the neighbor “succeed to heat with a warm floor”, but I don’t advise you to do this.

A neighbor in the boiler room has a separate pumping group for underfloor heating. The maximum water temperature is 55 o C. Winter came and it became cold. The neighbor calls the engineer: “The floors are warm, but the room is cold. What to do?"
The engineer arrives and changes the factory setting from 55°C to 65°C. Heated floors increased power by 35%. Additional 700 watts. Almost like an additional radiator installed.

Eventually, floor temperature 35 o C, with allowable 26 o C. A neighbor walks on the floor in dashes, in slippers. And then to the doctor - the joints on the legs hurt. Is it convenient to heat with underfloor heating?

It turns out, heating only with underfloor heating without radiators - possible! But there is no certainty that the end justifies the means. We design a house for 30-50 years. If your neighbor has not used batteries in the last 10 years, this does not mean that next year the temperature will not stay -25 o C for a week.

Is it possible to combine underfloor heating and radiators?

Of course you can. Considering underfloor heating as a source of heating, we will reduce the size of radiators by 50-60%.

Conclusion: The maximum temperature of the floor surface is 23 o C-26 o C in accordance with SP 60.13330.2016 p. 6.4.8. Of course, we can risk our health and overheat the floor to 33 - 35 degrees. It will be uncomfortable to walk on such a floor; from overheated furniture will stand out bad smell, but the room will be heated.

4. The main disadvantage is the inertia of the warm floor

In the evening after work, you decided to go out of town. You have 2.5 hours to go. There is no one in the house and the heating is maintained at +15 ° C. You send a command to the boiler's wifi module to raise the temperature to 23 ° C. Question:

Will the house have time to warm up for your arrival?

Answer: No, it won't. It will take 11 hours to heat the warm floor from +15 o C (standby heating) to +23 o C. By your arrival, after 2.5 hours, the temperature in the house will rise to about 18 ° C and this is with a minimum height of the screed.

On the graph of the manufacturer of underfloor heating: warming up from 15 ° C to 23 ° C. The lower scale - the time of warming up the warm floor from 0 degrees to 23 ° C takes 65 hours, and from 15 to 23 ° C - 65-54 = 11 hours.

The main downside is inertia. Warming up only the concrete screed to 5 ° C when starting a new system takes 24 hours. In systems with parquet coating - 30 hours. A full heating of the room to 20 ° C will take 65 hours.

If you don't have supply system ventilation, and you decide to ventilate the bedroom before going to bed for 10 minutes - the warm floor will heat the room again for 2 hours

It takes 50 minutes for a warm floor to change the temperature by 1°C!

What is the reason:

45 mm of concrete! The pipes must first warm up 45 mm of screed, then 20 mm of flooring, and only then give off heat to the air.
Flooring. Tiles, porcelain tiles, parquet give off heat 200 times worse than steel and aluminum, from which heating radiators are made.
Water temperature. Warm water floor - low temperature system. The water temperature is a maximum of 55 ° C. In the radiator heating system - 80 ° C, therefore the radiators are more compact and more powerful.

5. Self-regulating effect

How to turn a minus into a plus. New marketing ploy. The manufacturer claims that the warm floor itself reacts to changes in the air temperature in the room.

Quote from Thermotech:

What the hell? If I drink tea in the cold, it cools down faster, but if it’s warm, it cools down more slowly, and this is the whole “self-regulation effect”?!
In fact, there is no effect of self-regulation. The temperature in the circuit is controlled by the floor sensor, but since the floor sensor is triggered with a delay, manufacturers have come up with thermostats with an additional room temperature sensor. And even this does not save the situation, because. time is spent on heating the screed.

When can you use underfloor heating?

For this article, I analyzed the heating calculations for 20 cottages. For Moscow, the heating system is calculated according to the norms of -25 o C, St. Petersburg -24 o C, Kazan - 31 o C, and only in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Rostov-on-Don and the Crimea can be heated with underfloor heating without batteries.

It is possible to heat the house with a warm floor at a temperature on the street not lower than -19 o C.

Special construction region. Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, Rostov-on-Don and Crimea.

You do not plan to live in the house during the winter. In autumn, you drain the plumbing and underfloor heating system and close the house until spring.

Additional sources of heat. Do you have a fireplace, stove, or electric heaters?

Building with temporary use. Garage, covered gazebo, separate sauna. It makes no sense to maintain a temperature of +23 o C. In the most severe cold you will not be in the building and the duty temperature is enough: +15 o C. A warm floor will do.

