Underfloor heating as an alternative autonomous heating system appeared not so long ago, but has earned the recognition of many people. A convenient and practical way to insulate the floor and heat the room has many advantages over a conventional radiator. How to choose an electric underfloor heating, how it differs from water and how to calculate its thermal power, we will tell further.
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Working principle and advantages
Underfloor heating is a heating system in which the air in the room is heated from below, from under the floor covering.
It can be used as the main or additional source of room heating, but for each room it is selected individually. The temperature adjustment range is from -30 to +70 degrees.
Depending on the source of energy consumed, floor heating systems are divided into:
Electric floor heating mat
Underfloor heating water circuit
The advantages of such heating over radiators: uniform heating of the air in the room.
- the area of the premises and its condition (cosmetic or major repairs)
- type of flooring (tile, linoleum, laminate)
- what type of management will be required
- required power for optimal heating
- the presence of an additional source of heating (batteries, air conditioning, split system)
- reliability
- durability
- ease of installation
- environmental friendliness
- heating speed
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The thermostat allows you to control the floor heating system
The temperature in a room heated with underfloor heating is regulated by a special device - a mechanical or electronic thermostat.
Indicators are read by sensors that control:
- air temperature (if the cable is the main heating element)
- the temperature of the floor covering (if the heating of the nursery or bathroom is carried out)
The type of control you choose depends on:
- the comfort of the people in the room
- duration of the heating system
- efficiency of underfloor heating
- energy saving
The algorithm for maintaining a comfortable atmosphere in the room is as follows: that the floor temperature on the thermostat must be set in the calculation: the required air temperature plus 5 degrees.
Modern control systems allow you to turn the heating system on and off at the appointed time, interact remotely and monitor performance in different rooms.
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Types of electrical systems
Floor mats - one of the types of cable heating - are produced in the form of rolls
Depending on the type of implementation, underfloor heating is:
- Cable
- Film
- Rodney
- Liquid
Liquid floor heating
Underfloor heating systems use 2 types of heating:
According to the installation method, floor heating systems are:
- With installation in a screed or tile adhesive (rod and cable) - only possible at the repair stage
- Without screed or other fastening (film) - installation under the floor finish
Cable
Cable heating is laid in a snake or spiral away from walls and furniture
The simplest design is in the form of an electric cable 6-7 mm thick, laid along the perimeter of the room in one direction.
The heating element converts electrical energy into heat and consists of:
- heating core (if the cable is two-core, then there is also a return core)
- heat-resistant PVC insulation
- shielding copper braid
- PVC outer sheath
Installation of such a convection heating system is carried out on a concrete screed with a thickness of 2.5 to 5 cm. Power per 1 m2 Adjustable due to the thickness of the cable laying.
In combination with tile or porcelain stoneware flooring, this floor will save heat. It will be enough to warm the material to the desired temperature, and then maintain it at the same level.
An important advantage of this type of heating is the availability and ease of installation. However, the cable system warms up for a long time (from 3 hours or longer) and creates a floor rise of 5–7 cm.
A cable fixed on a mesh base with a certain pitch is called a heating mat or sections. Such material is sold in the form of rolls and requires a minimum thickness of the screed - up to 3-3.5 cm, a layer of tile adhesive - from 1 cm.
Under the cable, it is necessary to install a foil-coated heat-insulating substrate made of foamed polyethylene or expanded polystyrene. You can include the cable floor in the system no earlier than after 10-14 days. If the installation was carried out on a screed - not earlier than after 4 weeks.
Film floor
Film underfloor heating system
A thin and durable polymer film is produced in the form of rolls (50 to 100 cm wide) of various capacities and can be:
The film thickness is only 0.5 mm, and the type of radiation is predominantly infrared. During installation, such a system should be isolated from moisture, but it does not require drying, is suitable for repair and is ready for operation immediately after installation.
2 types of film are made:
It is quite economical, but it heats exactly as much time as it is turned on, unlike the cable. Installation is allowed not only on the floor, but also on the walls as an additional source of heating and protection from the cold. The average service life is about 15-20 years.
