DIY film floor heating installation: video

One of the most economical and at the same time effective options for space heating in our time is a film underfloor heating. In the conditions of constant rise in price of heat carriers, as well as electric energy, the use of heating elements having a small power is a completely justified solution.

The benefits of underfloor heating

The main advantages of such a warm floor are:

1. Environmental Safety. Thermal radiation with a wavelength of 5-20 microns, which is emitted by elements of this gender, is absolutely harmless to people, animals and plants.
2. Reduced energy costs due to more efficient space heating and low power consumption.
3. How to stack? Do-it-yourself installation of a film underfloor heating is quite realistic, just follow our installation instructions. There is no need to involve specialists for this.
4. The use of infrared rays to heat the room does not lead to a decrease in air humidity, which positively affects the health and well-being of people.
5. Due to the small thickness of the film, it can be mounted under the facing materials of walls and ceilings, which makes it possible to more effectively heat the rooms.
6. Unlike other options, when laying a film coating, the film can be dismantled and re-laid, for example, when moving. Of course, its dismantling is possible only in the case of the use of such floor coverings as linoleum, laminate or carpet.
7. The heating film has a long service life - up to 30 years or more.

Design

For the installation of a film underfloor heating, it is necessary to use the following elements:

• Substrate.

• The film, which consists of a polyester base. As a heating element, strips of carbon paste are used, interconnected by copper jumpers. Before starting work, make sure that you can cut the canvas to your size.

• A temperature sensor is used to determine the surface temperature of the floor.

• The operation of the entire heating system is controlled by a thermostat.

• For connecting electric wires to the heating elements of the underfloor heating, its terminals include contact terminals.

Important! Do not use tin rations! Manufacturers prohibit soldering any section of the wire to the tape structure of the floor. When soldering is performed, the conductive bus is heated excessively, which can disrupt contact in the heating system and lead to its failure. The manufacturer insists on the use of crimp connectors.

• Insulation of electrical connections is carried out using bitumen insulators (see installation instructions).

The principle of operation of this design is extremely simple. When voltage is applied to the terminals of the thermofilm, an electric current begins to flow through the carbon elements, which causes the appearance of infrared radiation. The connection diagram of the film warm floor is also very simple: strips of carbon film are laid on the base, connected by wires and you can lay the final floor covering. But more on that later.

Technical characteristics of the heating film

The main technical characteristics of film heat-insulated floors on the market include:

1. The power consumed by the running meter of the film. Currently, for most of its models, this figure lies in the range of 45-67 watts.
2. Melting point (130 C). It is worth noting that during operation, the film surface heats up to a temperature not exceeding 55 C.
3. The percentage of infrared radiation in the total frequency spectrum should be at least 95%.
4. The length and width of one strip of thermal film (as a rule - 8 X 0.5 m).
5. The film thickness is 0.4 mm. This makes it possible to lay a warm floor under any floor covering - laminate, parquet, ceramic tiles, as well as linoleum or carpet. The main thing is to strictly follow the installation instructions and film underfloor heating for many years will delight you with comfort and warmth.

Installation procedure

Do-it-yourself installation of a film underfloor heating is carried out in the following order:

• Drawing up a plan for the placement of furniture and household appliances. This takes into account the area of ​​the room and the total power of the entire heating system.
• Marking the area of ​​the room in which it is planned to install heating elements.
• Laying a heat-insulating substrate, which prevents the expenditure of heat on the heating of interfloor ceilings or concrete floors. As the substrate, foamed polypropylene is used, one side of which is covered with reflective material. Laying the substrate should only be done on a flat, dry and clean subfloor surface.
• In strict accordance with a pre-compiled plan, the installation of a warm film floor is carried out. Its strips are cut to the required size and stacked without overlaps; heat-resistant tape is used to fasten the strips together. Laying a warm floor closer than 10 cm to the walls is not allowed.

• Installation of a temperature regulator. The height of installation of this device is determined for reasons of ease of use, as well as the overall design of the room. The wires connecting the thermostat to the heating elements, as well as to the electrical network of the apartment, are laid in pre-prepared strobes. The installed thermosensor must be equipped with corrugation, and be able to easily replace if necessary. How to connect the controller to the network and where to connect the temperature sensor and cables from the heated floor is indicated in the installation instructions for the device.
• Connecting a warm floor to electricity. To do this, use wires with a cross section of at least 1.5 mm²which are clamped with pliers in the terminals of the contacts. The underfloor heating through the temperature sensor is connected to the thermostat according to the above diagram. The installation of a temperature sensor is performed between the heating film and the heat-insulating substrate not far from the location of the thermostat. All connecting wires are recessed into pre-cut grooves in the substrate.

• Health Check.
• Laying a protective polyethylene film layer on top of an infrared film.
• It is possible to mount a floor covering.

Attention! Before laying a warm floor, you should carefully plan the decor of the room. Its laying on the areas that will be occupied by furniture will lead to overheating of carbon elements and their failure.

Wiring diagram

It should be noted that the connection of all elements of the warm floor is carried out in parallel. This is extremely important to ensure the reliable operation of the heating system as a whole, since if one of its elements fails, the rest will continue to work.

Attention! You can cut the film only in places specially designed for this. On each roll they are indicated by a dashed line. Otherwise, the integrity of the electrical circuit may be affected.

Laying film for various types of flooring

The film underfloor heating under the laminate should be laid on a perfectly flat surface according to the installation instructions. The maximum permissible value of the floor level difference cannot exceed 1 mm per 2 linear meters.

Important! Film underfloor heating under linoleum or carpet is laid using a plywood or fiberboard substrate between the infrared film and the floor covering.

Installation of underfloor heating under ceramic tiles is carried out directly under the concrete screed.

To ensure normal heating of the premises, the area of ​​the warm floor should occupy at least 70% of the total area of ​​the room. When using a heat-insulated floor as an additional heating system, its area can occupy 30% of the room.

The disadvantages of film underfloor heating

The disadvantages of such space heating systems include:

1. The difficulty of repairing thermal elements in case of failure. Repair is especially complicated if it is laid under ceramic tiles.
2. The possibility of rearrangement of furniture and household appliances when changing the interior of the premises is significantly narrowing.

Thus, the infrared film can be called one of the most successful design options for underfloor heating. With a relatively low power, it combines high efficiency, reliability, as well as ease of installation and operation.

Video instruction

Detailed instructions for installing a DIY film underfloor heating, video: