Most often by installation heated floors They do not do this on their own, but invite certain specialists for this. In order to control the quality of execution, it is necessary to have minimal critical knowledge in this area.
So what do you need to know?
First of all, decide on the type of heated floors. They can be of two types:
Where to use which and why?
Warm floors as the main and additional type of heating are most often used:
- V country cottage or dacha
- in an apartment in a multi-storey building
In a private house, you are your own boss and are free to choose any type, option and any heating scheme. There are no restrictions here. But in the apartment, nuances and restrictions already appear.
Choosing a heated floor in an apartment in a multi-storey building
In the apartment it can be taken from two sources:
The radiator heating system is inconvenient for two reasons:
Accordingly, your heated floors will remain idle for most of the year.
First of all, it's not cheap. And secondly, it takes up significant space in the room.
Theoretically, you can connect, but you need to provide enough low temperature for heated floors. Direct connection will be accompanied by temperatures of 70 degrees or higher, and this will simply overheat the floor covering.
The second option for hot water supply is even worse. Since unauthorized extraction of heat from hot water supply systems is prohibited.
You will not be able to legally register your connection in any instance. And if such a fact is revealed during an inspection, you can easily run into a fine. Plus they will force you to dismantle everything at your own expense. 
Therefore, water heated floors in apartment building Most competent specialists do not recommend installing:
- heating systems are uncomfortable
- from DHW it is impossible
You can, of course, come up with an autonomous container with water, but do not forget that the rules prohibit placing “wet zones” above the living quarters of neighbors. And a water heated floor will be considered such a zone. Unless you live on the first floor. 
The only option left is with electric heated floors.
But if you have private house, then there is already a richer choice here. You can stop at electric heating, and on water. But what is better to choose?
2 factors for choosing heated floors
Many people in this situation still make their choice in favor of water heated floors. This is explained by the fact that people are afraid of influence electromagnetic radiation on the body, which electric heated floors allegedly have. 
Meanwhile, all manufacturers have long been required to have certificates and papers confirming the safety of their products. And all heating cables are shielded.
If we take into account how many WiFi, GSM and other networks there are around us, then electric floors are not the biggest evil. However, this does not convince the majority that they are right. 
In their opinion, this may also be suitable for the bathroom, but if this is the main heating in all rooms, then any headaches or illnesses will automatically be attributed to electric heated floors.
Water heated floors are absolutely harmless.
Well, the second one important point– this is the absolute maintainability of water floors anywhere. Moreover, you can do such repairs yourself, at home. 
If the heating cable of an electric mat is damaged, you will have to either rip off the entire tile and replace it entirely, or call specialists with equipment to burn through and search for the short circuit with a thermal imager, followed by installation of couplings. 
Moreover, the search for some accidents, even for them, can cause certain insoluble difficulties.
Therefore, safety and maintainability are the two factors that incline many people to choose water heated floors as the main source of heating. The electric option remains only as additional source heat.
But here are the factors that can scare away water heated floors:
Need a boiler mixing unit, collector and much more, which electric heating can easily do without.
- constant audit work
Water replacement, scale on heating elements, pump breakdowns, leaks from low-quality pipes. In short, many installers with water-based floors earn many times more, and not only during their installation, but also during further maintenance.
Naturally, it is beneficial for them to convince their clients about the dangers of electricity and heated floors based on them.
Personally, your choice should depend on two variables:
- budget for installation and necessary subsequent maintenance
If there are no problems with this, then go to the store for water floors.
- lack of prejudice and faith in modern technology
If this sounds like you, then an electric heated floor is exactly what you need.
Electric heated floors
The two most popular varieties are:
Infrared film
What should you pay attention to when choosing infrared film?
It is a sheet with soldered copper conductors. Between them with a very small gap, current carbon tracks are laid, which are the heating element. 
First of all, look at your contacts. They must be soldered. 
If they are made with pistons, such a connection is extremely unreliable. Excessive heating will occur here, creating a potential fire area. 
The film acts as a separator between the base of the heated floor and decorative coating. Therefore, it cannot be laid where the screed will be poured. 
