Underfloor heating is used as the main or additional source of heat in an apartment or house. If the active operation of the system is expected, preference should be given to the water circuit - this is the most economical and safest option for health, since it does not require an electrical connection and does not create electromagnetic radiation. You can mount the water floor with your own hands to reduce the cost of arranging the heating system of a private house.
Content:
- Water floor heating in the apartment
- Underfloor heating base and finish
- Calculation of the length and section of the pipe
- Pipe material selection
- Choosing a contour laying scheme
- Arrangement of the collector node, connection to the boiler
- Heated floor cake
- wooden base
- The choice of materials and method of fixing pipes
- Technology of installation of underfloor heating on a concrete base
- Mounting the water circuit on a wooden base
- Conclusion
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Water floor heating in the apartment
Underfloor heating - comfort in the house
In most cases, local legislation prohibits the installation of an underfloor heating circuit connected to a DHW or central heating system.
This is due to the fact that the temperature of hot water or coolant decreases when passing through the circuit, which will cause discomfort to neighbors. In addition, the pressure in the system is reduced.
In those regions where there is no ban on the installation of a hydraulic floor circuit in apartment buildings, the project is required to be submitted for examination – specialists issue a permit only after making sure that the operation of the central heating system or hot water supply will not be affected.
Technical solution for an apartment
Technically, the arrangement of water floor heating is possible with the mandatory installation of a pumping and mixing unitto maintain pressure in the system. There may be restrictions on the pipe material - propylene and metal-plastic cannot be installed if a jet pump (elevator) is involved in the heating system of an apartment building.
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Underfloor heating with ceramic tiles
The water circuit can be laid on a concrete or wooden base. In the first case, the pipes are embedded in a cement-sand screed, which contributes to uniform heating of the entire floor area. If the base is wooden, it is required to use foil or aluminum plates to dissipate heat radiation from the pipes.
When designing a warm floor, you should immediately decide on the type of finish coating.
It could be:
- ceramic or porcelain tiles
- parquet board
- laminate
- linoleum
- pvc tile
Tiles and porcelain tiles - ideal, since heating does not affect the durability and technical characteristics of the material. Warm tiled floors are appropriate in almost any room.
When choosing a parquet board or laminate, you need to make sure that that the material is labeled as suitable for arranging underfloor heating.Otherwise, there is a high risk that the coating will dry out and warp over time.
PVC tiles, linoleum at temperatures above 30 ° C can release harmful substances - such coating options are suitable for rooms where moderate heating is provided.
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Calculation of the length and section of the pipe
dependency graph
It is recommended to entrust the calculation of contours to professionals, to avoid critical errors that will affect the efficiency of the system. You can also use special programs (for example, Audytor CO from Sankom).
When calculating, it is important to consider the following factors:
- the circuit is mounted with an indent of 20 cm from the walls
- in places where plumbing or permanent furniture will be installed, pipes are not laid
- the maximum length of the circuit depends on the pipe section (for 16 mm - 100 m, for 18 mm - 120 m, for 20 mm - 125 m), exceeding the recommended values will prevent maintaining the required level of pressure in the system
- in large rooms, two or more circuits are mounted
- the difference between the length of the contours should not exceed 15 m
- the step between adjacent turns is 10-30 cm (in areas requiring enhanced heating, the minimum step is chosen, in the rest of the room the gap between the turns can be increased)
An accurate calculation requires take into account the power of the heating system, the level of heat loss in the room for which the circuit is designed, the thickness of the screed, as well as the heat flux density.
The graph allows you to clearly see how the heat flux density depends on the diameter of the pipe and the average temperature of the coolant. With an increase in the thickness of the screed, the heat flux density will decrease by 5-8% for each additional centimeter. Using parquet or laminate flooring instead of ceramic tiles will also reduce the heat transfer of the floor.
To calculate the length of the circuit, the active heating area should be divided by the laying step (both values are in meters). The length of the bends and the distance between the contour and the collector are added to the result.
