Underfloor heating with own hands

Building your own home is always associated with solving a huge range of problems, and one of the most important is always the providing the with a comfortable microclimate in all living quarters. In the conditions of severe winters typical for most of Russia, the organization of an effective heating system becomes the main task.

Most owners of private housing prefer the usual schemes of water heating, open or closed type , with the installation of radiators in the rooms in the right amount. This scheme is time-tested and has long been proven effective. However, 's serious inherent disadvantages are uneven warming up of the premises, creating not always pleasant horizontal convection flows. It does not matter, in a private house it is much easier to eliminate such disadvantages than in a city apartment - nothing prevents the landlord from making the heating of the floor water with his own hands.

If in a multi-storey building such a modernization of a heating system is not always possible for a number of administrative or purely technological reasons, then in an individual housing situation, when there is a own boiler and there are no significant restrictions onheight of the premises, this seems quite feasible task. Of course, it's quite simple its to call not it will turn out - it is necessary for to make a lot of calculations, to get high-quality material and equipment, to perform a significant volume of construction and installation works.

Principal structure of the floor heating

At its core, the water " warm floor" - is a pipe system, placed under the surface of the floor covering, through which the coolant circulates from the general heating circuit.

Schematically general "pie" of floor heating water is as follows:

• Basis for installing warm water floor is usually a leveling concrete screed( pos.1).It may already have its own insulation ( for example, expanded clay) or be without it.
• In order to prevent the from consuming heat energy from heating up the floor or floor covering, , an effective thermal insulation layer( pos.2) is required. This level does not fit only if the thermal insulation is provided by the design of the leveling screed.
• Another one layer thermal insulator - foil substrate( item 3), will increase the heating efficiency by reflecting the heat flow from the t t rub, sending it to warm up the upper layers floor. In some cases, when using special insulating mats for the warm floor do without it.
• Heating of the warm floor array is necessarily accompanied by its rather significant temperature expansion. To prevent deformation around the perimeter of the premises use a special damper tape( pos.4), which will serve as a compensator.
• Basic element t t of the warm floor - the piping system for which the coolant circulates( key 5).During the laying of pipes they are fixed to the thermal insulation substrate with special clips( item 6) and whether the is fixed by other methods, which will be discussed below.
• Most often, px cm of pipelines is poured concrete screed( item 7).It not only becomes a reliable base for laying the finish coat( item 8).The screed will act as a powerful heat accumulator, promote uniform heating of the entire floor surface, therefore there are certain requirements for its thickness.

The defined changes can be made to the presented scheme. For example, in some cases, with the use of special components, you can do without filling the top screed by using the so-called modular construction of the warm floor with profile thermo reflective metal plates .

However, it is not enough to just lay pipes - it is necessary to ensure a stable circulation of the coolant over them for uniform heat release. Therefore, the most important node warm floor is the collector system, thanks to which the creates the required liquid head and maintenance of the required its temperature. Usually for these purposes, special collector cabinets of a certain complexity and saturation level are installed by automation.

system. Now, after a brief introduction to the general device of the system for the warm floor, it makes sense to review all the of its elements in more detail.

What materials will be required for the water warm

floor. Leave the "lower leveling screed" device behind the bracket - this is rather related to the general construction works. The main condition - that it ensures the flatness and horizontality of the surface, had an appropriate waterproofing. The concrete surface should not have any significant flaws( cracks, cracks, potholes, instability areas and , , )

In addition, we proceed from the assumption that the starting screed does not have significant thermal insulation. Hence, first of all will have to deal with with its thermal insulation. For these purposes, custom-made mats for the warm floor are usually used.

Heat-insulating mats for warm floor

Mats for warm floor can be executed in several versions.

• In some cases, for example, when installing water heating on the second floor of the house, provided that the premises of the first floor are heated and the requirements of the general thermal insulation of the building are satisfied, matt foams made of foamed polyethylene with foil coating may suffice.

