Electric underfloor heating. Device and Selection

Electric floor heating can be used not only as the main heating system, but also as an additional source of heat. This type of space heating has its advantages and disadvantages. Consider the features of how to choose an electric warm floor.

Benefits

1. Warm floors allow comfortable distributed temperatureon the height of the entire room. It does not matter whether the main system or the additional one is selected. So, the basic scheme makes it possible in any room where such heating is used to automatically maintain the necessary temperature with high accuracy. If an additional circuit is used, the same characteristics will have local heating areas.
2. Unlike water heating, the warm floors of electric Devi and coatings from other manufacturers, have a lesser inertia, i.e. After switching on the heating, the room temperature will reach the mark established on the controls much more quickly.
3. If you use an additional scheme of electric underfloor heating, then you can lay the floor covering over the old one. For example, it is possible to mount it in rooms where the coating is made using ceramic granite or ceramic tiles, for example, in bathrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. In this case, heating mats are usually used.
4. If you need to repair electrical heating, you do not need to open the whole floor. Using special equipment, it is possible without any special difficulties to determine in which place there is damage to the heat cable. To restore it, you need to open only a small section of the floor. You can repair the cable by using special couplings. If you touch a damaged electrical cable or parts that conduct electricity, the protective device will almost immediately turn off the voltage.
5. The merits can also be attributed to the fact that these floors can last long enough. Some manufacturers call the service life of their products to 50 years. At the same time, in the production of coatings only environmentally friendly materials are used.

Disadvantages of

1. The main disadvantage of this type of heating is that it consumes a lot of electricity, especially if the floor is used indoors as the main heating system. Because of this same reason, restrictions are imposed on the use of such coatings in houses that are more than ten years old. Here you can use such systems only as additional heating. This is due to the fact that in old houses electricity is calculated according to outdated standards. Also, in this case, the power cable may be overloaded. Generally, before using electric floor heating even in houses built using modern technology, it is necessary to make sure that the wiring placed in the apartment can transfer the load that this heating will provide. The permissible load parameters can be found in a special table. If the existing wiring does not meet the established standards, it will be necessary to connect the system using another electrical line and a separate automatic device.
2. Some varieties of such heating unevenly distribute the temperature field in the room. And if the flooring used parquet and laminate, then because of this, it can deform with time. To prevent this from happening, strict adherence to the technology of installation and installation of the floor is necessary. It is especially important to observe the depth and pitch of the heat cables.
3. Due to the fact that such heating has an increased power consumption, it requires considerable operation costs. For example, the cost of electric floor heating, the area of ​​which is 10 to 15 square meters for two years of use can be more than the cost of the equipment itself.
4. Some experts believe that such heating systems have a harmful electromagnetic effect on the human body. True, there is no unequivocal opinion on this score. Today there are quite a few people who disagree with this statement. They are convinced that the warm floors of the electric heat lagoon and coatings from other manufacturers are environmentally friendly and meet all the established requirements. Moreover, according to some studies, indications of induction and tension in rooms equipped with warm floors, as a rule, do not exceed background values.

How to choose the type of floor covering

1. Before choosing all that is necessary for electric underfloor heating, it is important to determine the type of coverage. It must meet the requirements of wear resistance, strength and aesthetics.
2. It is recommended to use such materials as linoleum, laminate, parquet or board, as well as ceramic tiles or porcelain stoneware in the construction of warm floors. Thus, ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles are able to conduct heat well. And they have a small specific index of thermal expansion. Therefore, these materials are considered to be the best.
3. When choosing a linoleum as a floor covering, it is worth taking one that does not have thermal insulation.
4. When using a parquet for the floor, its wood should be properly dried. Otherwise, it can deform during operation.
5. When choosing a floor covering, it is also necessary to take into account that the quality of the varnish and glue is high enough. This will avoid the appearance of harmful vapors during heating.
6. Even before purchase it is necessary to find out in what temperature range it is possible to exploit varnish coatings or glue joints. Such information can be indicated on the package. If it does not exist, then ask the seller where the electric floor was bought.
7. The main criterion by which to choose a floor covering is the presence of a special marking indicating the possibility of using it at a temperature that is working for the heating system.
8. For a covering of an electric floor it is not necessary to choose a stopper and thick carpets. The fact is that the cork is known for its low thermal conductivity and is also afraid of high temperatures. As for carpets, in this case they will play the function of thermal insulation.

