For most modern people the presence of a heated floor in the room is a necessary condition to guarantee a comfortable stay in the room. Most widespread on this moment received warm water and electric floors. Their use allows you to evenly heat the floor surface to desired temperature combined with the visual absence of heating appliances. In addition, laminate or parquet can be safely laid on top of these systems.

Operating principle of heated floors

Cable electric version heats the floor surface by converting electrical energy into thermal energy. This happens as follows: a special high-resistance alloy, which is the basis of the heating core, is capable of heating up strongly in a short period of time under the influence of electrical voltage, passing through it.

It is based thermal energy, obtained from hot water central heating, which, thanks to a special pump, is supplied to pipes laid under the floor surface.

Selecting a heating system

The choice of a heated floor of one type or another depends on the conditions of its further operation. Electrical types have proven themselves well in small rooms city ​​apartments and country houses with central heating.

If you intend to heat the floor of a large area in a suburban building in which there is no central heating, then it is most advisable to give preference to water heating, because in this case, its purchase and installation will cost less than the purchase and installation of an electrical system.

Disadvantages of a water heating system

• The disadvantage of water floors is that if it is necessary to obtain a relatively low heating temperature, it is necessary to provide mixing unit, which works exclusively in tandem with a water pump that creates forced circulation hot water through pipes.
• In addition, quite often the use of water heating systems leads to a decrease in the overall pressure in the central heating of the house.
• You should also know that water, after passing through the pipe circuits, the following premises arrives sufficiently cooled, resulting in insufficient heating.

Today, the installation of floors of this type is permissible only with the consent of the responsible authorities. Unauthorized heating connection is prohibited.

Disadvantages of warm electric floors

Choosing a heated floor is also not complete without a clear understanding of all the pros and cons of the system. The disadvantages of warm electric floors include:

• costs associated with paying for used electricity. The average consumption of 1 m 2 of such a floor ranges from 110 to 150 W, but the more precise value depends on many factors in the operation of these systems. This indicator is taken into account with a reserve, because modern temperature regulators are able to save up to 40% of energy consumption, so actual consumption figures can range from 70 to 100 W.
• The second negative factor is the presence of electromagnetic radiation, which invariably occurs during operation.

One should take into account the fact that a single-core electric floor emits more radiation than a two-core electric floor. However, in any case, the radiation is significantly lower than the established permissible norm, which completely excludes the possibility negative influence on the human body.

When choosing a heated floor system, price is not of paramount importance. The main thing is a full-fledged coverage service with minimal costs for service.

If we have not made heating systems with water heated floors before, then it will not be right to immediately take on the practical implementation of our desires. You need to first pay attention to some theory. Well, at least learn about the pros and cons of heated floors. Perhaps the disadvantages will be such that you won’t want to have such a heating system in your home at all.

What are the advantages of water heated floors compared to radiators?

Disadvantages of water heated floors

1. Heat loss rooms where heated floors are installed must be less than 100 W/m2.

   Conclusion: with higher heat losses, you will have to either insulate the house or install combined heating (water heated floor plus radiators).

2. It is not always possible to install a water heated floor in apartment buildings, Where single pipe systems heating. Well, or at least you need to know how to make such a connection correctly and without any conflicts with neighbors or utility workers (this is described in detail in the article about installing a water-heated floor in an apartment).
3. Large thickness of concrete screed over a warm floor. If such heating is on the second floor or higher, then the floor level will rise by ~10 cm. On the first floor or on the ground floor, the total is more - by 14-20 cm. In other words, planning in old apartment(house) heating with water heated floors, get ready for other global work related to the reinstallation of doors. And further: concrete screed a warm floor will increase the load on floors and other structures... are you sure they will withstand it? What is your confidence based on? Think about it.
4. Installation of a water heated floor and materials for it are more expensive than for radiator heating. True, these expenses are then paid off by saving energy resources, as I wrote about above.

There are several more disadvantages of heated floors that must be taken into account. I will list them.

1. Any heated floor (not necessarily water) is not best system heating for rooms in which people are constantly present. Surprised? I'll explain why. Alas, almost everything in the world has a downside.