Their thickness is insignificant - about 3 - 5 mm, nevertheless they can effectively isolate the overlap and redirect the heat flow upwards. They are stacked with butt-ends, metallized surface upwards, with mandatory sizing at the seams, best of all - foil tape.

• More reliable in questions of protection from heat loss are plates from extruded polystyrene foam. This material has a high density( about 40 kg / m³) and will easily cope with with the load applied to it - the weight of the coolant pipes, screeds, finish, furniture and dynamic effects during operation .

As a rule, such slabs have system of groove-groove locks, which greatly simplifies their laying. The thickness can be different, from 20 to 100 mm - there is always the opportunity to choose the right one, depending on the degree of insulation of the floor base. Usually for floors on the ground or over unheated basements ( basement rooms ) a material of 50 to 100 mm thickness is used. If the heated room is located below, you can limit the thickness to 30 mm.

It is recommended to lay a layer of the thinnest foil substrate on top of the laid boards.

• More ready-made mats made of the same extruded polystyrene( EPS), designed specifically for warm floors, are more convenient to use. They can be executed in the form of rolls like "tractor track " or "accordion".

Very often foil thermosetting layer applied to them immediately. Another one significant convenience - many of these mats are marked with marking lines - this will greatly simplify the process of laying out the water circuit.

• The most modern and convenient approach will be the use of profile mats that are designed with given the need for fixing the pipes of the water circuit. They have relief protrusions( so-called "boss" ) located in defined order. The shape of these bosses can be different, but they are always arranged so that pipes of the required diameter are fixed between them reliably .

The material for making such mats is the same EPS, but they usually have a protective polymer coating that becomes even and an additional waterproof barrier. Similar mats have an locking system for interfacing, which ensures the monolithic nature of the laid layer. Another one advantage - when pouring over the finish screed on top of them will not need additional reinforcement - this role will be taken by the surface relief of the mats.

Which pipes will be optimal for warm floor

Choosing quality pipes is the key to efficient and safe operation of the floor heating system. With , taking into account, the contours in most cases in are scrapped in the screed and access to them, repair or replacement of the damaged site become impossible, the material should be fully suitable for such a function and be of exceptionally high quality.

Pipes for circuits warm floor must comply with a number of mandatory requirements:

• They must have an reliable safety margin , both for the baric internal load, and for external force applications. Optimum is considered the choice of pipes, designed for pressure not lower than 8 bar.
• Absolutely eliminates the use of seam pipes. In addition, the screed closed by the screed must be unified - there should not be any welding or threaded connections in the it ( with the rare exception of the which will be mentioned below) - it is always a "weak spot", in the which is not excluded with timethe emergence of leaks or the formation of clogs.
• High anti-corrosion properties are a must. The material must be chemically inert. Vulnerable - oxygen diffusion of the material, that is, the penetration of this gas through the walls of the pipe, which leads to the activation of oxidative processes. The best choice is a pipe with a well thought out oxygen barrier.
• The inner surface of the pipes should be as smooth as possible so that there is no excessive hydraulic resistance and no noise from the fluid flowing along the contour.

Which of the modern materials can be suitable for laying the heating circuit:

• First of all, immediately it is necessary to abandon the usual metal HCV-pipes, even if they are made of stainless steel - about the inadmissibility of joints already mentioned.
• Not suitable for warm floors and polypropylene pipes. This material, of course, is good and inexpensive, but does not possess the required flexibility. To bend it in accordance with the planned layout of the stacking does not work, hence, the will have to use the additional elements. And is the welded joints of , the inadmissibility of which has already been mentioned. In the network, you can find photos of such circuits with assurances of their utter reliability , but it is not necessary to repeat such adventurism.

• All are good for this purpose copper pipes - they are plastic, have excellent heat dissipation, provides reliable roller or soldered connections. However, for all these advantages of the , the will have to pay a very high price, so this type of material was not widely available.