It will not fit under tiles. But it fits perfectly:
- under the carpet
- linoleum
If you lay a heating cable under the same materials, then due to the distance between the turns (laying step) you will clearly feel the boundary between heat and cold - a thermal zebra. 
The film heats the entire surface evenly. True, some are afraid that with such heating of the laminate, it will emit harmful substances. And therefore you need to buy a special product labeled “for heated floors.” 
This is wrong. The sun heats up laminate flooring much more when it shines directly through a window. And nothing harmful is released.
There are also concerns about dry air and dust, which warm floors inevitably raise upward. Here everything depends not on the heating operating mode, the presence or complete absence of radiators in the rooms, but on ventilation. 
Provide a regular supply fresh air, and there will be no problems. And if you close all the windows, then with radiators central heating you will suffocate.
Approximate calculation of electricity consumption when heating a house with film heated floors: 
Heating cable and mat
Where is the best place to use a heating cable? Where you have a minimal screed, or tiles with glue - i.e. kitchen and bathroom. 
As a rule, after completion of the work by the builders, there can be no talk of any full-fledged screed. The maximum you have left is 5-6cm. 
If it’s even less, then the choice is clear - only heating mat. It can be laid directly into the layer of tile adhesive. 
The disadvantage of an electric heated floor is that in addition to your room, you will also warm the ceiling from below. You will also heat your neighbors at your own expense.
You have a warm floor, they have a warm ceiling.
Comparison table for the efficiency of heating cable and film infrared floors: 
Compare current prices for heated floors with heating cable or mats and infrared film, as well as their components, you can.
Water floors
A pie with water floors should ideally look like this: 
- pipes with coolant are mounted on this surface
- then the cake comes with an adhesive layer and a tile or other covering
The approximate thickness of the entire slab is 130-140mm. Under this condition, all the heat will be spent on your room, and not go downstairs.
Mistakes and rules when installing heated floors
1 Do not use foil as insulation. thin materials(3-4mm), penofol type.
They last for a maximum of 1 season, or even less. Here is a visual video experiment of what happens with such foil insulation.
Don't waste your money. In addition, without reinforcement of a thin screed, as a result of the destruction of foil insulation, subsidence and cracking may occur flooring.
The best solution is to use extruded polystyrene foam with a density of 35 kg/m3 or multifoil as insulation. 
The basis of multifoil is air pockets in the form of tablets or pimples. They are very durable and you can’t just crush them. 
You can safely walk on them for as long as you like. Moreover, the aluminum coating is applied with reverse side, i.e. It is not possible to damage or corrode it with a screed.
2 Be sure to use edge insulation.
This is a kind of damper that is laid along the perimeter of the slab with a heated floor. It is necessary to compensate for the expansion of the screed, which inevitably occurs when it is heated.
If this is not done, the concrete screed will rest against the walls and it will have two options: either break the walls themselves, or break itself. When pouring, the edge of the damper film should be higher than the screed, then the excess is cut off.
3 If you have a large pouring area (more than 20 m2), it must be separated with compensation tape.
Since all the expansion during heating of such a concrete layer, flanging alone cannot compensate.
5 Never use compression fittings, i.e. those connections where there are nuts and threads. 
None of this should end up in your screed.
6 If the customer and contractor are not well versed in preparing solutions, then the recommended height of a full screed should be 85mm or 7cm from the top wall of the heating element.This thickness of concrete will help save you from cracking even with not very high-quality cement. 
In addition, 85mm helps with striping (thermal zebra). And lastly, this is the inertia of such a screed.
If your energy source is electricity, at night, at a cheaper rate, you can “overclock” the heated floor and not turn on the boiler all day. The stored heat should be enough until the evening. 
This heating mode costs approximately 3 times less than usual.
7 Don’t skimp and add a special plasticizer for heated floors to the screed.
Ultimately, you want to get concrete that can easily withstand temperature deformations.
8 Reinforcement is done as a last resort.First of all, when you are forced to fill in only 50-60mm of screed instead of 85mm. But this should be avoided if possible.
9 There is no need to cut any holes in the substrate until concrete base, supposedly for high-quality coupling.
Even if this coupling occurs, everything will come off when the plate is first heated. The heated floor slab, figuratively speaking, should “float” without connection with the base and the walls.