So, contrary to the same well-known saying (or proverb? - I can’t remember what the difference is), your feet do not always need to be kept warm. I mean, not all the time! Blood rushes to heated areas of the body, this is well known to everyone. And the legs, being warm all the time, do not rest, the veins do not rest... The result is a disease of the veins due to their constant expansion.

Conclusion: you need to stay in a room with a heated floor for a limited time. That is, do such heating in the hallway, bathroom, in any passage corridor, in the bathhouse, in the dressing room... where you are rarely or for a short time.

2. I mentioned the lack of mixing of air layers in the advantages of a warm floor. But this is also a minus, because it is impossible to provide normal natural ventilation. But with radiators natural ventilation possible.

   Conclusion: when designing heated floors, design and forced ventilation with all its “charms” (connection to the power grid, noise, additional expenses... this is for you in continuation of the theme of efficiency), otherwise the air in such a room will be stale.

3. Not every material can be used to cover a heated floor. Therefore, you need to know the following.

   It is necessary to distinguish between two concepts that are similar in sound, but different in meaning: “comfortable floor” and “warm floor”. What is the difference?

   What is the difference?

   The comfortable floor has a temperature of 20…22 degrees and is only suitable for off-season use. But in real winter cold it will not cope with heating. And then you will need additional heating (radiator, air, or something else). Wood is quite suitable for covering a comfortable floor.

   But in warm floor The coolant heats up to 55 degrees. And you can’t cover such a floor with wood! Tree from high temperature will crack. But if you don’t heat it, then, again, such a heating system won’t cope in cold weather.

   And although there is a separate section about coverings for heated floors, I will say a few words here. As coverings for heated floors, you should take only natural materials: carpet from natural material, ceramic tiles, linoleum - also from something natural, and not from PVC, parquet and parquet board and so on.). Non-natural materials contain different harmful substances, which will evaporate when heated... however, they evaporate even without heating. Do you need it?

Well, I believe that now, knowing all the pros and cons of water heated floors, you will be able to make an informed choice, and not “because that’s it.” Next we will consider the question energy saving when heating with water heated floors.

heating with water heated floor

Advantages of heated floors

Heated floor has the following advantages:

• comfortable floor surface temperature;
• uniform heating of the room;
• increase in air temperature in the room.

It must be said right away that a heated floor system cannot replace conventional heating. Traditional radiators provide the main heating of the air in the room. Warm floors can only be used as additional heating of the room. These are the disadvantages of a warm water floor. It is usually used to warm up the floor - nevertheless, walking on a warm surface is much more comfortable than walking on a cold one. But at the same time, thanks to this system, the room will be heated better, since another heating source is added to the traditional radiators. On top of that, the heat will be distributed evenly, as the room will heat up over the entire area.

Features of underfloor heating systems

The optimal floor surface temperature is 25-28 degrees. When installing the system, it is worth considering that the highest temperature will be observed at the very beginning of the water heated floor - as it moves through the pipes, it will drop. WITH electric floors no such problem arises.

As for whether heated floors are harmful, their surface temperature will be higher than the air. But this cannot contribute to the occurrence of a cold - on the contrary, you are more likely to get sick when moving on a cold surface. By installing a heated floor system in the bathroom, kitchen, or children's room, you don't have to worry about illnesses - as you know, colds often occur when the feet are hypothermic (read: “Heated floors for the bathroom: the right solution”).

Heated floors have disadvantages, including, for example, the inability to fully control the temperature. This mainly applies to water systems. The heating level of electric floors can be adjusted, if, of course, you purchase a good sensor that accurately measures the temperature. Experts advise installing programmable electronic devices - with their help you can set the desired level of air or floor surface temperature, and when this indicator is reached, the system will automatically turn off. Read also: “How to choose a mobile heated floor for a carpet - types. characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.”

Heated floor installation

The heating element is placed on thermal insulation material When installing heated floors, a screed is poured on top and the floor covering is laid. As for whether heated floors are harmful, this statement is absolutely false.

As for the fact that heated floors are harmful to health, this is absolutely false - heating floor surface can only have a positive impact on your health. But for such a system to last for a long time, it must be installed correctly.