Rod
Rod carbon mat
The heating elements in such floors are carbon or galvanized rods connected at both ends to the wires that feed them. Arranged parallel to each other, the rods look like a rope ladder.
Each of them is autonomous, so if one of the elements becomes unusable, the others will continue to work. With proper installation, the system will last up to 50 years.
Carbon rods are suitable for heating the living room, corridor, bathroom. Galvanized are installed only in the screed, but they can be mounted in any room and on the street.
A simplified scheme for laying a rod heating system is as follows:
- Primary floor (screed)
- Thermal insulation material isolon
- Rod system
- tile adhesive
- Tiles or porcelain tiles
Electro-water
Hybrid floor heating system
A hybrid option between electric and water heated floors, relatively recently appeared on the building materials market. The heating tools are hollow polyethylene pipes filled with a non-freezing liquid with high thermal conductivity.
An insulated core with nichrome conductors is passed through the pipes. On the one hand, a tip in the form of a coupling is fixed, and on the other, a damper is a device for damping thermal expansion in confined spaces.
Installation takes place according to the same principle as for a cable electric floor, but the connection to the network is carried out through a thermostat.
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Heating mat mounting scheme
When installing various types of floor heating, the following features are taken into account:
- For the installation of cables, only the area of \u200b\u200bthe room, free from furniture, is used. Heating elements should be located away from walls and obstacles.
- The surface of the primary floor must be smooth, without cracks, depressions and bumps.
- The film floor is laid only in a dry way
- If the heating system is installed on the ground floor, then it is imperative to use a polypropylene, mineral wool, foam plastic underlay
- Cables are laid in a snake or spiral, foil, mats and rods are mounted in long strips
- It is forbidden to cut the cable or change its length, it is possible to cut the film only along specially marked lines
- It is not allowed to leave air pockets around the heating part of the cable - the elements will overheat and fail
- Cable mats are attached to the base with double-sided tape, and connected to each other with mounting tape
- Checking the performance of the core floor is checked before pouring the screed. In this case, the repair will not require dismantling and will cost the owner much cheaper.
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How to choose underfloor heating
When choosing an underfloor heating system, it is important to know which finish will be installed in the room. The compatibility of underfloor heating with different types of flooring is shown in the table.
| Heating type | Coating type |
|---|---|
| Cable | Tiles, porcelain tiles |
| Film | Parquet, laminate, carpet, linoleum |
| carbon rods | Tiles, marble, laminate |
A comparative review of underfloor heating allows you to highlight the following advantages of each of them:
| Cable | Film | Rod |
|---|---|---|
| Universal, can be installed in both screed and tile adhesive | Fast, convenient installation | Allows you to install any furniture |
| Resistant to mechanical damage, not deformed | Does not require drying, can be turned on immediately after installation work is completed | Installation is carried out in tile adhesive in the same way as in a screed |
| Suitable for rooms with complex configuration | More economical than a cable floor by 20-25% | Saves up to 60% more electricity than cable |
| Accumulates heat for a long time due to convection | They warm up not the air, but interior items, do not dry the air | Reliable thanks to the autonomy of each rod |
A major role in the choice of coverage is played by the factor of readiness of the room. At the stage of overhaul or in new buildings, it is better to give preference to a cable or rod floor. The latter type must also be chosen in the case when the location of the furniture is not known in advance.
If cosmetic repairs are carried out, then it is better to stop at film heating, which does not require a screed and can start working immediately after installation.
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Calculation of electricity consumption
The principle of operation of underfloor heating is to convert electrical energy into thermal energy with high efficiency (up to 99%). At the same time, the consumption-emission ratio remains almost equal to 1 to 1 (100 W of electricity to 99 W of heat).
Thus, the specified floor heating power of 250 W per square meter means that 1 m2 floor heating will consume 250 watts of electricity.