Heat pump. Heating with underfloor heating is advised by sellers of heat pumps. - The heat pump does not prepare water at 80 ° C - as needed for heating, but only 55 ° C, which is optimal for a system of underfloor heating. Radiators on water 55 ° C will be huge.

Combined heating. 60% underfloor heating, 40% radiators.

Why do many people heat with underfloor heating and everything is fine?

There is only one reason, people do not take into account that the temperature can drop below -19 ° C in a particular area on a particular day and then you will have to freeze. The house is built for 30-50 years, therefore, in calculating the heating, we take the outside temperature according to statistics for this period. And judging by the graphs - you will have to freeze for several days every year.

On the “Minimum annual temperature for Moscow” graph, we see that the temperature drops below -25 ° C almost every year and it makes no sense to take risks and design the system for -19 ° C.

Benefits of radiators

1. Installed under windows. Windows are a source of rapid heat loss. The temperature outside changes all the time, which leads either to an increase in the cold flow from the window, or to its decrease. The radiator smooths these flows.

2. No room requirements. Over the years, you can replace tiles with parquet, lay carpets, install monolithic furniture and not depend on the requirements for underfloor heating.

3. No zones to overheat. Which is uncomfortable to walk on.

4. No smells from furniture, carpets. Underfloor heating warms furniture. Furniture smells.

Analysis of delusions

1. Uniform heating with warm floors.
In the legs the temperature is higher, above the head - lower, and this is good because. evenly and physiologically. Complete nonsense!Our task is to provide not uniform, but, on the contrary, local heating of the room in the areas of windows, external walls, corners, street doors. We need to stop the cold currents from these surfaces.

2. Profitability of a heat-insulated floor?!
How can a system be economical if it reacts slowly to change? It became hot in the room - and the warm floor will reduce power only after a couple of hours. Where is the savings?

3. Heated floor for allergy sufferers - complete nonsense!
The phenomenon of “dry sublimation of dust” begins at temperatures above 90 ° C. The smell of dust from radiators comes only because they are forgotten to be washed in principle. It has nothing to do with temperature in this case.

4. Underfloor heating retains moisture.
In winter, the air outside is dry by itself: 0.39g/kg. In summer - wet - 10g / kg. Air humidity does not depend on the temperature of underfloor heating or radiators.

If there are misconceptions that I missed - dial me, discuss and add to the article.

What is better underfloor heating or radiators?

For heating in autumn and spring - underfloor heating. In winter - radiators.
Underfloor heating is a low-temperature system and reacts slowly to weather changes. In spring and autumn, the temperature difference between inside and outside the house is not as significant as in winter. Therefore, a warm floor during this period, despite its lethargy, is much better than radiators.

But in winter the picture is reversed. In the house +23 o C, on the street -15 o C. The temperature difference is huge. The cold stream from windows and stained-glass windows penetrates the room much more intensively than in autumn or spring. We need to cut these streams. Better radiators or there can be nothing built into the floor of convectors.

My rating and experience

“So in the end, Alexey, can you heat the house with underfloor heating or not?”

Answer: legally - it is impossible, practically - it is possible only in rooms without stained glass windows. Each building must be counted separately. We must heat not the house, but each room separately!

Underfloor heating can give out square meter from 75 to 85 W of heat, which roughly corresponds to the power required for heating a house.

For which house?

V wooden houses 90-95 W/m 2 is required for heating and we cannot heat with underfloor heating, but at the same time there are small bedrooms with 1 small window where heat losses are low and underfloor heating as the main source of heating is acceptable.

In a foam block cottage we seem to fit into the heating with warm floors, but in the guest room 2 stained glass windows and heating requires not 65, but all 90 W / m 2 - we do not pass.

In a private brick house with the huge facade glazing of the living room, according to all forecasts, the warm floor did not pass. The customer combined the guest room and a 10-meter corridor. On our recommendation, I bought facade windows filled with xenon. As a result, the estimated floor area doubled, the windows became warmer, and we were able to design underfloor heating without radiators.

How does it happen in Russia?

An installer arrives at the facility, starts pointing his finger in different corners and randomly says the size and brand of radiators. It looks like magic, but in reality it is a banal carelessness.

At the facility in Millennium Park, we compared "magic" to calculations. The installer conjured an extra 70,000 rubles in 17 radiators. A complete heating project: calculation of heat losses, radiators, selection of pipes, underfloor heating cost the Customer 42,000 rubles. Saving only on radiators 28,000 rubles. How much would an installer conjure on pipes, thermal insulation, collector blocks? Or took the old ones from the garage, and sold them as new?

