How to make a heated floor in a finished house. Warm water floor in a private house - the principle of operation. Materials used for installation
Comfort and coziness in the house during the cold season depends on temperature regime premises. Poorly heated apartments and cold floors create a threat of colds for family members. One of the means to maintain a stable temperature in a living space is heated floors. Not always and not everyone has enough cash to call specialists to install them. It is important to learn how to make a water-heated floor with your own hands. Today we will tell you about it.
What is a warm water floor?
Water heated floor the whole system modern heating, replacing radiators.
Water floor heating schemes
The simplest wiring diagram styling is snake.
Pipes are routed from the collector in the form of loops, covering the entire area of the room. Each loop goes from one wall to another, replacing the previous one. This method allows you to completely warm up only part of the room. Hot water comes only from this side. As it passes through the entire heating system, it loses heat. A cooled pipeline does not sufficiently warm up the part of the room remote from the coolant.
Scheme of a water heated floor with a snake in a private house - labor-intensive process. Temperature changes in double snake are reduced, but installation remains labor-intensive.
The most in a known way The laying of pipes is considered to be a spiral, otherwise a snail. It evenly heats all rooms in the house.
Spiral covers the entire perimeter of the room, starting from the edges gradually approaching the center, and then from the center to the opposite side. The 10 mm pitch avoids thermal pits. Installation using this method is quite easy and can be done by one person without an assistant.
Snail It is convenient because the bending of the pipes in it is insignificant. A spiral can be made in any part of the room, going around difficult places. It can insulate cold room space external walls, at the entrance to the veranda. An advantage of this scheme will be the possibility of establishing any pitch between the pipes.
There is a combined method of laying pipes - combination of snake and spiral. The snake can be installed, for example, at the entrance, where special heat is not required, and the snail can be installed in the central part of the room to create thermal comfort
Stages of installation of warm water floors
Stage 1 – installation of the technological unit in the manifold cabinet.
Stage 2
– floor preparation.
The floor surface must be horizontal without unevenness. Exceeding the level is allowed only by 5 mm. If the surface is uneven, then you need to make an additional concrete screed. Removing debris from the base powerful vacuum cleaner, then seal the cracks and cracks with cement.
Stage 3
– laying damper tape.
It is necessary in order to separate the heating plate from the walls, to prevent heat loss and to compensate for temperature deformations. Tape thickness 5-8 mm, height 15 mm. The tape must be laid around the perimeter so that after screeding and finishing coating she performed above them. Upon completion construction work the edge of the tape protruding above the surface finishing installation, trimmed.
Stage 4 – We put a layer of thermal insulation, which will prevent heat loss from the circuits.
Expanded polystyrene or penoplex is used as a material for waterproofing. It also serves as a basis for laying pipes. Expanded polystyrene mats are overlapped on top of each other, inserted into the grooves. If the coating is exposed to moisture from below, then a vapor barrier is laid under these slabs. Thermal insulation can also be ordinary polyethylene film. You can use multifoil. Then from above warm insulating material a reinforcing mesh should be applied to which the contours are attached using plastic clamps, steel wire, a stapler and a clamp. Excellent fastening of pipes to reinforcing mesh is a PVC strip.
Stage 5 – a do-it-yourself water heated floor for a private house also involves laying pipes.
The pipes are laid in a snake or snail pattern. The segments between them (step) are laid out in accordance with project documentation. From correct installation The efficiency of the heating will depend. The contours should be no more than 60-90m. If the room is large, then several more contours should be laid. It is important that they are the same length, from a single piece, otherwise the seal will be broken.
We cut off the ends of the pipes and attach them to the collectors. Tighten the Eurocone fitting with a wrench.
Stage 6 – check the heating system for leaks.
To do this, you need to fill the system with water under pressure. The pressure should be several times higher than usual, but not less than 0.6 MPa. This pressure should be maintained for 30 minutes. Following hydraulic test 2 hours have already passed, and the pressure rises to 1 MPa.
Stage 7 – if the pressure testing was successful, then you need to pour the concrete screed. It hardens in about 28 days.