• Metal-plastic pipes seem to have been specially created for a floor heating system - they are flexible and hold a given bend well, have high heat dissipation, are easy to install. However, do not rush to immediately rush into the store to purchase them. The fact is that not every metal plate will go for these purposes. That inexpensive option, which is very popular for creating external water or heating networks, in the thickness of the floor can play a cruel joke. If you want, you can find pictures with a torn body of the pipe - and this is for a walled out contour - a catastrophe. The main problem is that the market is oversaturated with inexpensive and by far not the best quality product. The aluminum layer in such pipes does not have reliable protection against oxygen exposure, over time from corrosion processes becomes brittle, and can , do not cope with the pressure of the coolant.

• Modern pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene are a good choice. Special chemical treatment of polymer creates multiple additional intermolecular bonds, and the material acquires the highest resistance to pressure, without losing its elasticity.

The " crosslinked " of polyethylene speaks the symbol "RE-X".In terms of quality, the best performance and the material " RE-X ", which undergoes peroxide treatment - achieves a maximum percentage of " cross-linkage " - to 85%.

The material is very flexible, that the gives the the possibility of laying it with a loop only 150 mm in diameter. It is produced by large bays, and this makes it possible to perform a single contour of any necessary of the length of the .

• Probably the most optimal choice for the contour of a warm floor will be t t , which combines the advantages of metal-plastic and cross-linked polyethylene. They have a multi-layered structure - the inner and outer layers are made of PE-X, and between them, on on with adhesive, there is an aluminum layer welded using TIG ( shielded gas) technology. Moreover, many manufacturers additionally equip their products with an intermediate oxygen barrier( technology EVON ).That prevents corrosion of the aluminum layer.

Such combined pipes are usually marked REX-AL-REX .To them it is always possible to purchase all the necessary components for connection to the collector of the heating system.

• More one option t t rub - stainless corrugated. This is a relative novelty of , but already deserving good feedback from the masters dealing with with warm floors. Such pipes have excellent flexibility, high heat dissipation, reliability , external exposure to polymer internal and external coating. Moreover, they are equipped with the system of fitting such that the joints can be removed into the thickness of the screed without fear of leakage. The only downside - while the still extremely high on similar material.

Preliminary calculation and drawing up the laying scheme of the floor

All practical steps for mounting the warm floor must be preceded by the mandatory drawing up of a layout scheme and the necessary calculations of the .

• Before compiling the scheme, it is necessary to determine the location of the collector cabinet - this is the point at which both ends of all contours are to be drawn. The location of this unit should provide ease of maintenance, ease of supply of pipes from the boiler or the existing heating system. Most likely, you need a power connection point - for the circulation pump. Usually cabinets are arranged so that they do not spoil the interior of the room - in a hidden place or by removing them into the wall. Height above the floor level, as a rule - 200 ÷ 300 mm.
• For floor heating circuits, I usually use t t with a diameter of 16 or 20 mm( in rare cases - 25 mm).Typically, 16 mm pipes are used when the warm floor is planned as an additional element of the house heating system, 20 mm - if such heating becomes the main source of heat in the room.
• As already mentioned, the outline should be unbroken, without joints, but its length is certain restrictions. Do not make a contour with a 16 mm pipe longer than 50 ÷ 70 m , and with 20 mm - limit 100 m .This is due to the fact that the force of the internal hydraulic resistance at too long a section can exceed the pump's liquid head, resulting in the effect of a "closed loop" over which circulation of the coolant is impossible. If for the existing dimensions of the room the theta length is not enough, the will have to two or even more contours, connected to one collector.

There are two basic schemes for laying contours of warm floor - "snake" and "snail".

From the point of view of simplicity of laying, it is preferable, of course, to "snake".However, this scheme is characterized by a pronounced uneven heating of the floor - with the removal from the beginning of the flow, the temperature of the coolant is markedly reduced.