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XLPE pipe
For laying a water underfloor heating circuit, it is recommended use pipes from the following materials:
- metal-plastic – pipes hold bends well, are resistant to thermal deformation, affordable, easy to install, due to the aluminum reinforcing layer they are characterized by high heat transfer
- cross-linked polyethylene (PEX-EVOH-PEX) - pipes are more difficult to lay, as they do not hold a bend well, but do not burst when the coolant freezes
- copper - the pipes are strong and durable, they effectively give off heat, but they require protection from the effects of alkali when installed under the screed and are characterized by a high price
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Choosing a contour laying scheme
Contour laying schemes
The maximum allowable temperature of the heat carrier in the underfloor heating system is 55°C. It is considered optimal if the liquid temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the circuit is 5-10°C. When choosing a contour laying scheme, it should be borne in mind that some options allow you to evenly heat the entire floor area, while others primarily provide heating of the coldest zones.
The following contour laying options are most popular:
- Single snake. The pipe is laid in loops in one run, as a result of which the floor warms up unevenly.It is recommended to lay the part of the pipeline into which the heated coolant enters along the outer wall (two or three outer walls), where heat losses are maximum
- Double snake. In this scheme, loops with heated and cooled coolant alternate, which contributes to uniform heating of the room
- Snail (spiral). Also an option for uniform heating of the entire floor surface. The spiral is laid from the edges to the center, and then in the reverse order. When laying the snail, you can go around places where heating is not required
- Combined option. You can combine both laying options by dividing the room into zones with different heating requirements - for example, use a spiral scheme in the central part of the room, and a snake at the exit
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Collector node
The heating boiler is responsible for heating the coolant. Its power should be equal to the total power of all floor heating circuits (and heating radiators, if provided) plus 15-20% of the result.
The house should be designed to install collector cabinets, inside which there is equipment for connecting heating circuits:
- 2 manifolds (supply and return)
- shut-off/regulating valves
- circulation pump
- air vent
- flow meter
- pressure gauges
The number of outlets of the collector combs must correspond to the number of connected circuits, therefore, the distribution unit is mounted after the development of the floor heating project. The combs are connected to the supply and return pipelines connected to the boiler.
Principle of operation
Distribution node operation
The heated coolant enters the floor circuit, gives off heat and returns to the boiler through the return pipeline, where it heats up again. The circulation pump is responsible for the constant movement of the liquid. When the air in the room warms up to the set values, the temperature sensor installed in it is activated, and the valve shuts off the supply of the heated coolant to the corresponding circuit. In a simpler version, the heating of the warm floor is adjusted manually.
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Heated floor cake
The composition of the multilayer structure depends on the type of subfloor. This is usually a concrete slab or hardwood floor, but soil can also serve as the base of the floor.
The composition of the cake on a concrete base includes:
- waterproofing
- damper tape along the perimeter of the room and around all structures
- slab insulation
- foil material, reflecting heat (may be absent)
- reinforcing mesh for fixing pipes (may be missing)
- heating circuit
- coupler
- finish coating
If the base is soil, then it is required to lay and carefully tamp:
- layer of bulk soil 15 cm
- crushed stone layer 10 cm
- layer of sand 5 cm
Then a rough screed is poured, after which a warm floor can be installed in the same way as in the case of a concrete base.
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Underfloor heating cake on a wooden base
It is not recommended to lay a concrete screed on a floor with a wooden base due to critical loads on the structure. The use of metal diffuser plates with channels (or their handicraft replacement with thick foil laid on top of the guide rails) allows you to make the cake as light as possible.