Screed for heated water floors
The screed is a cement-sand mortar with the addition of a plasticizer.
The modifier can be liquid or dry.
The dry plasticizer is diluted with water 1:2. The modifier helps remove excess liquid, making the solution plastic and homogeneous.
A screed in a warm water field protects pipes from external influence, prevents depressurization of pipes. It has good heat transfer: receiving heat from the pipes, it transfers it to the air in the room.
Types of coating
Water-heated floors are mainly used for tiles and porcelain stoneware.
These floor coverings heat up quickly and do not emit harmful substances. They are durable, not subject to deformation, and will last long time. Wide design solution will make the tiles a beautiful floor covering to suit your taste.
You can also use other materials: laminate, PVC tiles, linoleum, carpet.
You just need to take into account the features of these materials and listen to the advice of experts on using them as floor coverings heating system.
Wood shrinks at elevated temperatures. Therefore, there is no need to warm up the circuits above 27 degrees.
Thermal and sound insulating linoleum will not allow heat to pass through. Thermal conductivity is greater the thinner the linoleum. In addition, you need to take into account that small particles may get into it, which will be felt by your bare feet. Therefore, it is advisable to lay it by professionals. If you take on the linoleum coating yourself, do it carefully so that finishing materials lay down straight.
Chipboard, plywood or gypsum fiber board are laid on top of the pipes.
Laminate used as flooring in a warm water field it has high thermal conductivity. The thinner its layer, the faster and more heat it gives off. This floor heats up faster, creating comfortable conditions for those living in the house.
Parquet is less reliable because it is exposed to high temperatures and pressure changes. This is a capricious material, so it requires careful care and sufficient moisture.
Cost of water heated floor
The price for a water-heated floor is on average 1500-3000 per sq. m. m. This price is made up of the cost of all materials: pipes, fasteners, insulating material, boiler, pump, manifold cabinet, floor installation work.
Water electric heaters are a system consisting of pipes of 20 mm diameter. There is a heating cable inside them. The antifreeze coolant is static and does not move, so a pump, boiler, or manifold are not needed.
Installed in a screed. Operating principle: when the power is turned on, the coolant heats up. When antifreeze heats up, pressure increases, promoting rapid and uniform heat distribution.
So, we told you about the warm water floor system with our own hands, and touched a little on electric floors. We hope that after reading the article, you have learned a lot of important and useful information about this system and will be able to buy a water heated floor and install it yourself.
Warm floors are now one of the most commonly used methods of creating heating in a private home, since they can act as independent heating, even in, and will save you from bulky heating systems.
- Water;
- Electric, which, depending on the type of heating element, are divided into:
- film;
- rod;
- cable
By heating method electrical systems are divided into:
- convection;
- infrared.
Creating warm floors in the house significantly reduces heat, since you can turn on each heating circuit separately. Thus, you can simply turn off the heating in unused rooms.
Operating principle of a water floor circuit
In a private house, under the floor it is laid according to a parallel or spiral laying pattern. Water circulates through the tubes, which transfers and evenly distributes heat to the material laid near them. All this heats the floor. The choice of heat transfer material depends on the floor.
Installation plan
Before installing floor heating, you need to draw a plan - a grid on which the entire heating system will be reflected. When drawing on the project plan for laying water pipes and planning the layout of the heating circuit, it is necessary to take into account that:
- there should be a distance of 0.2 - 0.25 m between the pipes and the wall;
- interpipe spacing - 0.35 - 0.5 m;
- the pipe extending from the riser is laid along the window;
- The density of pipes increases near the outer walls and decreases towards the center of the room. For example, the distance between pipes at the door, windows and external walls is 0.15 m, in the rest of the area – 0.3 m;
- in any case, during installation, observe a step of 0.1 m;
- distance from contour to external wall should not be more than 0.15 m;
- The length of heating loops should be no more than 100 m.
Based on the prepared drawing you can calculate required quantity pipes Please note that to bring them to the collector you will need approximately another 2 m.
When choosing the hose diameter, consult with heating engineers.
Do not forget that coolants do not need to be placed under furniture. Think about this point in advance.