When laying the "snake", the supply and return pipe are located parallel to each other, and thus the temperature difference in them is compensated. However, for this it will be necessary a little more in the preliminary drawing of the scheme and directly when laying pipes to avoid mistakes.

On basis of these basic schemes many other variations of the laying pattern have been developed.

• The next important point on which the number of required pipes depends is the step of their laying. Depending on the degree of the thermal insulation of the room, the average winter temperatures in the region, the tasks facing the system of warm flooror additional heating), this value can vary from 100 to 500 mm. Independently define this value with taking into account all criteria is difficult - the system of heat engineering calculations is rather cumbersome. However, on the Internet, you can find special calculators that allow you to perform such calculations with the required level of accuracy. It should be taken into account that the too frequent arrangement of pipes is an unnecessary over-expenditure of material and energy resources. And with excessive remoteness loop loops from each other there is a "zebra effect" - alternating cold and heated sections of the floor.

If necessary, you can apply a differentiated approach. In places where it is necessary to create zones of increased comfort or maximum heating( in the coldest areas), you can apply the minimum step of laying, but increase it in other areas of the room.

• When drawing up the scheme, it is necessary to provide indentation from the walls( so as not to waste energy on for these very heat-intensive designs).Usually the pipe closest to the wall is located at a distance of 300 mm. Do not plan the placement of the contour under permanently installed furniture items.
• If several circuits connected to a single collector are to be stacked, then ideally they should be the same length - this will ensure uniform circulation over them. In any case, the length should not exceed 10 - 15 meters. However, sometimes this can be solved by installing a special balancing armature.
• Be sure to immediately calculate the height of the floor level, whether the doors will be opened normally, or will have to make certain adjustments in their design .And the total rise of level can be quite significant:

- The thickness of the insulating layer used - mats and substrates is taken into account. This can already give 30 ÷ 100 mm height.

- Obligatory concrete screed is on рх тр Уб.In order for the system of the warm floor to be effective, it is recommended to provide a thickness of this layer from 30 mm ( for 16 mm pipes) to 45 mm( for 20 mm).An important nuance - speech goes about the height of the screed from the top of the pipes. Thus, with taking into account the of their diameter, we obtain, respectively, a strip of thickness rounded 50 and 70 mm.

- if adds the thickness of the selected finish coat, then the total value of the rise of the floor surface level will be obtained.

• When using several circuits in the same room, it is advisable to provide a compensatory tearing gap between them. This approach is also necessary if the total length of the room exceeds 6 meters - it will be necessary to divide the of its into two sections, dividing them with a damper seam, which must be filled with an elastic sealing compound.

These places will require the installation of pipes in the sleeve, the length of which on each side must be at least 150 - 200 mm.

sleeve. Usually, the polymeric is used for the corrugated tube of the corresponding diameter. Similar sleeves( padded ) should be installed and, if necessary, passing the pipe through the walls of the room.

• It is necessary to immediately think over the system of fixing pipes to heat insulation mats. With profile mats, there are no problems - everything is already there. On flat mats, you can do several things.

Anyway, but the screed will require reinforcement. Therefore, you can first lay a reinforcing metal mesh, and tie the pipes to them with plastic flexible clamps.

Special clamps with "harpoon" tips are sold, which are convenient to fasten pipes to a polystyrene insulation underlay.

It is convenient to use special mounting rails, metal or plastic, on which grooves or clamps for pipes of clamping or petal type are located.

Based on the layout, it is possible to easily calculate the required amount of material - pipes, insulation mats, mounting rails, damper tape and other elements. It is necessary to take into account the necessary stock for the supply of contours to the manifold and their connection to it.

Video: typical errors in the design of the warm water floor

What is the collector

It would be serious mistake to assume that the laid out contour of the warm floor is enough to connect to the heating pipes or to the boiler and the system will immediately start operating in the optimal mode. Correct its functioning possible only when creating the required head, smooth and balanced distribution of heat carrier flows and compliance with the necessary temperature conditions. It is these functions that the collector node must perform. It includes many devices, devices and devices.