10 You cannot fill the solution with empty floor pipes.The system must be filled and the pressure must be 3 bar. This is primarily due to the need to preserve the geometry and shape of the pipe. Without pressure inside, it is easy to crush.
Space heating based on underfloor heating technology is much more efficient than heating with conventional radiator batteries. Underfloor heating provides the room with normal air circulation: warm air is below, cooler is above.
There are two options for heating the floor in the house: electric and water. But electric method Floor heating is very expensive to operate, so water floor heating is more popular.
How to organize a warm water floor in the house
To heat a house using water, you will need a certain number of pipes. Water will circulate through the system and warm the floor.
The bottom line is that you need to lay the pipes under the floor covering. The process is not the easiest, but anyone can figure it out if they want.
Which room is suitable for installing heated floors?
Since this floor heating option requires a considerable number of pipes, it is mainly installed in private sector homes.
Multi-storey buildings are not suitable for this type of heating. The management company simply will not give permission to install underfloor heating from general heating.
Most new buildings are equipped with systems for both radiator and water floor heating.
In order for the installation of a heated floor to be successful, you need to study all the nuances of this process.
Heat conductor temperature
In order for the floor to be at a comfortable temperature, the temperature of the water in the radiators should not be higher than 45C. In this case, the flooring itself will heat up to 28C.
But in most cases, heating systems produce a minimum temperature of about 65C. Only gas boilers capable of maintaining required level temperature. They are effective precisely at low temperatures.
If other heating systems are used, then a mixing unit is required. In it to existing system heating, cooling water is added from the return pipe.
The cooling effect is as follows: hot water from the boiler enters the thermostatic valve, which opens the addition cold water from the return pipe when the temperature rises greatly.
How to make a heated floor with your own hands: eyeliner
There are two technologies used to fix pipes:
Dry eyeliner. Metal strips with prepared channels for pipes are laid out on polystyrene foam mats or wooden plates. This will distribute the heat more evenly during heating.
Plywood or other hard materials are laid on top. If you plan to install heated floors under the tiles, then the entire technology remains unchanged, only the tiles are laid on OSB or plywood using a special glue.
Laying in a screed or “wet” version of laying pipes. This technology will require several layers:
- Insulation;
- Mesh or tapes;
- Pipes;
- Screed.
The floor covering is laid after the screed has set. You can put waterproofing or reinforcing mesh under the insulation.
Pay attention!
Damper tape must be used when installing the floor. It is laid where two contours connect, having previously rolled it out over the entire area.
Which system is better?
How to make a heated floor, and what system to use? Both systems have both pros and cons.
The dry installation option will be more expensive if you buy all the components in finished form. But their mass is much smaller and they can be used faster.
The screed has a large mass, and not any foundation can support it. Only having a foundation with a reserve can installation be allowed in this way.
If pipes laid using the screed method are damaged, it will be very difficult to repair them. The screed will have to be broken, and the repair itself may cause damage to nearby pipes.
You can use a heated floor in a screed only on the 28th day after installation, because the concrete must gain strength. You will have to go without heating for almost a month.
Pay attention!
If in the house wooden floor, then the screed and high temperatures will contribute to rapid deterioration of wood.
It is necessary to study all the initial data of the house in order to avoid serious consequences. Perhaps in some cases it is better to resort to dry technologies.
Warm floor in your home - great idea, which can be accomplished by understanding the information about this process.
It is worth studying the information found, looking at photos of heated floors on the Internet, as well as diagrams of piping systems for floor heating.
Photo of a heated floor with your own hands
Pay attention!
In rooms that are heated using underfloor heating technology, the feeling is much more comfortable than with a traditional radiator system. When the floor is heated, the temperature is distributed optimally: the feet are warmest, and at head level it is cooler. There are two heating methods: water and electric. Water is more expensive to install, but cheaper to operate, so this is what is used more often. You can slightly reduce installation costs if you make a water heated floor with your own hands. The technology is not the simplest, but it does not require encyclopedic knowledge.