Its composition includes:
- vapor barrier on lags
- slab or roll insulation between the lag
- waterproofing
- slatted base
- diffuser plates with channels
- water circuit
- vapor barrier layer
- flooring from parquet board or laminate or flooring from plywood, chipboard or other sheet material for laying the topcoat
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Fixing clips for underfloor heating
The water circuit pipe must be fixed in such a way that the loops do not unbend, the required distance between the turns is maintained, and at the same time, the fastening does not interfere with the thermal expansion of the material. The type of fixing elements directly depends on the chosen installation technology and the type of insulation.
| Retainer | Base | Mounting principle |
|---|---|---|
| polyamide clamp | reinforcing mesh over the heat insulator | the clamp is tightened by hand, consumption of 2 pcs. per meter of pipe |
| steel fastening wire | reinforcing mesh over the heat insulator | the ends of the mounting wire have ears for quick twisting with a hook, consumption of 2 pcs. per meter |
| plastic U-clamps | polymer heat insulator with a flat surface | the legs of the element are securely fixed in the insulation, a special stapler is used for installation, consumption of 2 pcs. per meter |
| fixing track | polymer heat insulator with a flat surface | PVC strips with U-shaped nests are attached to the insulation and allow you to lay pipes according to the selected pattern |
| heat-insulating mats with a relief surface | protrusions on the slab polymer insulation make it possible to lay pipes without additional clamps | |
| metal diffuser plates with channels (for wooden floors) | the pipe is laid in channels in straight sections of the contour without additional fasteners |
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Installation of the heating circuit is carried out after the arrangement of the collector assembly. Step-by-step instructions will help you to correctly complete the entire complex of works.
Foundation preparation
The surface of a concrete slab or screed must be cleaned of debris and dust, it is advisable to use a construction vacuum cleaner. Then seams and cracks, cavities are sealed with mortar, protruding irregularities are removed. The permitted height difference is 5 mm, otherwise a self-levelling screed is required.
Cleaning the base with a vacuum cleaner
Waterproofing
Waterproofing can be laid under the insulation or on top of it. In the second case, it will be necessary to use a reinforcing mesh to fasten the pipeline so as not to violate the tightness of the waterproofing coating.
If the waterproofing is laid on a concrete base, the panels should go on the walls by 15-20 cm (the excess will then be cut off). When joining the panels to each other, they are laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm, the joints on both sides are glued with adhesive tape. As a waterproofing, you can use a dense plastic film.
Polyethylene film waterproofing
damper tape
When heated, the concrete screed expands, and to prevent cracking and deformation of the monolithic slab around the perimeter of the room and around all structures (columns, pipes, etc.), a damper tape is mounted. It is also needed at the joints of room screeds on two sides of a doorway or floor sections with separate heating circuits in a large room.
A special self-adhesive damper tape made of porous polymeric material is produced with a width of 10-15 cm and a thickness of about 8 mm. Instead, you can use strips of a suitable thickness of polyurethane foam heat insulator. Homemade tape is glued to the wall or fixed with self-tapping screws.
Self-adhesive damping tape
heat insulator
Thermal insulation in the underfloor heating system does not allow thermal energy to go down and heat the floors. As a heat insulator, you can use any insulation foamed polymer. Wherein:
- polystyrene foam allows you to fasten pipes using tracks or U-shaped clips;
- foil foam (foamed polyethylene) has a small thickness, but to fix the pipes, laying a reinforcing mesh is required
- polyurethane foam mats with protrusions simplify installation, but their surface does not have a reflective layer
The recommended thickness of slab insulation with a density of at least 35-40 kg/m3 is 20-25 cm for upper floors and 50-100 mm for the first floor. The slabs are laid according to the principle of brickwork, with a shift of half the width. This gives rigidity to the flooring. Roll foam, foil-coated mats are mounted end-to-end, the joints are glued with aluminum tape.
Thermal insulation material with foil coating and markings
Circuit installation
The complexity of installation depends on the selected option for fixing the circuit. The simplest (and most expensive) option is to lay a pipe between the curly protrusions of the heat insulator. If you plan to use clips or tracks, a heat insulator with marked markings is used - this will help to maintain the gaps between the turns. Fastening to the reinforcing mesh is the most laborious, but this classic method remains popular, it is ideal for mounting elastic pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene, which do not hold a bend well.
To avoid damage to pipes during operation, you must not:
- overtighten clamps or wire strands - it is important to leave room for thermal expansion
- bend pipes into narrow loops, lay a contour with traces of creases - a pipe under pressure may burst
- join the pipes of the circuit using couplings, welding
Water floor installation scheme
Connection and crimping
Laying the circuit begins with connecting one end to the collector, and ends with connecting the second end to the second comb of the collector assembly. Eurocone clamp fittings are used to connect pipes to the manifold.