• As a rule, it includes a circulation pump. The pump that stands near the boiler, hardly will be able to cope with the task of providing the right pressure in all circuits - both in radiators and in the warm floor. It is more advisable to provide a separate device that will be responsible for certain section of the house, connected to one collector.
• To the water temperature in the radiators and in the contours of the of the warm , absolutely different requirements are imposed. So, in convection devices the coolant can reach up to 70 - 80 degrees, and for floor heating it is unacceptable. It is considered normal to heat the floor surface to 27 - 29 ºС in residential premises, and slightly higher - to 35 ºС, in service, special or through passage, where tiles are laid. Exceeding these indicators leads to breach the integrity of the screed from its overheating, with deformation and drying outdoor decorative coating.

For maintaining the required temperature level in the collector cabinets, a regulation system is implemented using thermostats based on mechanical or electromechanical two-, three - or even four-way valves. In these devices, the coolant is mixed with the from , which has already cooled down.

The control can be done manually or automatically, when such a crane is equipped with a servo connected to an electronic temperature sensor.

• Pipe circuits are connected to the combs feed and return manifolds. For the necessary balancing of the pressure in circuits of different lengths, as well as for switching off any circuits, if necessary, valves are provided.
• The operation of the heating system can be accompanied by the release of dissolved gases of their coolant. To avoid the appearance of traffic jams, the automatic air vent valve is installed on the manifold.
• It will never be superfluous to have visual control of the system - a manometer and a thermometer.
• It is possible to provide for the autonomy of the contours of the warm floor from a common heating system. This becomes possible when installing the heat exchanger.

In this case, the volume of the heat medium, limited by , circulates in the circuits, receiving the required heating from the common system. This floor warm is easier to adjust, but it is true that you will need to install an additional safety group - valve pressure and diaphragm tank.

It is correct to assemble and adjust the mixing and collection unit - a task of a high complexity category. However, there is a way out - you can buy ready-made sets designed for this or that area of ​​the room, the number of connection loops, with varying degrees of equipment with automatic or manual control and adjustment systems.

Video: operation of the mixer-collector unit of the warm floor After the collector cabinet is selected, the is purchased by the and installed in the location provided by the diagram, it is possible to proceed to laying the pipes of the circuits of the warm floor.

Laying pipes warm floor

• Work always begins with a thorough cleaning of the premises - on the surface of the basic concrete screed there should be no debris and dust. If it was not previously done, priming with deep penetration is done - this will strengthen and will dust the surface and give it additional waterproofing qualities.
• At the perimeter of the room, a damper tape with a thickness of at least 5 mm is glued to the walls. If the length of the room is more than 10 mm, the thickness should be increased from the calculation to :

h = L × 0.55( h - compensation gap thickness, L - room length).

The height of the tape should correspond to the total thickness of the future floor, with taking into account the screed and the finish coat + 5 mm.

• The next step is the laying of thermal insulation mats .Thin roll material is back-to-back with the gluing of the joints with adhesive tape. When using mats from the EPPS, they are joined by the lock parts. If necessary, you can fix them to the floor surface with polyurethane glue. Use adhesive formulations based on organic solvents is not possible - they will cause chemical decomposition of polystyrene.