Pros and cons of heated floors, is there any harm to health, are there any disadvantages of heating, photo and video instructions

Pros and cons of heated floors, is there any harm to health, are there any disadvantages of heating, photo and video instructions

Pros and cons of heated floors

Water heated floor is a heating system that uses hot water as a heat source. The operating principle of this system is extremely simple: it is mounted on the floor flexible pipe, along which it goes hot water. The liquid is heated by a central heating system or an autonomous boiler. The most popular is the scheme for connecting the system to a gas boiler, since in this case the heating will not be associated with seasonal outages.

Advantages of water heated floors

If the indicators of warm water floors are calculated correctly, then the system will delight you with its efficiency and durability. The main advantages of water heating include the following parameters:

– relative low cost of installation, which is very important given the high cost of the equipment itself. Many consumers choose this option precisely because of the simplicity and accessibility of installation;

– water system, unlike other types of heated floors, can be used in combination with almost any floor covering. Carpet, ceramic tile, laminate and even linoleum - that’s far from full list possible options;

– the ability to connect the system to an autonomous heat source or centralized heating;

– maximum heat retention, for example, in a room with normal dimensions the savings are about 30%, and in a home with a ceiling height of more than 3 meters – about 50%;

- possibility of complete refusal traditional systems heating, allowing to significantly expand usable area premises;

- at battery life heating will not depend on interruptions in the power supply network.

There are quite a lot of advantages of water heated floors, but there are no ideal systems, so even this option has its negative sides.

Disadvantages of water heated floors

The disadvantages of using a water heated floor system include the following points:

1. Installation of this type heating is possible only in private houses, since most apartments do not have necessary conditions for its installation.

2. When choosing stand-alone option operation, heating can only be partially controlled if the system is connected to centralized system, then adjustment is not possible at all.

3. If defects in the pipeline system are not detected in a timely manner, there is a high risk of flooding.

Of course, we have not considered all the advantages and disadvantages of water heated floors, but the main pros and cons are reflected. Generally, this system although it requires compliance with certain conditions, it is one of the simplest and most effective in the category of heated floors.

Which heated floor is better: advantages and disadvantages

• • Which heated floor is better: advantages and disadvantages
  • Construction and renovation: infrared heated floor
  • Carpet or linoleum: which is better to choose?

  Classification of heated floors

  Warm floors are divided into: electric and water. Electric heated floors are divided into:

  Electric heated floors

  This type of flooring has high energy consumption. Therefore, they are mainly used for heating individual areas of the house. Most often, electric floors are used to heat balconies, loggias, bathrooms or children's rooms. If you install electrical system for the entire house, then monthly energy consumption can significantly hit the owner’s pocket.

  Typically, electric floors consist of a group of cables or heating elements connected into mats. But there is also a completely different subgroup. Innovative electric floors include film and infrared floors. The essence of their work is to heat special infrared rods or film.

  The main advantages and disadvantages of electric heated floors are as follows:

  • Reliability. Electric floors have a long service life;
  • Electric underfloor heating is also used as an auxiliary heating source;
  • Installation is carried out only on a dry base;
  • Additional equipment is required in the form of a thermostat, regardless of the coating on top;
  • In addition to thermal insulation, such floors require grounding.

  This type of floor is used quite rarely. The low popularity is associated with the high electricity consumption of this floor. This is the main disadvantage of this floor.

  During installation, either single-core or two-core special cable can be used. Before installing the cable, be sure to make a tie. Cable heated floors also include floors whose system consists of sections or mats. For this type of flooring, a screed is not needed.

  Infrared floor is New Product in the building materials market. It is also called carbon fiber. Long-wave infrared rays are completely safe for the human body. A huge advantage of such a floor is the preservation of optimal humidity in the room where such floors are installed. IR floors are divided into two types:

  Rod heated floor is a new generation product. Immediately after its appearance on the market, this type of floor heating was a success. It consists of conductive busbars and flexible special rods.

  The advantages of this type of heated floor are:

  • reliability: it is believed that carbon heated floors can last more than 50 years;
  • economical and corrosion resistant;
  • no electromagnetic radiation;
  • Possibility of installation in wet areas, for example, in the bathroom;
  • high heat transfer: rod heated floors can be used as the main type of room heating;
  • resistance to mechanical damage;
  • the presence of self-regulation provides protection against overheating and burnout.