Materials used for installation
To install a warm water floor you will need:
- insulation material (expanded polystyrene boards, aluminum foil;
- pipe for water heating;
- damper tape;
- dense polyethylene and corrugated pipe;
- reinforcing mesh;
- cement - sand mortar or dry composition of “self-leveling floor”;
- beacons, fasteners, dowels, screws.
How to install a water-type concrete heated floor
Considering complex design With this system, it is important that the house has high ceilings, since installing a heated floor will reduce their height by at least 8.5 cm.
Layer-by-layer diagram of a water-based concrete heated floor from bottom to top:
- heat insulator;
- mesh for reinforcement;
- concrete with heating circuit;
- backing made of cardboard, polyethylene or;
- decorative cladding.
Device stages:
Preparation:
- The first thing to do is prepare the surface and level the base. Often in country house use cement- sand screed, checking horizontal level by lighthouses. You can use now common self-leveling mixtures for heated floors.
- After this, we carry out waterproofing work by laying strips of dense polyethylene or aluminum foil.
- We fasten with self-tapping screws around the perimeter of the premises 2 cm above the screed, which will lighten the load during linear deformation.
- We lay a layer of and on the waterproofing agent. For this we use, polystyrene foam boards, traffic jam. The thickness of the heat insulator depends on the power of the heating system. It is better to use special material for arranging heated floors.
- On top of the heat insulator we lay a reinforcing mounting mesh that secures the pipes with the coolant, and a reinforcing concrete screed.
Installation of heating circuit diagram in the floor
Pipes are attached to the mounting grid plastic clamps according to the chosen scheme. The ideal distance between fasteners is 0.3 - 0.4 m.
Installation of the collector and connection of heating circuits:
- The collector is mounted in a special niche above the floor in the center of the room on the wall. Typical dimensions of manifold cabinets are 0.6 x 0.4 x 0.12 m.
- We insert the supply pipe from the boiler and the return hose into the niche. We install shut-off valves. We connect the collector and plug its end. You can install a splitter by screwing in a drain valve at one end and an air vent at the other. This way you can turn off heating in unnecessary rooms.
- At the point where they exit the screed, we protect them with special corners or a corrugated tube. We cut the pipe, put on a collapsible fitting and connect it to the manifold with a union nut.
Balancing the collector
The heating circuits of a water floor often have different lengths. Therefore, the coolant must be selected with individual pressure. To do this, remove the protective caps on the manifold and adjust the operating pressure.
Testing heated floors
Before filling, check the system for leaks. This can be done using a compressor and compressed air.
If everything works properly, proceed to pouring the concrete screed. To do this, the water floor must remain under pressure.
Pouring concrete screed
We lay a concrete, cement-sand screed or self-leveling floor mixture on top of the system, and level it along the beacons using a long rule. Minimum thickness ties 5 cm.
When the mixture has hardened, before covering, check its tightness again.
Today, water-based heated floors are a very popular heating option for private homes. This design has, in addition to high efficiency many advantages, including the possibility of radically changing the interior by getting rid of classic radiators. Despite the many advantages, hydraulic system has one heated floor significant drawback– complexity of installation, which increases the estimated cost of water heating in a private house several times.
Make it cheaper this system heating (CO) is possible if all stages of creation are completed on your own. This publication will discuss issues related to preparatory work and creating a hydraulic heated floor with your own hands.
Preparing the base
Proper preparation of the surface for laying a heated floor coil provides half the success in implementing this type of heating system in a private home.
- If the base is a floor slab, then preparatory work include surface cleaning, leveling with cement-sand or specialized mixtures. If the surface of the base is wooden, then the algorithm of work is as follows: cleaning from dirt and debris, stuffing sheets of plywood or chipboard for leveling. If you plan to lay the coil on the ground, then preliminary operations are carried out: creating a layer of sand and crushed stone, compacting with a vibrating plate, leveling. In some cases, it is recommended to create a rough reinforced base.
- The fourth stage of preparing the base is reinforcement, which is necessary for attaching the pipeline and fixing the screed. The thickness of the screed for water heated floors varies depending on the design and materials. Optimal thickness“pies from 70 to 130 mm.