How to choose the

cable

It is the heat cable that is considered the most important element in a similar heating system. This should be clear from the device of a warm electric floor. After all, thanks to the cable, electricity is converted into heat energy. Such a cable looks very much like a normal conductor. It usually has a shielding. In addition, like a conventional wire, the heating cable can contain one or two wires.

Than such a cable differs from conventional wire, so it is the electrical resistance of the heating wire. It is in him the main vein, as a rule, is made of nichrome, and this material, as is known, has a rather high resistance. Thanks to nichrome, this cable plays the role of a heating element. In ordinary wires, this vein is made, on the contrary, from materials with the least resistance.

Generally, this cable is usually selected by the power factor. It is a mistake to think that the larger the line power, the more efficient the system will be. The fact is that when laying near the surface, air cavities can form which do not allow heat to escape, which sometimes leads to overheating of the cable material, and this can already cause its failure. In addition, as the specific power of the cable increases, the length that falls on a certain area decreases. There may be a situation where an increase in the distance between individual filaments leads to uneven heating. The distance between adjacent threads of cables from different manufacturers is different. It usually varies from 50 to 120 millimeters. If it is less, this can lead to the problem of cable overexpenditure, as well as the risk of thread converging to an unacceptable value.

Heating cables with two conductors are recommended for heating the children's room, living room or bedroom. Single-core cables are best used as heating bath and toilet.

Cables with a single core and two cores differ between each other with mounting and construction. So, when installing the first - copper wiring, which connect the cable to the mains, usually connect from both sides. In the event that a two-wire cable is mounted, these wires are usually connected only on one side, and on the other hand the heating and auxiliary wires must be soldered and isolated.

Two-wire cable has several advantages over single-core:

1. So, it is not necessary to connect both ends to a device that maintains temperature. Due to this it is much easier to choose the route of cable laying.
2. In addition, it is believed that the level of electromagnetic radiation is lower than that of single-core.

The cables that were described above are also called resistive. But these are not the only existing types of cables. There are also self-regulating heating. They differ from resistive, both appearance and principle of operation. In such a cable there is no heating conductor. Instead, there are two cores that are conductors. At the same time, a matrix of polymer materials is considered a heating element. It is thanks to her that these cables are self-regulating. This is achieved through the semiconductor properties of the matrix. When the temperature of this heating element rises, its conductivity decreases, which in turn leads to a decrease in the amount of current flowing through it. As a result, the heat output is reduced. In the case of a decrease in temperature, the value of the thermal power is increased, on the contrary.

Self-regulation allows such cables not to be afraid of local overheating, which suffer from resistive. Therefore, when laying the cable, you will not need to consider where the furniture is in the room. Their main disadvantage is the relatively high price. Therefore, they are not widely used.

In addition to the two types of cable, there are still heating mats on the market of construction materials, based on thin cables of low power. In mat, they usually fit in the form of a snake and are attached to a grid of polymer material. Mats vary in power. Depending on this, they can have a width of 400, 500 or 800 millimeters. At the same time, their length can be from 0.5 to 25 meters.

Advantages of mats:

1. Heating mats are much easier to install than cables.
2. High heating capacity.

Disadvantages:

1. If the floor has an unusual geometry, then in this case these heating elements are not suitable.
2. Their cost is usually higher than the cost of an electrical floor based on the cable.

Both heating cables and mats are now available in two types: in the form of a ready-made assembly kit and as a separate product.

This mounting kit usually includes:

1. Cable or mat.
2. Thermostat with temperature sensor.
3. Corrugated tube( needed for installing a temperature sensor in the floor).
4. Installation and operating instructions.

How to choose the thermostat

The thermostat is one of the most important components in the Rehau underfloor heating systems. Electric floors of other brands are also available. These devices can be either programmable or unprogrammed. They are superimposed and built into the sub-socket or mounted in the electrical cabinet on the metal profile.

For heating the bathroom, toilet, hallways, it is common to use simple electric heating systems in which non-programmable thermostats are installed. In such devices, the temperature is regulated by using a multi-position switch or using a resistor. In the first case, the switching takes place stepwise, and in the second smoothly.

With regard to programmable thermostats, they provide more control over the heating system. So, they allow not only to set the temperature, but also give the opportunity to program the parameters of the work, which will only operate for a certain period of time. For example, it is possible to set the parameters for turning the system on and off under certain conditions, it is possible to set different temperature ranges for different times of the day, i.e.the device is allowed to set different programs of work. However, these programs can be changed manually. Obviously, such thermostats are more expensive than non-programmable ones.