  But there is also important nuance: This gender lacks mobility. Once installed, it cannot be moved anywhere.

  The operating principle of this type of floor is identical to carbon. It is best to use film flooring under laminate because the heating is low and the coating does not deform. The film floor can heat up to a certain set temperature, and then switches to an economical mode. Film heated floors are the most energy efficient. Thanks to the ability to switch modes, up to 30% of energy consumption is saved. An undoubted advantage is the possibility of installation on horizontal, vertical and inclined surfaces. Film heated floors cannot be installed under carpet or tiles. Before installing a film heated floor, there is no need to screed the floor or other additional manipulations.

  Water heated floor construction

  In appearance, a water-type heated floor is a radiator installed on a horizontal surface. Its main advantage is the ability to install and heat the entire house or apartment at the same time. The popularity of this system is also due to the ease of installation both in the premises under construction and in those in use. Also, water heated floors save energy.

  The disadvantages of a water heated floor system include:

  • high installation price;
  • the reliability of a water heated floor is noticeably lower than that of an electric one;
  • difficulty in adjusting the temperature;
  • a water heated floor system cannot be installed under heavy furniture;
  • a water-heated floor noticeably dries the air in the room.

  An aquarium installed on the floor or a purchased air humidifier will help solve the last problem.

  Which heated floor is better: advantages and disadvantages - which heated floors are better - Construction Materials

  
  👍 Warm floors are not only comfort for residents, but also additional system heating the room.

Efficiency of water heated floors: pros and cons

The climate of our latitudes does not allow us to provide coziness and comfort in our homes. cold period years without a heat source.

Unfortunately, the heating system used does not always sufficiently warm the room over the entire area.

Because of this, with the onset of cold weather, discomfort begins due to the cold penetrating into the house.

One of the promising options for heating systems in houses and apartments is water heated floors.

Peculiarities

Water heated floor systems are a fairly new solution in the field of built-in heating systems. The peculiarity is that the coolant in this case is heated water circulating through pipes laid in the floor, which transfers heat radiated through the decorative flooring into the room.

At the same time, the efficiency of water heated floors is high; this type of heating seems to be extremely economical, allowing one to reduce the cost of heating a home to a comfortable temperature by 20-30, or even 50%. It's all about the temperature of the circulating fluid, which, as a rule, does not exceed 50⁰C, and often 40⁰C is enough.

Why? It's simple. The floor in a room, in the case of a heated floor, is a continuous convective surface that radiates heat. At the same time, the floor covering remains pleasant and comfortable, without posing a risk of burns, and the air in the room is heated evenly over the entire area.

Unlike traditional heating radiators, a heated floor immediately warms up the air to comfortable temperatures below (22-24⁰С), while at head level the temperature is already somewhat lower (18-20⁰С), and an overheating zone does not form under the ceiling, and no empty heat loss occurs. This property is one of the advantages of water heated floors, as it provides optimal “healthy” heating that promotes comfort and health.

Pros and cons of water heated floors

Like any type of heating, water heated floors, of course, have their own advantages and disadvantages. And this must be taken into account when deciding on installation of this type heating system.

The undoubted advantages of water heated floors include the following:

1. Economical– compared to radiator heating from 20-30% to 60%. When heated to low (30-50⁰C) water temperatures using gas in autonomous systems, especially with large heated areas, a water floor is even superior to an electric floor in terms of operating costs (up to 5-7 times more economical).
2. Safety, because the pipes with the coolant, firstly, have a low temperature, and secondly, they are completely hidden. This eliminates the risk of injury and burns.
3. Comfort, ensured by uniform heating of the air and pleasant tactile sensations when walking on the floor barefoot.
4. Aesthetics, because the built-in system solves the problem of hiding or camouflaging unaesthetic radiators and opens up wide horizons for implementation design ideas for remodeling and interior design.
5. Smooth and soft heating, safety for capricious floor coverings due to gradual heating and low temperatures, absence of thermal shock (in the case of installing a thermostat and the ability to control the temperature of the coolant).
6. No generation of harmful electromagnetic field and oversaturation of air with positive ions.
7. Water heated floor does not dry out the air in the room.