Construction and constituent elements systems
Let's consider the classic scheme of a water-heated floor with a connection to an autonomous heat generator. This design consists of:
Boiler unit.
Important! It should be understood that the temperature of the coolant in the central CO varies from 70 to 90°C. To avoid circuit failure, connect to central pipe heating directly is not recommended. Even if the piping material and fittings can withstand high temperature, think about moving comfortably on floors with temperatures above 60°C!
- The expansion tank is a closed type.
- Pressure gauge.
- A pump that circulates coolant in the circuit. This device can be included in the design of a boiler installation.
- Coil piping.
- Thermal conductivity more than 0.43 W/m 0 C;
- The expansion coefficient is not higher than 0.025 mm/m;
- Working pressure – 10 Bar;
- Operating temperature 95°C.
The second stage of preparing the base is waterproofing. Heating in the floor in a private house cannot be carried out without an appropriate waterproofing layer. The materials for its creation can be: mastics, bituminous materials, polyethylene film with a thickness of at least 100 microns.
Important! After laying the waterproofing along the entire perimeter of the room, a damper tape is attached, which compensates for the thermal expansion of the floor when heated.
The third stage is insulation. This event is intended to ensure that the heat from the coil does not go deep into the floor.
Advice: If you plan to organize this CO, only as an additional one, then it is enough to use a substrate under the heated water floor made of foamed polyethylene with a foil coating. If a warm floor is planned above a heated room, then 50 mm thick polystyrene foam sheets are used as insulation. If a water heated floor is created on the ground or above an unheated basement, then the insulation layer should be from 50 to 100 mm.
In addition, for self-creation water heated floor you will need: ball valves installed at the inlet of the heat generator; circulation pump(may be included in the design of the boiler unit); pipes and fittings for laying the route and connecting the coil to the collector, the number of which is calculated individually, based on the layout and design of the given CO.
The heated floor circuit can be connected from an autonomous heat generator (gas electric or solid fuel). If the house is provided with heating from a central heating supply, then if there is permitting documents, you can quite simply connect a heated floor from heating with your own hands. IN lately, quite popular sources of thermal energy are boilers indirect heating or instantaneous water heater.
The main conditions for using a particular heat source are sufficient performance, efficiency and safety. Required power boiler unit can be calculated according to the algorithm: for heating 10 m 2 of a brick private house with double plastic windows, 1 kW of heat generator power is required.
Advice: Not all houses are insulated according to European standards (heat loss no more than 40 W/m2). In addition, a lot depends on the region of residence. Based on this, for houses in northern regions and poorly insulated buildings, experts recommend increasing the design capacity heating installation by 20-30%.
Pipes
The materials for creating a water heated floor for heating a private house are: metal-plastic, reinforced polypropylene or cross-linked polyethylene. Recently, polyethylene pipes, which do not have high linear expansion values when heated, have good tightness and thermal conductivity, have earned recognition from experts. The diameter of the pipe should be between 16-20 mm. In addition, the pipe for the water floor must have the following characteristics:
You can calculate the required amount of pipe using the table below:
Pump
As already written above, today most modern heat generators are equipped with a circulation pump, and it is necessary to purchase it only if it is not included in the equipment.
The main condition for choosing this device is performance. You can choose the right circulation pump using the table below:
The manifold for heating and underfloor heating is a pipe with a number of outlets. This splitter is designed to connect several heating circuits (including underfloor heating) to the supply and return main line autonomous CO. This design uses two such devices: one for distributing hot coolant, the second for collecting cooled water from the kennel. The manifold also includes air vents, the necessary valves and taps designed to regulate the performance of this CO.
When choosing this device, you must decide on the number of outlets sufficient for all heating circuits. If you are willing to pay for full automation of the process of operating a heated floor as part of a heating system, then pay attention to models equipped with servo drives on valves and mixers. Do not neglect the collector box, the dimensions of which are selected in accordance with the dimensions of all equipment included in the collector group.