If you need to install a thermostat in the electrical cabinet, then there are devices that are mounted on special profiles, also called DIN-rails.

Such profiles are intended not only for mounting the thermostat, but also for other appliances and electrical equipment. The metal profile is usually made of galvanized steel with a thickness of 0.9 millimeters. Its length is usually 70-1000 millimeters. Through the entire length of every 15 millimeters there are holes. DIN-racks must necessarily comply with the Gosstandart.

Sometimes the power of the thermostat is not enough. In this case it is necessary to purchase a magnetic starter, which will operate under the control of a thermostat. Instead, you can set the hotel thermostat for each section.

How to choose the thermal insulation

Any system of the warm floor must be insulated. It is necessary that the power of the heating system is not spent on heating the floor or ground. As a heat insulator, various materials can be used, but it is best to choose the extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 20-30 millimeters and a density of 30 kilograms per m3.If it is planned to heat the basement in such a way, then the thickness of thermal insulation is necessary in 1,5-2 times more.

It is often used a heat insulator that has a reflective foil layer. The fact is that there is an opinion that the foil not only reflects heat, but also helps more efficiently redistribute heat from the cable over the floor surface. But this is not the opinion of all specialists. There are people who are against using this thermal insulation, because they believe that the foil can completely break down in three, at most five years, when it will be exposed to the alkaline solution of the cement solution. This problem is especially important in a room with high humidity. In addition, for proper operation of such a heat insulator, an air cushion must be present between the foil and the heating element, and it is almost impossible to do this in a coating with electric heating.

Warm Electric Floors:

Features

It is important to be able to properly choose warm electric floors. Prices in this case are not as important as the features of a particular apartment or house. If the choice is made correctly, the system will produce heat, which is enough to heat the entire area of ​​the room. In addition, it will be easy to install and energy-efficient.

Today on the market there are several types and brands of electric warm floors. Caleo is one of them. Each of the types of warm floors has its own configuration and a wide range of power.

There are such kinds of electric floor coverings:

1. Cable.
2. Cable on the ground.
3. Film infrared.

Let's look at each of these options a bit more.

Cable floor

In this type of floor, the main heating element is a cable that converts electrical energy into heat. This system is the most complex and time consuming to install. The fact is that when you install it you need to lay the cable with a certain pitch. And in the end of work it will be necessary to fill the screed layer.

Advantages of

1. The heating cable can be used for installation in rooms that are characterized by a complex perimeter.
2. In addition, it can be used to heat some exterior elements of a private house, for example, tin, roof and sink.

Disadvantages of

1. The thickness of this layer is usually about 50 millimeters, because of which the height of the room is noticeably reduced. This is the principal moment when laying the cable floor in multi-apartment buildings.
2. This type of underfloor makes it impossible to install it under plumbing and furniture.

Cable floor on the basis of

This floor type is of a small thickness and externally is a screen mat, with a heating cable fixed to it at a thickness of about 2.8 millimeters. Compared to cable flooring, this kind of floor covering is much easier to install due to the fact that the heating wire is laid and fixed on the base. Thus, for installation, you only need to lay out and fix the mats.

Due to the fact that the thickness of the adhesive is quite large, this type of floor is most suitable for installation under the tile. Then the mats will be directly in the thickness of the layer. If this type of warm floor is installed under the carpet, laminate or linoleum, you will also need to fill the screed, but it will not be as thick as in the case of a cable floor - it is usually about 30 millimeters. It is important that the cable floor on the base does not fit in the areas where it is planned to supply plumbing or furniture in the future, since it is possible to deform them when heated.

Infrared film

The so-called warm floor is based on a two-layer infrared film with carbon heating elements. The film usually has a thickness of about 0.5 millimeters, which is sufficient to ensure that the height of the room does not change noticeably. This coating is considered to be the most energy-efficient version of underfloor heating systems. Its use can save about 60% of electricity. In addition, the installation of such a system is the simplest of all existing options. To do this, you just need to spread the film on the bottom of the floor. Filling the screed is not necessary. Warm hollow floors based on infrared film, thanks to "dry installation" can be installed on any surface, including vertical, horizontal and inclined.

To make a high-quality electrical floor with minimal financial and labor costs, it is necessary to select a coating that strictly meets the requirements for the technical characteristics of your home. It is also important that the installation is not difficult to perform on its own.