• Joints between the laid mats are sealed with a waterproof tape. This step is not necessary when using profile mats - the lock system provides the reliability of the of their interfacing.
• If the EPAS does not have an external coating, a layer of a thin foil substrate( a metallized layer upwards) is lined, with the joints glued with adhesive tape.
• If flat mats are used and the pipes are fixed to the reinforcement, a metal grid with cells of the order of 100 × 100 mm is laid. In the case of mounting rails or plastic retaining clips, the reinforcing mesh can be installed later by placing the on its on the pads so that it is approximately centered between the pipes and the screed surface.
• It is advisable to transfer the layout of the outlines of contours to the laid out surface in accordance with the scheme drawn up and carefully check its correctness. A great help here can will serve as a marking grid, applied on some types of mats.
• One of the most difficult moments - the correct laying of the contours of pipes. It is better to perform a similar job together - one unwinds the bay, and the other immediately fixes the t t with staples, between the bosses of the profile mat or in the mounting rails. The collector cabinet usually has a reserve of about 500 mm with the of both ends of the pipe.

To hurry in this process is a disastrously-improperly laid out circuit( for example, an error led to inadmissible crossing of pipes) is very problematic to remake anew.

• After laying out the contours according to the scheme and carefully checking the its correctness, it is possible to connect the pipes to the collectors using the standard fittings. When carrying out such a tie-in, make sure that unnecessary voltage is not created in the pipes( they can not be connected to the in the form of the ), but they did not protrude above the surface of the planned screed.

Integrity Check and Fill Screeds

• Once the pipe circuits are laid and connected to the combs of the collectors, it is necessary to ensure that all connections are tight. To do this, the system is filled with the heat carrier, successively each circuit through the feed comb, achieving a complete air outlet, for which an appropriate valve is opened.
• The next step is hydraulic testing, or as they are often called, crimping system.
• Before starting crimping , it is recommended to temporarily remove the air deflector and plug out the openings. Otherwise, they can fail, since only the rated working pressure is calculated for the .

is used for crimping. The process crimping for different types of pipes has its own nuances.

- If metal-plastic pipes were used in the circuits, the pressure in the system should be set to 6 bar. The manometer installed in the manifold will allow for visual inspection. If after a day the pressure drop is not fixed, then the test is considered successful. If leaks are detected, the joints are tightened and the test is repeated.

- With pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene, the process is somewhat more complicated. Initially, the pressure also rises to 6 bar. It inevitably begins to decline because of the plasticity of the pipes, and after 30 minutes it should again be raised to the specified value. Similar qi class drive more 3 times. Then, after waiting for another for an hour and a half, the pressure is again raised to 6 bar and the system is left for a day. The drop is not considered to be more than on 1, 5 bar , but, naturally, with guaranteed absence of leaks.

• It is recommended to check the pipes in extreme temperature conditions. To do this, they are filled with a hot coolant( with a temperature of the order of 80 ºС) with with with the same test pressure. Such a measure allows us to identify unreliability of separate fitting connections requiring additional suspenders. In addition, such heating will relieve excess stress in the pipes.

After the crimping is performed and any possible identified defects are eliminated, you can proceed to fill the screed. Drain the water of their system is not necessary - it protects t t rubs against deformation, which can occur from the pressure of uncombusted concrete. After setting the , the will have an even distribution of the load, which will no longer pose a danger to the integrity of the pipes.

• For the screed, it is best to use special compounds adapted specifically for the warm floor. In their , plasticizers are included in the , ensuring uniformity of filling without the formation of air bubbles ( is especially important when filling "complicated" places - near pipes, bosses of profile mats or mounting plates.microfiber, which creates reliable internal micro-reinforcement of concrete, increasing its strength at temperature differences.
• The screed is carried out in the usual way - with the installation of beacons and guides to ensure the horizon
• The maturation of the screed is usually 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the solution used. It is not allowed to accelerate this process by heating the screeds with the contours of the warm floor.

The starts the warm floor only afterthe entire system is brought to its original state, all the removed elements are installed, the connections are checked, the is discharged from the compressed air.

You can not immediately turn on the warm floor at full power - you need to give both the pipes and the screed time for a gradual adaptation. First set the heating temperature to 20 ° C or less. You can raise its daily by 5 degrees, outputting the calculated to .

If everything functions normally, you can proceed with the laying of the floor finish.

Video: example of installation of a warm floor system