Conclusion: It is inconvenient to heat with a warm floor, but in some rooms a warm floor is enough for heating. Each house is too individual to promise you something without calculating the heat loss. If you do not have time to experiment with the heating system and do not have extra money for constant improvements, I recommend calculating the heat loss of the building, but it is better to design the system. You can order the project from me +7-963-729-71-20. The exact cost is in the section "". According to the calculations, we will be able to choose the right radiators, pipes and find out the exact cost of installation work; we can understand in which rooms it is possible to heat with underfloor heating, and in which radiators are required. The project is the basis of the contract for installation. You can send the project to several companies and compare the cost of materials and installation. Choose the right one, conclude an agreement with them and be sure that there will be no additional fees. expenses.

Heating of floor surfaces works on the principle of convection - warm air heats up at the bottom and rises up, and due to the high level of heat transfer from the coating, the room warms up in a matter of minutes.

Underfloor heating - pros and cons

The most significant advantage modern system heating type "warm floor" is a significant savings on heating. In addition, the obvious advantages of the presented system are expressed in:

High level of thermal comfort;
Relatively low temperature heating elements;
The absence of bulky radiators that require additional decoration for visual "masking";
A wide range of thermal control functions;
Long service life (up to 30 years);
Ability to quickly repair local faults.

Along with this, the system of warm floors has its drawbacks. They are expressed as:

With a long stay in a room (bedroom, kitchen, living room) with a high temperature of the floor covering, a warm floor can provoke an exacerbation of vascular diseases of the legs;
When using an additional coating in rooms, the coefficient of heat transfer resistance of the material should not exceed 0.15 m2 * K / W;
The warm floor in the apartment does not heat up instantly, and in order to completely heat the room, some of its varieties will need about 10-12 hours;
There is a need to raise the floor during installation by 6-10 cm;
Underfloor heating in the kitchen, as in other rooms, can adversely affect the plastic furniture installed on top, which, when heated, can release harmful volatile compounds.

Features and design of a water heated floor

Underfloor heating system can be installed in the bedroom, kitchen and other rooms. The technology involves the use as a coolant hot water, which circulates through pipes under the floor covering. A floor heating device of this type can be compatible with any type of boiler, regardless of fuel. If desired, you can power the presented heating system from central heating. This can be done by prior agreement with a number of licensing authorities. The underfloor heating system consists of:

Metal-polymer or polymer pipes;
Waterproofing layer and heat-insulating materials;
Fittings with which you can connect the heating pipes and the distribution cabinet, which houses the valves and regulators;
damper tape;
Fasteners (brackets, anchors, slats);
thermostat;
circulation pump.

The technology for laying pipes of a water-heated floor can be of two types:

Snake - double or single;
Spiral (shell or with a shifted center).

The presented system of warm floors has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are expressed in:

Relatively low cost of installation - to equip warm house do-it-yourself using such a system is possible at relatively low cost (if there is an individual heating system);
Water heated floor technology can be installed in conjunction with any topcoat;
Autonomous operation capabilities - the system is not affected by power outages;
Savings on thermal costs. For example, if you make underfloor heating in the kitchen or in the bedroom, it will help save up to 30% of energy.

It is worth noting that with proper operation, the service life of a water floor can be more than 30 years.

Along with this, the presented system, placed in the bedroom, in the kitchen or in any other room, has certain disadvantages. The cons are in:

Long and rather complicated installation;
The inconvenience associated with painstaking styling;
The need for reinforcement of pipes and screeds;
The need for the mandatory use of a waterproofing layer (it must be made of polyethylene).

Features of the core underfloor heating

Carbon (rod) flooring can be done under tiles and any other types of flooring. It is also combined with laminate, parquet, wood. The design is presented in the form of a heating mat, which consists of carbon rods with a thickness of 0.3 cm and a length of 0.83 cm. The rods are connected to each other using a power cable in parallel. The system of a warm carbon floor has its advantages and disadvantages. The pluses are that:

The technology allows heating the premises with infrared waves;
Carbon warm mat is versatile and can be combined with any decorative floor covering;
Since the structure is connected in parallel, the heating mats can be divided into any number of segments, which is especially important in rooms with a complex layout, for example, in a bedroom;
The presented heating system can be regulated in automatic mode. The carbon rods adapt to different temperature areas of the floor and provide uniform heating over the entire area. In some areas (cold) the temperature increases, and in warmer areas it decreases;
The service life of the heating circuit can be 10-15 years.