Design and principle of operation
For water heating of a heated floor, a system of pipes is used through which the coolant circulates. Most often, pipes are poured into a screed, but there are dry installation systems - wooden or polystyrene. In any case, there is a large number of small cross-section pipes laid under the floor covering.
Where can it be mounted?
Due to the large number of pipes, water heating is done mainly in private homes. The fact is that the heating system of early high-rise buildings is not designed for this heating method. It is possible to make a warm floor using heating, but there is a high probability that either your place will be too cold, or your neighbors above or below will, depending on the type of power supply to the system. Sometimes the entire riser becomes cold: the hydraulic resistance of the water floor is several times higher than that of a radiator heating system and it can block the movement of the coolant. For this reason, it is very difficult to obtain permission from the management company to install a heated floor (installation without permission is an administrative offense).
The good news is that in new buildings they began to make two systems: one for radiator heating, the second for water heated floors. In such houses, permission is not required: the corresponding system was developed taking into account higher hydraulic resistance.
Principles of organization
To understand what you need to make a water heated floor with your own hands, you need to understand what the system consists of and how it works.
Adjusting the coolant temperature
In order for your feet to feel comfortable on the floor, the temperature of the coolant should not exceed 40-45°C. Then the floor warms up to comfortable values - about 28°C. Most heating equipment cannot produce such a temperature: at least 60-65°C. The exception is condensing gas boilers. They show maximum efficiency precisely at low temperatures. From their output, the heated coolant can be supplied directly to the underfloor heating pipes.
When using any other type of boiler, a mixing unit is required. In it, cooled coolant from the return pipeline is added to the hot water from the boiler. You can see the composition of this connection in the diagram for connecting the heated floor to the boiler.
The operating principle is as follows. The heated coolant comes from the boiler. It goes to a thermostatic valve, which, when the temperature threshold is exceeded, opens the admixture of water from the return pipeline. In the photo there is a jumper in front of the circulation pump. It is equipped with a two-way or three way valve. Open it and mix in the cooled coolant.
Mixed flow through circulation pump gets to the thermostat, which controls the operation thermostatic valve. When the set temperature is reached, the supply from the return stops; if it is exceeded, it opens again. This is how the temperature of the water heated floor coolant is adjusted.
Contour distribution
Next, the coolant enters the distribution comb. If the water heated floor is made in one small room(bathroom, for example), in which only one loop of pipes is laid, this unit may not exist. If there are several loops, then it is necessary to somehow distribute the coolant between them, and then somehow collect it and send it to the return pipeline. This task is performed by the distribution comb or, as it is also called, the underfloor heating manifold. Essentially, these are two pipes - supply and return, to which the inputs and outputs of all underfloor heating circuits are connected. This is the simplest option.
If the heated floor is installed in several rooms, then it is better to install a collector with the ability to regulate the temperature. Firstly, in different rooms required different temperatures: some people prefer +18°C in the bedroom, others need +25°C. Secondly, most often, the contours have different lengths, and they can convey different quantities heat. Thirdly, there are “internal” rooms - in which one wall faces the street, and there are corner ones - with two or even three external walls. Naturally, the amount of heat in them should be different. This is ensured by combs with thermostats. The equipment is not cheap, the circuit is more complicated, but this installation allows you to support set temperature indoors.
There are different thermostats. Some control the air temperature in the room, while others control the floor temperature. You choose the type yourself. Regardless of this, they control servomotors mounted on the feed comb. Servomotors, depending on the command, increase or decrease the flow area, regulating the intensity of the coolant flow.
Theoretically (and practically it happens), situations may arise when the supply to all circuits is cut off. In this case, the circulation will stop, the boiler may boil and fail. To prevent this from happening, be sure to create a bypass through which part of the coolant passes. With this system design, the boiler is safe.
You can watch one of the system options in the video.
Laying a warm water floor
One of the key components of the system is pipes and their fixation system. There are two technologies:
Both systems are imperfect, but laying pipes in a screed is cheaper. Although it has a lot of disadvantages, it is due to its lower cost that it is more popular.
Which system to choose
In terms of cost, dry systems are more expensive: their components (if you take ready-made, factory-made ones) cost more. But they weigh much less and are put into operation faster. There are several reasons why you should use them.