While listing the advantages of water heated floors, it is worth analyzing its disadvantages:

1. Labor intensity of installation– to lay a water floor you will have to start major renovation with alignment and careful preparation subfloor surfaces. The system consists of several layers various materials, including waterproofing, cement-concrete screed and decorative flooring.
2. Significant initial costs for installing a hydronic floor option- approximately 5 times higher than electric or traditional radiator. However, with active use, water heated floors demonstrate high efficiency and pay for themselves.
3. It is impossible to install heated floors, for example, on stairs and in small corridors. In such areas it is required additional installation radiators.
4. The likelihood of a leak and the difficulty of eliminating it– to find damage and repair the pipeline, complete dismantling will be required flooring and removing the screed.

Due to the risk of leakage and, accordingly, flooding of neighbors below, water-heated floors are not recommended for installation in multi-storey buildings. Also, when connecting water-heated floor circuits to the central heating system, there is a high risk of pressure drop in the system throughout the house and a sharp decrease in heating efficiency.

Health effects

Is it enough to analyze the information on the query “water heated floor advantages and disadvantages” to make a final decision, especially if people with poor health live in the home? On the one hand, if the difficulties do not frighten you, but the advantages captivate you, it is worthwhile to critically evaluate them again.

The point is that she main feature and the advantage of this type of heating, namely, constant elevated temperature flooring, which allows you to “keep your feet warm” all the time, may also have a downside.

Namely, to provide negative impact on the vascular system of the legs, because blood constantly flows to the “warm” legs, putting a constant load on the veins and expanding them.

Therefore, it is recommended to install a water or electric floor in rooms with periodic and short-term presence of people there, or to limit the time they walk on the floor or stay on it.

To the question of whether heated water floors are harmful to the general physical condition and well-being, it is also impossible to answer unambiguously. The air in the room is not too dry, there is no improper mixing of the layers, but in the case of heated floors, natural ventilation is difficult. In order to avoid air staleness, it is necessary to ventilate the room more often and take care of forced ventilation.

On our website you can also find out the following information about the warm water field:

And also read here about the installation and installation of a Rehau heated water floor.

Conclusion

Water heated floor - an effective alternative radiator heating And a good option for first floors, private houses. However, making a decision about installation requires a scrupulous analysis of the pros and cons.

Pros and cons of water heated floors: its effectiveness, is it harmful to health, as well as advantages and disadvantages

The article contains detailed information about the pros and cons of water heated floors, its effectiveness, whether it is harmful to health, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of such a floor.

The electric floor heating system has both positive and negative reviews. In order for you to decide whether to use this option for your home or apartment, we will now provide the main pros and cons of electric heated floors.

Main advantages

Among the main advantages of electric heated floors are:

• Possibility of use not only at home, but also in offices;
• can be used with any floor covering: tiles, laminate, linoleum, etc.;
• all elements of the system are hidden from view, thereby not spoiling the interior of the room;
• using the included thermostat you can adjust temperature regime up to 0.1 o C, while you can also set a specific time for turning on/off the heater;
• can be used as main and auxiliary heating;
• (and even more so parquet) can be done by a person without the slightest experience, and besides, there should be no special tool at hand;
• long service life if the system is handled correctly;
• the surface is heated evenly over the entire area;
• It will take a little time to determine the cause of the breakdown;
• not required for system operation optional equipment(for example, for water heating you need either gas);
• the temperature of the heating element is not too high, which is good when taking into account the safety of use.

As you can see, the advantages of electric heated floors are significant, which makes this option quite competitive compared to other heating options.

We would like to immediately provide a video on the topic:

Video review of the advantages and disadvantages of electric heated floors

Existing disadvantages

As always, something must be sacrificed when choosing one system or another. As for the disadvantages of electric heated floors, the main ones are:

• high cost of operation (if you use a heating cable for central heating of a large area, the required heater power can reach up to 15-20 kW, which will significantly increase monthly electricity consumption);
• any type of electric heater has an increased risk of electric shock and electric heated floors are no exception, so this point must be taken into account, especially in wet rooms;
• to improve electrical safety, it is necessary to spend additional money on purchasing and, as well as creating a reliable one;
• the heating cable, which is the main executive element of heating, creates an electromagnetic field that negatively affects the human body;
• floor coverings, in particular wooden ones, suffer when heated: they dry out and become deformed;
• when laying heaters (especially cables), the ceiling height can be reduced to 10 cm;
• If heating will be used as the main one and the house will have a large area, then quite powerful electrical wiring will be required for the system to operate.