After completing the installation of all circuits, it is necessary to test the system under pressure. The tightness test is carried out using a compressor of 6 bar or more. It is necessary to create a pressure of 4 bar in the underfloor heating system and leave it until the end of all work on the arrangement of the underfloor heating.
Pressing with an air compressor
Filling the screed
If the hydraulic tests were successful, the contour is poured with a concrete screed at least 3 cm high above the pipe. This allows you to provide the necessary strength of the floor and uniform distribution of heat over the surface. A thick screed (7-10 cm) warms up more slowly, but gives off heat longer. At the same time, for its warming up, a coolant of a higher temperature is required, which increases fuel consumption.
For screed, concrete grade M-300 and higher, washed sand, crushed stone with a fraction of 5-20 mm are used. The solution is mixed in the proportion: Cement M-400: Sand: Crushed stone (kg) = 1: 1.9: 3.7
Instead of sand, it is recommended to use granite screenings with a fraction of up to 5 mm, as it increases the heat transfer of the screed. Also, a plasticizer for underfloor heating is added to the working solution, due to which the screed will be more resistant to cracking during temperature changes, fiberglass.
The screed is poured at a pressure of 4 bar in the system. Until the mixture has completely hardened, heating cannot be turned on, otherwise the moisture will quickly evaporate and the concrete will not gain strength. The next day after pouring, the screed is covered with polyethylene and left for a week.
Pouring screed on underfloor heating
expansion joints
To prevent the screed from collapsing during the operation of a warm floor, expansion joints should be provided. They are required if:
- the floor area is over 30 sq. m
- wall length over 8 m
- the length of the room is 2 times or more greater than the width
- concrete base has expansion joints
- the room has a complex shape
Expansion joints divide the room between contours, they are laid over the seams at the base, when dividing a complex room into sections of a simple geometric shape. At the design stage, the location of the seams should be determined - they can pass over the supply and return pipes, but they cannot cross the contour itself. Pipes passing through the seam must be closed with a corrugated casing 30-50 cm long in each direction.
Seams of a full profile are equipped at the stage of laying the contour using a damper tape. The reinforcing mesh must not cross the seam.
Partial profile expansion joints are cut after laying the screed at 2/3 of the distance to the pipes. The gaps are filled with silicone sealant. If the screed cracks, the cracks will run along the seams inside the slab, and the flooring laid on top will not be damaged.
expansion joints
Mounting the water circuit on a wooden base
Laying the contour on a wooden base
The work is carried out in several stages:
- Verification of a wooden base, replacement of damaged elements, treatment of structures with an antiseptic and flame retardant
- Laying a vapor barrier membrane on the logs (if mineral wool is used). The panels are mounted with an overlap, with gluing the joints with adhesive tape
- Thermal insulation - mineral wool slabs are laid between the lags by surprise, if foamed polymer material is used, the gaps are filled with mounting foam
- Installation of waterproofing - a thick film or membrane is laid on the walls, the sheets are laid with an overlap of 10-15 cm, the joints are glued on both sides with adhesive tape
- Wooden slats or strips of sheet material (chipboard, OSB, plywood) are laid along the logs. The thickness of the rails corresponds to the pitch between the turns of the contour, the width and height of the gaps allow you to lay the pipe. In places where the contour bends, the ends of the rails are rounded
- On straight sections, special aluminum diffuser plates are laid on top of the rails (can be replaced with thick foil). The contour pipe is inserted into the grooves of the plates
- A vapor barrier membrane is laid on top, then a laminate or parquet board. If you plan to use ceramic tiles, linoleum or PVC tiles, you need to mount the flooring from plywood, GVL or chipboard
Conclusion
Repair or reconstruction of a water floor requires a lot of effort, time and money, since it is required to completely dismantle the floor covering and screed. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider each stage of work on the arrangement of underfloor heating.
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