With additional heating per 1 m3 depending on the type of room with a large margin, the following heat output is laid:
- Residential - 180 W
- Kitchen - 120–140 W (on the 1st and 2nd floors, respectively)
- Bathroom - 150 W
- Balcony - 170 W.
For standard rooms with a ceiling height of 2.5–3 m, the heat output is 130 W for the cable and 170 W for the mat, taking into account the margin. For a room of 50 m22 will consume approximately 500 kWh per hour.
In fact, only 60-65% of these indicators are consumed, the thermostat saves another 35-40% of energy. It turns out that in order to calculate the thermal power of each room, it is necessary to multiply the volume of the room in m3 for an average heat consumption of 40 watts.
It is worth considering that the system usually does not work around the clock, but 8-10 hours a day. The amount of energy consumption also depends on the set heating temperature.
When the room heats up to a certain degree, the thermostat turns off the floor, and when it cools down, it turns it on again. The efficiency of a warm floor depends on the duration of such on-off cycles and the higher, the higher the insulation of the room.
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Laying pipes for water heating
The water floor is also called "liquid" because it is installed on a cement-sand screed and heat-insulating material. The heating element is a plastic or metal-plastic pipe through which water or an ethylene glycol solution circulates.
The water floor is not toxic and is not a source of electromagnetic radiation, unlike electric. Expensive during installation, but economical, it is more profitable to install it in large rooms.
The main differences between electric and water heating floor systems are summarized in the table:
| Electric heating | water floor |
|---|---|
| Does not require additional equipment | Requires installation of a heating boiler, comb |
| Does not require coordination, there is no risk of flooding the neighbors from below | The installation must be coordinated with regulatory organizations in the housing and communal services sector |
| Provides uniform air heating | Due to the passage of water through the pipe system, the room heats up unevenly |
| Certain types of heating systems are mounted under different coatings. | Universal system, suitable for absolutely all floor coverings |
| The cable floor “raises” the floor by 5–7 cm, the film floor does not affect the height at all | Increases floor height by at least 10 cm |
Based on these facts, repair experts recommend installing electric floors:
- in apartment buildings where the installation of a hydraulic floor is prohibited
- as an additional heating source
- if you need to insulate a separate room, and not the whole apartment
- during cosmetic repairs.
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Electric mats
The following manufacturers of floor heating systems have proven themselves from the best side:
- REHAU. The most famous product of the German company is SOLELEC cable floors, where the heating elements are insulated with Teflon and additionally reinforced with Kevlar. Robust, long-term oriented system with two-core shielded cables
- DEVI. A Danish company that specializes in the production of heating cables and mats (DEVImat or DEVIdry). The products are flexible, easy to install and guaranteed for 20 years. The manufacturer produces smart thermostats that maintain the required temperature level and control energy consumption
- SST Limited Liability – produces a line of heated floors Teplolux: ProfiMat, Profiroll, TROPIX; TLBE in the middle price segment. The warranty period for products is 50 years, there are models in the form of sections, rugs, mats
- CALEO. The South Korean company produces infrared film (CALEO) and rod (UNIMAT) floors, as well as resistive cables and cable mats.
- Energy. A British manufacturer that focuses on low energy consumption and environmental friendliness at a low price in its products
- Ensto. Finnish factory for the production of special floor mats for space heating with special requirements (unheated, too dry or damp)
Cold floors are a problem not only in private houses, but also in apartments. With a balanced choice of the type of underfloor heating system and its correct installation, this issue can be resolved once and for all. It is important to take into account the type of flooring and the thermal power of the material, then underfloor heating will bring comfort and warmth to the house.
Professional advice on choosing high-quality electric heating is presented in the video:
What is the best electric underfloor heating? The purpose of the main types of electric floor heating
How to choose an electric underfloor heating: comfort and reliability of autonomous heating
Expert opinions on which underfloor heating is the most economical are given in the video:
Which electric underfloor heating is economical?
How to choose an electric underfloor heating: comfort and reliability of autonomous heating
We recommend taking a look at these aluminum floor heating mats from Albatross! They are thin, can be tiled or laminated, durable.