Along with this, the core warm floor has its drawbacks. You can install a carbon mat only in a layer of tile adhesive, otherwise you need to make a thin cement screed. Despite the rather long service life, the system is not mobile - it can only be installed capitally.

Film underfloor heating in the apartment

Film electric (infrared) warm is presented in the form of a polymer film 5 mm thick with strips of carbon heating elements deposited on it. They are connected by copper conductive bars coated with silver sputtering. This design is fused on both sides into a polymer that protects it from moisture penetration and transmits infrared waves through itself. The film is powered by electricity from a household network of 220 V and is regulated using a thermostat.

The advantages of infrared film floor are:

Low cost compared to similar systems;
Simple and quick installation - installation requires a minimum set of tools, it can be done without a concrete screed;
Possibilities of accommodation both during major and cosmetic repairs;
Convenient separation of the film into segments of the desired length;
Uniform heating of the room;
The absence of influence on the air in the bedroom, kitchen and other rooms. Such a floor does not dry the air and does not burn oxygen;
Possibilities of combination with various types coverings - can be laid on top wooden parquet, carpet, linoleum or ceramic tiles.

The service life of the infrared floor exceeds 25 years.

Advice! Before laying the infrared floor, it is necessary to level the surface of the base floor well, otherwise the film may deform during installation, which will lead to malfunctions.

Along with this, the film floor has its drawbacks:

If the infrared film is the main source of heating, then the energy consumption will increase significantly;
Mandatory need for careful installation - during the installation process, you must constantly monitor the correct connection of the contacts, and to level the floor surface, you need to use chipboard or plywood;
In the absence of grounding, there is a possibility of ignition of the coating and injury to people electric shock. You need a device that provides protective shutdown systems;
The technology requires compliance with operating conditions - such a floor can be easily damaged by heavy furniture, therefore, laying should be carried out in areas free from it.

Cable underfloor heating

Underfloor heating cable type is one of the most common floor heating systems. The main element of this design is a heating cable that can be laid in the bedroom, corridor, kitchen and other rooms. The technology can use two types of cable - single-core and two-core.

The heating cable is needed to provide optimal temperature in room. It is placed in a concrete screed 3-5 cm thick. Such a heating system can be mounted under porcelain stoneware, ceramic tiles or stone.

The advantages of single-core cable structures are expressed in the fact that they have a long service life compared to twin-core ones. Along with this, it is much easier and safer to mount a floor using a two-core cable. Pluses also lie in the ability of the insulating material of the cable to withstand temperatures of more than 100 ° C and the overall degree of reliability of the system. The service life of the cable floor depends on the operating conditions and is 10-15 years.

The disadvantages of the presented system lie in the difficulty of connecting cables to the temperature controller. The so-called "cold ends" may not be long enough; before installation, they will have to be increased. In addition, the cable creates a fairly strong electromagnetic radiation, which, however, does not exceed the established sanitary standards.

Which underfloor heating is better to choose

Most experts recommend choosing heating systems with electric cable. It is worth doing this because of their practicality and overall safety. Cable floors are convenient and easy to install; you can make such a heating coating in any room - bedroom, kitchen, bathroom.

Cable electric floors are characterized by reduced power consumption, and the heating of the room is carried out evenly and continuously. This is due to the fact that the heated air from the cable heater rises from the bottom up and spreads throughout the room, regardless of the location of the furniture. The floor with cable heating can function in two modes - this is a "comfortable floor" and "full heating". The user can organize the heating of not the entire surface, but only the desired part of it. Cable underfloor heating consumes 90-150 W per 1 m².

If you need an electric floor for laminate or linoleum, and you do not plan to fill the screed, then you should choose an infrared heating floor system. With a film thickness of 0.3 mm, this system will perfectly match the resin finish.

In which rooms is it better to do underfloor heating

Underfloor heating is needed to organize continuous and uniform heating of the premises. Before choosing it, a logical question arises: in which rooms should floor heating be done? If the system will be the only source of heating, then it must be installed in all rooms. In the case of an addition to the main source of heating, it will be necessary to decide in advance where to make a warm floor.

In the bathroom and bathroom, floor heating is installed in order not to become barefoot on cold tiles and reduce the overall level of humidity. In addition, while drying clothes, a warm floor in the bathroom will significantly speed up the drying process.

Another most functional place for underfloor heating systems is a loggia or balcony. Thanks to the heating, this room can be turned into a small additional room.