For a clearer understanding of the manifold assembly process, we recommend watching the video
The underfloor heating installation project involves installing a heating system yourself. The following types of underfloor heating can be installed independently: infrared, electric, water and film. Water-based types of heated floors are considered the cheapest and most practical. They consume the least resources, however, you will have to tinker with installation.
Design features and organizational aspects
A water heated floor is a system made of polypropylene, plastic, copper or metal-plastic pipes. The coolant is a liquid that moves along the contour of the pipeline. The temperature of the liquid, and therefore the house, is controlled by a thermostat - a heat-sensitive sensor that is installed at a distance of 80-120 cm above the floor. Note that the thermostat can be located in any of the heated rooms or outside.
Second distinctive feature water heating is its economy. However, this system also has reverse side – complex circuit installation: under a water heated floor, you need to properly prepare the screed, purchase a heat insulator, connect the pipes to the boiler and organize the safety of your home. In addition, the water floor requires connecting the control valves and the distribution manifold cabinet yourself. The cabinet contains supply and return pipelines connected to the manifold.
Installation methods
How to make a heated floor in a private house? There are two installation methods - floor-mounting and mounting on concrete surface. The first installation method is used exclusively for these types of flooring: laminate, linoleum and carpet. In the second way, a water floor is installed for such materials that are placed on a concrete screed.
Installation of heated floors in a private house
Installing a warm water floor on a concrete screed is the most popular way to install high-tech heating. This installation scheme has become very popular thanks to high performance water floor and economy.
Step by step instructions:
When laying the floor with your own hands, we recommend following the above sequence. We move on to the most difficult stage - drawing up a diagram of the pipe layout and their installation. There are several known methods of laying water pipes: single and double snake and spiral. It is recommended to use the snake pattern for square or rectangular rooms, and the second option is for rooms with irregular geometry.
The heating elements are attached to the reinforcing mesh with clamps at intervals of 0.5 meters. In places potentially high pressure and tension the pipeline is strengthened corrugated pipes. The length of pipes when laying external walls should not exceed 85–95 meters, otherwise the heating system will lose too much heat as a result of pressure drop at the end of the circuit. On average, per 1 m² there are 5 linear meters pipes, provided that a step of 200 mm is observed.
Do-it-yourself water heated floor installation
Pressure testing is the final stage at which the pipeline is checked for integrity. The recommended pressure during crimping is 0.3–0.4 MPa. It is better to pour the concrete screed after checking the pipeline. The layer thickness should not exceed 45–75 mm. Experts advise using sand concrete M300, or a special material for heated floors.
The floor covering is laid only after the screed has completely hardened. If the temperature is maintained and the room is regularly ventilated, the screed will dry in about 20 days. You can lay ceramic tiles, linoleum, laminate or carpet on a warm floor, built with your own hands.
Installation of polystyrene heating system
All are sold complete with polystyrene plates necessary materials for installation. The assembly diagram is quite simple: the polystyrene plate has special plates with grooves into which pipes for the water floor can easily be snapped into place. After clicking, the floor can be covered with any covering that does not require a special base, for example, a concrete screed.
If you can’t imagine the interior without ceramic tiles or linoleum, then in this case we recommend that you install it above polystyrene slabs GVL layer (gypsum fiber sheet 10–15 mm thick). Gypsum fiber is a very strong and lightweight material, so you can safely lay tiles on it yourself without fear of damaging the heating system.
The modular scheme involves the use of ready-made particle boards with special channels for the pipeline. Heating pipes are installed in grooves. Then a thermal insulation layer is laid. The entire structure is covered from above with GVL slabs. Suitable type of flooring - for example, linoleum;
Video: Warm floor on a wooden base
Unlike electric heated floors using liquid coolant, it requires more complex calculations for integration into the heating system. The service life and efficiency of the system directly depend on the correct choice of materials, fittings, installation and heating operation scheme.