First: the heavy weight of the screed. Not all foundations and floors of houses are able to withstand the load created by water-heated floors in concrete screed. There must be a layer of concrete at least 3 cm above the surface of the pipes. Considering that O.D. The pipe is also about 3 cm, then the total thickness of the screed is 6 cm. The weight is more than significant. And on top there is often another tile on a layer of glue. It’s good if the foundation is designed with a reserve - it will hold up, but if not, problems will begin. If there is a suspicion that the ceiling or foundation will not bear the load, it is better to make a wooden or polystyrene system.
Second: low maintainability of the screed system. Although when laying underfloor heating circuits it is recommended to lay only solid coils of pipes without joints, periodically the pipes are damaged. Either it was hit with a drill during repairs, or it burst due to a defect. The location of the damage can be determined by a wet spot, but it is difficult to repair: you have to break the screed. In this case, adjacent loops can be damaged, causing the damage area to become larger. Even if you managed to do it carefully, you have to make two seams, and these are the potential places for further damage.
Third: commissioning of a heated floor in a screed is possible only after the concrete has reached 100% strength. This takes at least 28 days. Before this date, you cannot turn on the heated floor.
Fourth: you have a wooden floor. It's hard in itself wooden floor- not the best idea, and also a screed with an increased temperature. The wood will quickly collapse and the entire system will collapse.
The reasons are serious. Therefore, in some cases, it is more advisable to use dry technologies. Moreover, making a wooden water-heated floor with your own hands is not that expensive. The most expensive component is metal plates, but they can also be made from thin sheet metal and better - aluminum. It is important to be able to bend, forming grooves for pipes.
A variant of a polystyrene heated floor system without screed is demonstrated in the video.
Materials for heated water floors
Most often they make a water heated floor in a screed. About its structure and necessary materials and the speech will begin. The diagram of a warm water floor is shown in the photo below.
All work begins with leveling the base: without insulation, heating costs will be too high, and insulation can only be laid on flat surface. Therefore, the first thing to do is prepare the base - make a rough screed. Next, we will describe step by step the order of work and the materials used in the process:
- A damper tape is also rolled out around the perimeter of the room. This is the strip thermal insulation material, no more than 1 cm thick. It prevents heat loss for heating the walls. Its second task is to compensate thermal expansion which occurs when materials are heated. The tape can be special, or you can also lay thin foam plastic cut into strips (no more than 1 cm thick) or other insulation of the same thickness.
- A layer of heat-insulating materials is laid on the rough screed. For installing heated floors best choice- expanded polystyrene. Extruded is best. Its density must be at least 35 kg/m2. It is dense enough to withstand the weight of the screed and operating loads, has excellent characteristics and a long service life. Its disadvantage is that it is expensive. Other, cheaper materials (foam, mineral wool, expanded clay), have a lot of disadvantages. If possible, use polystyrene foam. The thickness of thermal insulation depends on many parameters - on the region, characteristics of the foundation material and insulation, and the method of organizing the subfloor. Therefore, it must be calculated in relation to each case.
- Next, a reinforcing mesh is often placed in increments of 5 cm. Pipes are also tied to it - with wire or plastic clamps. If expanded polystyrene was used, you can do without reinforcement - you can fasten it with special plastic brackets, which are driven into the material. For other insulation materials, reinforcing mesh is required.
- Beacons are installed on top, after which the screed is poured. Its thickness is less than 3 cm above the level of the pipes.
- Next, the finished floor covering is laid. Any suitable for use in a heated floor system.
These are all the main layers that need to be laid when you make a water-heated floor with your own hands.
Pipes for heated floors and installation schemes
The main element of the system is pipes. Most often they use polymer ones - made of cross-linked polyethylene or metal-plastic. They bend well and have a long service life. Their only obvious drawback is that they are not very high thermal conductivity. The recently introduced corrugated stainless steel pipes do not have this disadvantage. They bend better, cost no more, but due to their lack of popularity, they are not yet used often.
The diameter of the pipes for heated floors depends on the material, but usually it is 16-20 mm. They are stacked according to several schemes. The most common are spiral and snake; there are several modifications that take into account some of the features of the premises.