Before you install a warm floor in the kitchen, you should weigh all the pros and cons. So, for example, if tiles are laid on the floor, and small children spend a lot of time on it, then heating of this kind will be quite appropriate. If the kitchen has laminate flooring, and ventilation system copes well with excess moisture, then the warm floor will only dry out the air.

The underfloor heating system in the bedroom is made under a soft covering - carpet, cork, massive parquet board. There is an opinion that installing underfloor heating in the bedroom is not recommended, since according to the recommendations of doctors, sleep should take place in a room with a temperature lowered by several degrees (compared to other rooms).

In the living room, heating elements are needed if they are combined on the floor different types coatings. Underfloor heating is recommended to be installed under a porcelain stoneware walkway, which will divide the room into several zones.

A warm floor in an apartment no longer seems to be a curiosity and an indispensable element of an expensive renovation. It is available to everyone, its installation can be done independently, and the variety modern means and materials allows you to solve the tasks and goals in each particular room.

Benefits of underfloor heating

The heat-insulated floor allows to create the most comfortable microclimate indoors. For example, with traditional radiator heating, warm air is formed within a radius of 1.5-2 m from the radiator, in addition, the heat partially goes outside, drafts are formed due to the movement of large air masses.

These shortcomings can be avoided by laying a warm floor, which heats the room evenly, eliminating humidity, the air does not dry out and static electricity does not form, which reduces the amount of dust. When heat rises from the floor to the ceiling, it perfectly matches the physiological needs of a person. It is especially convenient when there are small children in the house, they can safely play on the floor and you can not be afraid for their health.

If a warm floor is the main source of heat, then this improves the design of the room, allowing more convenient and rational use of the space freed from radiators.

There are the following floor heating systems: with water heating, electric, film.

Water heated floor can be laid in private houses, cottages with autonomous system heating, where pressure and temperature are regulated. In apartments with a centralized system, coordination with the management company, ZhEK is required, because. the system is connected to the common house and water, circulating through plastic pipes, loses its outlet temperature. It will reach the neighbors in the riser chilled, which is a gross violation of their rights.

The most popular and widely used is electric underfloor heating, it does not require any approvals. The principle of operation is as follows: the cables heat the cement screed, which gives off heat, warming the air. Having reached the set temperature, the system turns off, when the floor starts to cool, the temperature sensor will give a signal, and the system will start working again. The temperature can be adjusted using a thermostat, creating optimal modes, for example, so that the heating turns on a few minutes before coming home from work, lower the temperature at night, you can change the mode on weekends, etc. The only drawback is the high consumption of electricity, in areas where the cost of electricity is high, it can be costly and economically unprofitable. You need to know that the floor needs to be raised at least 5 cm.

It is impractical to lay a warm floor throughout the apartment, because. due to the screed, a large load is formed on the ceilings and load-bearing supports, the most optimal rooms are the kitchen, bathroom, children's room. It is not recommended to lay a warm floor if the flooring is parquet, because. wood is a poor conductor of heat, it is well suited for ceramic tiles, linoleum, carpet.

The technology of laying electric floor heating in the apartment

The laying technology is quite simple, and everyone can do it, you just need to follow certain rules. First, the base is prepared, the old floor covering is removed, if necessary. In the place of the wall where the thermostat will be installed, a strobe is made with a perforator for cable routing. It is possible to lay a plastic film on a dried screed for waterproofing, in order to avoid the formation of condensate. Next, thermal insulation is laid, you can use mineral glass wool or more modern material- penofol, one side of which is covered with foil, when laying the foil should be at the top. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the thermal insulation, the task of which is to give strength to the cement mixture that will be laid on top and to prevent the cables from coming into contact with the thermal insulation.

Then proceed to laying the cable, you can lay different ways: snake, spiral, parallel way. The usual step is 20-25 cm, it is necessary to retreat 5 cm from the wall and at least 10 cm from the radiators. In those places where the furniture will stand, the cable can not be laid. Installation is carried out using a mounting tape attached to the floor with dowels, it helps to avoid kinks. A special temperature sensor, without which the operation of the system is impossible, is installed in a plastic tube so that it can be replaced without opening the cement screed. The tube is laid between the cables and fastened with mounting tape. Be sure to check the correct installation to check the reliability of the connection, using a special tester, the cable resistance is checked, it should not exceed allowable rate. Contact and crossing of cables is unacceptable, otherwise a short circuit will occur, and during repairs it is necessary to open the entire coating and dismantle the cement layer.