Selection of pipes for floor heating
Contrary to popular belief, the choice of pipes for installing a heat exchanger in the floor is not so wide. There are two options: cross-linked polyethylene and copper. The most obvious advantages special materials- durability, resistance to deformation, low coefficient of linear expansion. But the main advantage is the oxygen barrier, which ultimately prevents the formation of sediment on inner surface pipes
The purpose of using copper is the high thermal conductivity of the tubes and resistance to corrosion. An obvious disadvantage is the complexity of installation and the high risk of failure if there are solid particles (sand) in the coolant. Despite the fact that for soldering you only need an inexpensive gas lamp and flux, bend the coil correctly - difficult task. This is despite the fact that there can be several dozen turns of the copper tube and one mistake, resulting in a break, leads to the failure of the entire segment or the need for additional soldering.
Polymer (polyethylene) tubes have a higher coefficient of thermal expansion; in addition, they lose strength properties when heated above operating temperatures, however warm floors In principle, the coolant does not heat up above 40 °C. Ease of installation is an obvious plus. It bends easily and is laid in a spiral or coil. The pipe is supplied in coils of 200 m, allowing you to lay warm floors without a single connection throughout the entire volume of the future screed. Most branded polyethylene tubes implies the use special tool for crimping and welding.
Providing circulation
Water heating systems with underfloor heating do not work on the gravitational principle and always remain energy dependent. Because of this, overheating occurs: failures in the circulation and recirculation system can reach 70-80ºС, so the savings on the use of polymer tubes should be at least partially spent on improving automation and auxiliary mechanisms.
The coolant flow rate in the tubes is strictly regulated by the manufacturer; this task should be assigned to general circulation systems means increasing the risk of operational failures. A device must be installed in front of the collector unit forced circulation, then each of the circuits is adjusted to adjust the required flow rate. This determines maximum length loops of each circuit and the temperature difference at its beginning and end.
To pump water through the system, circulation pumps designed for radiator heating systems are used. The diameter of the pipes is determined by the required throughput of the pipe through which the pump is connected to the collector. The lifting height (or discharge pressure) is determined by the total hydrodynamic resistance of the pipes, declared by their manufacturer for different loop configurations and bending radii. Each connection requires an increase in lifting height. Speed adjustment for underfloor heating pumps is not required, however, with accelerated circulation, more intensive pumping of the system is possible to quickly reach the operating mode.
Collector unit
When using more than one branch for floor heating, the presence of a collector unit (comb) is strictly necessary. Independent soldering of the collector, even for two loops, will not give the required result; it is almost impossible to balance the lines in the absence of uniform distribution and valve regulators.
The collector is selected both by the number of branches and by the total bandwidth. Essentially, this is a multi-channel flow regulator. The most preferred housing materials are stainless steel and high quality brass. For heated floors, two types of collectors can be used. If the difference in the length of the circuits is less than 20-30 meters, ordinary brass valves with ball valves are suitable. If there is a greater variation in hydrodynamic resistance, a specialized manifold with flow regulators at each outlet is needed.
Please note that it is not necessary to buy a dual (flow + return) manifold. Can be installed quality mixer with flow meters for the supply line, and for the return line - a cheaper one with valve (not ball) valves. Separately, it is worth paying attention to what type of pipes the collector unit is designed for. Most cheap products involve the connection of MP pipes, which are poorly suited for heated floors and therefore are used less and less. For polyethylene circuits, it is better to invest in reliable and proven REHAU manifolds, for systems with copper tubes - Valtec and APE. Accession copper tubes It is recommended to connect to the manifold through a flare and/or threaded fitting; direct soldering is not recommended due to the low maintainability of such connections.
Temperature preparation unit
The branch comb itself is not the entire collector. The assembled mixing unit is equipped with special fittings that ensure adjustment of the water temperature before entering the system. Both hot and cold water can be mixed, which fundamentally determines the specifics of the operation of the two types of mixing.
A simple scheme for turning on a heated floor. 1 - three-way valve; 2 - circulation pump; 3 - ball valve with thermometer; 4 — distribution manifold with flow meters; 5 — return manifold with control valves; 6 - heated floor contour. Temperature adjustment in the circuit is carried out manually and strongly depends on the temperature of the coolant at the inlet.