Laying with a snake is the simplest, but as the coolant passes through the pipes, it gradually cools down and reaches the end of the circuit, which is already much colder than it was at the beginning. Therefore, the zone where the coolant enters will be the warmest. This feature is used - installation begins from the coldest zone - along the outer walls or under the window.
The double snake and spiral are almost free of this drawback, but they are more difficult to install - you need to draw a diagram on paper so as not to get confused during installation.
Screed
Can be used to fill a water heated floor using a regular cement-sand mortar based on Portland cement. The grade of Portland cement should be high - M-400, or better yet M-500. - not lower than M-350.
But ordinary “wet” screeds take a very long time to gain their design strength: at least 28 days. You can’t turn on the heated floor all this time: cracks will appear that can even break the pipes. Therefore, so-called semi-dry screeds are increasingly being used - with additives that increase the plasticity of the solution, significantly reducing the amount of water and the time for “aging”. You can add them yourself or look for dry mixtures with the appropriate properties. They cost more, but there is less hassle with them: according to the instructions, add the required amount of water and mix.
It’s possible to make a water heated floor with your own hands, but it will take a decent amount of time and a lot of money.
A pleasant stay in an apartment or private house is determined, first of all, by the fact that the room should be cozy and comfortable. And this is only possible if the living space is warm. It is desirable that the floors also be heated. Now this is not a privilege of the rich, but a necessity for most people. What is needed for a heated floor, how to make it yourself, without the help of specialists? The answers are given in the article.
Before you start studying information about what materials you may need to install a heated floor yourself, you should understand what the operating principle of this system is. So, a warm floor is a system of small diameter pipes assembled and laid in a certain way, inside which a coolant supplied by a pump is located and circulates. The heat carrier is ordinary water, heated in a special device. During installation, the pipes are laid under the floor covering or directly into the screed, depending on the installation method.
Note! To make it pleasant to walk barefoot on the floor, the temperature of the coolant should not be high - no more than +40-45 degrees. In this case, the floor covering itself will warm up to only +25-28 degrees. However heating equipment usually warms up the water more strongly - up to +60-65 degrees.
That is why it is necessary to regulate the temperature of the coolant. In the cottage, a condensing gas boiler will help ensure the ability to adjust, which is highly efficient even at low temperatures. Here the water will be immediately supplied to the heating system. For some other types of boilers, it is necessary to use a specially designed mixing unit, thanks to which cooled water will be supplied to the heated water.
Next, the water begins to be distributed along the heating circuit using a pipe branching system. It is also called a collector. It consists of two pipes - supply and return - which supply and collect water from the branches of the system.
Note! The distribution manifold may be absent if the heated floor is installed in a room with small dimensions.
Disadvantages of heated floors
Unfortunately, in multi-storey buildings built decades ago, it will be quite difficult to make warm water half-water - such apartments (or rather, heating system in them) are simply not suitable for this technological solution. If such a floor is installed, then winter period neighbors will complain about the cold in the apartment. And the homeowner is unlikely to be satisfied with the temperature readings at home. The management company will also most likely not give permission to install heated floors. In this case, it is best to install electric floor heating - it does not require a permit.
Note! In new buildings now, as a rule, a special heating system is installed, which allows you to connect heated floors to it. In such buildings you don’t even have to ask permission from housing and communal services for installation.
Materials for heated floors
The diagram of such a floor in the picture always looks quite complex - a mass of communications connected to each other, through which water also flows. However, in reality the system does not include such an extensive list of elements.
Accessories for water heated floors:
- if there is no connection to the system central heating – heating boiler;
- pump, which is either built into the boiler or purchased separately. It will pump water into the system;
- directly pipes, along which the coolant will move;
- collector who will be responsible for distributing water through the pipes (not always necessary);
- collectors will need a special cabinet, splitters that distribute cold and hot water, as well as valves, emergency drain system, devices for removing air from the system;
- fittings, ball valves etc.
Also, to install a heated floor, you will need thermal insulation material, fasteners, reinforcing mesh, and damper tape. If the raw installation method is performed, then concrete mixture, from which the screed will be made.
The choice of materials and tools for the floor heating system will often depend on the installation method. There are two types of equipment laying - dry and wet.