After checking, a screed 3-4 cm thick is made. The solution is poured very carefully, making sure that voids and bubbles do not form, which will lead to cable failure due to overheating. For screeds, only special mixtures intended for underfloor heating are used, ordinary ones can quickly crack due to heating and become unusable. Only after complete drying, after 4-5 days, you can finish laying the floor covering, and turn on the system only after 3-4 weeks. A wet screed can cause a short circuit, uneven drying will occur, cracks and voids will form.

Choosing a cable for an electric floor

The cable plays a very important role, the safety and service life of the floor depend on it. It can be single-core, two-core - more expensive and safer, the core can be made of galvanized steel, nichrome, brass, copper. The insulating layer can consist of several layers, it protects the cable from destruction and damage. In the bathroom, use cables for wet rooms with special water-repellent insulation and connect the system to earth.

A warm floor can be made the main source of heating or as an additional system to a radiator. With the main system for effective heating, the power of the heating elements should be at least 140-150 W per 1 sq.m., with additional heating, a power of 110-120 W is sufficient. Before buying, you need to calculate the length of the cable, taking into account the distance between the rows, on average, 40-50 m is required for a kitchen of 10 sq.m.

Underfloor heating in an apartment with heating film

The film is based on nanotechnology, acts like the sun, emitting infrared rays, providing uniform heating of the room. This is a flexible layered plastic, inside of which there is a contact group of copper, silver and heating elements.

The heating film is highly reliable, has a long service life, is easy to install, does not require cement screed and does not affect the height of the floor, and is easy to dismantle. Ideal for any coating - laminate, linoleum, carpet, porcelain stoneware, ceramic tiles, can be laid partially on the free space from the furniture, and not on the whole room. After installation, the system is immediately ready for operation, the set temperature is .

The heating film does not create electromagnetic waves and does not emit harmful substances. It not only warms the room, but is also very useful for the human body, promotes general strengthening, activates water molecules in cells, and accelerates the removal of metabolic products from the body. Infrared systems are up to 25% more economical than cable systems, they are used as additional heating systems, as the main ones can only be used during the off-season.

Underfloor heating in an apartment is a great opportunity to achieve an optimal microclimate. The term of its operation is at least 50 years, subject to all installation rules - it is practically unlimited. It is important to choose the right materials, not to heat beyond the established indicators. Underfloor heating should be cost-effective, meet technical capabilities premises, do not violate existing systems and do not lead to emergency situations.

Installing underfloor heating in a house or apartment is a great investment. Such a product was created to increase the effect of the heating system.

The underfloor heating system is very popular today. Due to many advantages and good properties, the demand for this product is growing. This is how a warm floor from an addition to the heating system turned into its basis.

Where is it needed

The question that arises when buying a warm floor is connected, first of all, with the place where to install it. Let's take a look at which room exactly needs additional heating.

Needs a warm floor:

WC and bathroom. Underfloor heating in these rooms will provide a comfortable and cozy atmosphere. Coming out of the shower, it is more pleasant to put your feet on a warm cover than on a cold one. Since these rooms are very humid, underfloor heating will help get rid of excess moisture. naturally. With its protection, stroke and mold will not be terrible for tiles, whitewash, curtains, places behind the washbasin.
Glazed balcony. When you use the balcony for various purposes and you can stay on it for a long time, it is very important that it is warm and dry there. Installation of a warm floor will be expedient and logical if the balcony is well glazed and insulated.
Kitchen. This is a place where we spend a lot of time - cooking, gathering at the table with the whole family, arranging gatherings. And since most often the floor in the kitchen is tile, installing a warm floor is the perfect solution to achieve maximum comfort from spending time in this room.
Corridor. To avoid heat loss in the apartment, often a warm floor is installed at the front door.

Varieties of warm floors

The heating element that is included in the underfloor heating system determines its appearance. There are two options on the market:

hydraulic (water) floor heating. This type of floor is used as the main heating system. When installing, be sure to correctly distribute thermal energy. The hydraulic floor is very heavy. If you are going to install it in an apartment, you must obtain a special permit;
electric. With the help of such floors, small rooms are well heated. He, in turn, is cable and film. The cable underfloor heating is mounted inside the screed, and the film floor is placed on top.

Before buying a warm floor, first decide on the tasks that it will have to perform. After evaluating all the moments that concern you, having familiarized yourself with the qualities and characteristics, make your choice. Underfloor heating will be a great addition to your home.