The first type uses a closed circulation cycle, mixing hot water three-way valve as needed. The disadvantage of the system is that if the automation malfunctions or the use of solid fuel boilers, a large amount of hot water, which negatively affects polymers, as well as the flooring and microclimate in the room. Therefore, hot water pumping is practiced mainly in systems with copper tubes.
Ready-made mixing unit for heated floors. Temperature adjustment and the degree of mixing of the coolant is performed fully automatically
For polyethylene circuits, more expensive collectors that mix cold water from the return to reduce the incoming temperature. The complexity of such mixing units due to the presence of an additional recirculation pump. Adjustment can be made either by an adjustable two-way valve or by an electronic thermostat that controls the speed of the pump motor. The latter is an example of the struggle for accuracy and reduction of system inertia, which, by the way, is very successful. However, such systems are energy dependent.
Whether to take the collector assembled is a controversial issue. Of course, having a warranty is an obvious plus, but it is not always possible to find a model with the required wiring and number of outlets; in such cases, you will have to assemble the device yourself.
Insulation and accumulating layer
The pie of a water heated floor is as follows: polymer foam insulation, heating tubes and heat-accumulating screed in order from bottom to top. The thickness and materials used of the base layers must be selected in accordance with the operating parameters of the system.
The insulation is selected taking into account the planned heating temperature, or more precisely, the temperature difference between the warm and subfloor. They mainly use EPPS or PPU boards with joining edges. This material is practically incompressible under distributed load, and its heat transfer resistance is one of the highest. The approximate thickness of the polymer insulation is 35 mm for a temperature difference of 30 ºС and then 3 mm for every 5 ºС.
Methods for installing heated floors in a private home. Three options for attaching and distributing pipes are proposed: A - Using special mounting mats for heated floors. B - Installation on a reinforcing mesh in 10cm increments using plastic ties. C - Laying pipes in prepared gutters in insulation using reflective screens. Design of heated floor: 1 — concrete base subfloor; 2 - insulation; 3 - damper tape; 4 — concrete screed; 5 - floor covering; 6 - reinforcing mesh.
In addition to protecting the tubes from damage, the screed regulates the inertia of the heating system and smoothes out the temperature difference between the floor areas directly above the tubes and between them. If the boiler operates in cyclic mode, the heated concrete will give off heat even if there is temporarily no hot water supply. In case of accidental overheating, the heat-intensive screed will ensure the removal of temperature, eliminating damage to the pipes. The average thickness of the screed is 1/10-1/15 of the distance between adjacent tubes. By increasing the thickness, you can get rid of the thermal zebra effect when pipes are laid infrequently. Naturally, the consumption of materials, as well as the inertia and time it takes for the system to reach the operating mode will increase.
When installing heated floors on the ground, it is necessary to pour a 15-20 cm incompressible layer of ASG. For additional thermal insulation, crushed stone can be replaced with expanded clay. For insulated frame floors heated floors can be laid directly on top of the waterproofing material that covers the subfloor to prevent laitance from escaping from the screed. In the best case, a thermal cutoff layer of 20-25 mm is installed under the tubes made of PPU or EPS. Even such a thin layer is enough to eliminate the cold bridges presented by load-bearing structure floor, and also distribute the load from the screed.
Installation nuances
Installation of a water heated floor should take place according to a pre-designed scheme. The collector requires a place equipped for installation; this can be either a boiler room or a compartment hidden in the wall. The rationality of installing intermediate collectors depends on whether savings are ensured compared to laying pipes from a central distribution center, and also whether such an increase in the length of the largest loop is permissible. It is recommended to supply pipes to heating zones in rooms that do not require targeted floor heating: storerooms, corridors and the like.
Heated floor tubes should only be attached to a special installation system. Perforated tape or mesh provides precise adjustment of the installation pitch, reliable fixation while the mixture hardens and the gaps necessary for temperature control.
The installation system is fixed to the floor through the insulation without significant pressure. You need to fasten it into the holes formed after bending the petals to crimp the tubes. Thus, the attachment points are located closest to heating elements, which eliminates their floating, displacement or lifting of the entire system when pouring the concrete mixture.