Neither the first nor the second methods are ideal - each has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, it is most often used wet method when the underfloor heating system is installed in a screed. The reason is simple - low cost, although this type is quite difficult to maintain. For example, repairing pipes in a screed will not be easy.
Distribution manifold and cabinet for it
It makes sense to install a distribution comb or manifold inside a cabinet specially designed for this purpose, so that the mass of pipes does not catch the eye and spoil appearance premises. The width of such a structure should be about 12-15 cm, but other parameters will largely depend on the dimensions of the entire communication system - the larger it is, the larger the cabinet. When arranging it, the need for space for bending pipes supplied to the collector system must also be taken into account.
Important! If the underfloor heating system is divided into two rooms, then the box with the collector should be located in the middle between them. In this case, it is better to install equipment that allows you to regulate the heating temperature.
manifold for underfloor heating
Pipes
Pipes in a heated floor system are the most important element. After all, it is along them that the heated water will move. They need to be chosen correctly.
Table. Types of pipes for heated floors.
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| Very good, but also very expensive looking. It is ideal for installing a heated floor, but the pipes themselves and the components for them are very expensive. The heated floor system is reliable, capable of withstanding almost any load and very high heating temperatures, and does not burst when overcooled. |
| Often found pipes are quite durable and can withstand heating up to +125 degrees. When water flows through them, it is practically inaudible due to the high sound absorption rate of the material. Elastic and pleasant material. |
| Consists of 3-5 layers, which are connected to each other with special glue. The center of the pipe is foil-coated, thereby increasing the thermal conductivity of the material. The pipes bend well. |
| A cheap option, which is almost never used for installing heated floors, as it bends poorly. It will not be possible to lay it with the required step, and its thermal conductivity is poor. |
Aluminum pipes for heated floors - another possible option
Advice! It is best to purchase pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene - this is the optimal price-quality ratio.
There are different pipe laying schemes, but the most commonly used are snake, double snake and snail-spiral. The first is simple to implement, but as the coolant passes through the circuit, it has time to cool significantly. In this case, installation is carried out from a cold zone to a warm one - for example, from a window to a wall. Spiral and double snake are more difficult to install, but more effective in terms of heating.
How to make a water heated floor - installation diagrams
- The contour should always start only from the coldest wall - from an external load-bearing one or equipped with a window.
- If the room does not have a common wall with the street, then the system can be laid from the edges of the room to its center.
- The snake will provide gradual heating of the floor.
The pitch of laying the pipe system is usually about 10-30 cm: where heat losses are high, the pitch should be 15 cm, and where they are normal or minimal - 30 cm.
The number of pipes will have to be calculated individually for each room. This takes into account the dimensions of the room, the pitch between the pipes, the power of the boiler, the cross-section of the pipe and a host of other small nuances.
Advice! The easiest, fastest and most accurate way to calculate the number of pipes is using special computer programs.
If an error is made in the calculations, various problems may subsequently arise:
- poor water circulation;
- “thermal zebra” effect - alternating warm and cold areas on the floor;
- heat leak.
Operating principle of water heated floor
Placed under the screed special pipe(polypropylene, metal-plastic, polyethylene), through which water circulates, heated by a gas or electric boiler.
The screed is installed after hydraulic tests of the system - water (or air) is pumped into the system, the pressure is recorded and leakage or its absence is monitored according to the readings of the pressure gauge.
Choosing a pipe for a heated floor
Pipes used for installation in the “warm floor” system:
- pipe made of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX),
- polypropylene pipe (PPR),
- metal-plastic (metal-polymer) pipe (PEX-AL-PEX),
- copper pipe
Learn more about the types of pipes for underfloor heating in the video:
Screed on a warm floor. Nuances
The thickness of the screed above the pipe must be at least 30mm (recommended 40mm). This is due to the fact that with a smaller thickness there will be no uniform distribution of heat over the surface of the screed and a “thermal zebra effect” may be observed.
The optimal thickness of the screed when installing a “warm floor” system is 60-100 mm from the base (excluding the thickness of the pipe).
The thicker the screed, the longer it will take to reach a stable heating mode from the moment it is turned on. But at the same time, the thicker the screed, the greater the inertia of the system.
Methods (schemes) for laying heated floor pipes
There are two main types of laying underfloor heating pipes: parallel (snake) and spiral (snail). The “snake” method, in turn, is divided into single and double.
The most effective method, in terms of uniform heating of the base, is the spiral method (snail).
As can be seen from the figure below (and it’s simply logical) - the most ineffective in this regard is the single “snake”, because the temperature at the end of the hot flow supply will be significantly higher than the temperature in the return area (the water in the pipe, going all the way, gives its temperature to the screed and returns quite cool).
The double “snake” slightly corrects this situation in better side, here the heating will be more uniform.
The pipe laying pitch can be 100-300mm, depending on the design solution.
The length of the pipe of one circuit should not exceed 80-90m.
Recommendations for laying underfloor heating pipes near cold external walls of a room
In the area of colder external (external) walls of the room, it is recommended to increase the frequency of pipe installation to compensate for the lower temperature.
If this cannot be done for one reason or another, then there is another way to compensate for the lower temperature near the external walls.
It is necessary to lay the pipe with the supply flow of coolant closer to external walls and cold areas.
Basic methods of fixing underfloor heating pipes
- on metal mesh(the cheapest method), fastening with plastic clamps (tie-ties) or wire
- using mounting plate
- using a harpoon clamp
- using a special mounting mat
Thermal insulation substrate
Under a screed with a heated floor, it is imperative to lay a layer of heat-insulating substrate, which will prevent heat from leaking into the base and cold from entering from the base.
As a rule, such a substrate is polystyrene foam - or regular one. Dense mineral (stone) wool or foamed polyethylene (FPE) are less commonly used.
The optimal thickness of thermal insulation is 30-100mm, it depends on heat loss and thermal regime premises.
For ground floors and floors “on the ground”, the thickness of the thermal insulation should be 90-100mm, in other cases, as a rule, it is enough 30-50mm.
In rare cases, if the height of the floor pie does not allow the use of a thicker underlay, you can use 10mm PPE (izolon, penofol, folgoizol, etc.), but you must understand that by doing so you risk increasing the heat loss of your heating system.
Do you need a foil underlay under a water-heated floor?
This is where everyone's opinions differ.
Someone talks about the need for such a substrate under the TP pipe and its property of reflecting heat upward.
Others argue that such physical laws do not apply in a dense environment and this substrate is absolutely useless there.
To be honest, I personally do not consider foil mandatory in the installation of heated floors. I am sure that for good thermal insulation, foam plastic alone is quite enough.
Reinforcement of screeds on heated floors
Also, when installing screeds according to warm floor It is imperative to use a cell of 100*100mm or 150*150mm and a thickness of 3-4mm, laid over underfloor heating pipes.
Net, which is laid under the shirt TP and to which this pipe is attached is only a pipe fastening - reinforce she there won't be. In this case, it will be necessary to use an additional layer of reinforced mesh above the TP pipe.
Plasticizer
It is highly desirable to use for heated floors.
One of the properties of the plastifier is the compaction of the mixture, which entails an increase in the thermal conductivity of the screed.
The lower the thermal conductivity of the screed, the higher the coolant temperature is required and the higher the heating costs will ultimately be.
Expansion joints
Just like the “warm floor” system itself, the screed is necessarily divided into contours of 15-30 m2.
These areas are separated by a soft damper (edge) tape, which plays the role of an expansion seam.
Examples of dividing the contours of a heated floor with expansion joints:
To prevent damage to the screed as a result of its thermal expansion, it is necessary to divide the screed with heated floors into sections that should not exceed an area of 30 m2. At the same time maximum length one of the sides of these areas should not exceed 8m.
Screed in rooms with L-, T- and Z shape, should be divided as shown in the figure - from the corner, so that the resulting sections have a square or rectangular shape.
This way the screed will be least susceptible to destruction.
At the same time, it must be taken into account that the loops of individual underfloor heating circuits should not pass through expansion joints. Only the intersection of transit pipes leading to another circuit of the heating system is allowed.
At the intersection of seams, pipes must be dressed in protective cover (corrugated pipe or insulation).