It is clear that the shortcomings of the system are quite significant. But still we pay attention to the fact that when, as well as installation work According to the instructions, most of the listed shortcomings are immediately cut off. This is what makes the floor heating system popular and in demand.

Comparison with alternative

So that you are finally convinced of the correctness of your decision, now we will talk a little about why an electric heated floor is better than a water one.

So, we have highlighted the main points of comparison:

1. It is more reasonable to use a water heated floor on large areas, especially if heating will be carried out due to gas boiler. In small rooms, it is more logical to give preference to an option that operates from the mains, because... in this case, installation and operating costs will be low.
2. Heating hot water has a longer service life (as manufacturers say, the mark can reach up to 50 years).
3. Water will not harm human health, which cannot be said about current.
4. Installation of cables (or thermomats) is much simpler than water pipes.
5. Adjustment electric heater carried out much faster and more accurately than water.

So we have provided the pros and cons of electric heated floors. To summarize, it can be noted that both versions of the system have their own advantages and disadvantages, which in any case force you to sacrifice something. We recommend giving preference to electric heating, because... it is more modern, efficient and multifunctional!

Video review of the advantages and disadvantages of electric heated floors

Advantages of film coating

Today, heated floor technology is not much inferior in efficiency to radiator heating systems, but has many advantages. We propose to consider the main advantages of hidden heating systems, installation and connection features.

Advantages of hidden heating

One aspect of the attractiveness of underfloor heating systems is the concealment engineering communications. Neither radiators, nor heating pipelines, nor shut-off and control valves will disturb the harmony of the interior. However, this is not the only advantage of the secrecy of the heating system.

If in living rooms pipes do not pass through the wall ceilings and along them, this will greatly facilitate installation finishing works. For leveling and application decorative materials The entire plane of the walls is accessible; in addition, there are no difficulties with cutting the floor covering; there is no need to hide the passage of pipes during installation suspended ceilings. The absence of visible communications is especially beneficial when changing layouts.

In addition to aesthetic advantages, there are also technical ones: uniform heating of the floor creates optimal scheme distribution warm air. Since the main emphasis is not on convection heat transfer, but on its direct radiation, there is no need to warm up the upper uninhabited zone. This ensures a reduction in heating costs of about 10-15%. What’s most interesting is that savings here do not come at the expense of comfort: the temperature in the leg area is about 20-22 ºС, in the head area it is 3-4 ºС lower.

The main disadvantages of water heated floors

The main disadvantage of a heated floor system is the complexity of its design. Laying process heating elements in the floor is quite technologically advanced and labor-intensive, but if we are talking about a water heating system, additional difficulties arise with organizing the piping and setting up the heating operation.

This is not at all a reason to refuse to use heated floors. Using quality materials and installation system, compliance with the technology of laying pipes in the floor and installing floor coverings, all efforts will pay off handsomely. Underfloor heating is a truly effective, economical and durable heating system, but, we repeat, only if it is designed in compliance with a number of key requirements.

Among the difficulties of the device, it is worth mentioning separately the need to carefully select the material for the floor screed. In addition to strength qualities, it must meet standards for heat capacity and thermal conductivity, as well as the ability to emit heat in a certain spectrum - about 9-10 microns. In principle, when heated to 40 ºС, almost all cement-bound materials emit heat in this range. All that remains is to achieve the highest possible density of the coating and uniform distribution of thermal energy in the warm layer of the screed. For this purpose it can be used steel fiber, liquid glass or special polymer additives for underfloor heating screed - plasticizers C-3, HLV-75, BV 3M and the like.

Materials for the device

As already mentioned, underfloor heating systems require extremely careful selection of materials. Just one and a half to two decades ago, everyone was content with laying in the floor metal-plastic pipe, convincing yourself that nothing threatens the heat exchanger in the floor other than corrosion. This approach has a number of disadvantages that become apparent during the first 3-5 years of operation.

In order not to repeat the mistakes of others, for heated floors you should use tubes that, if damaged, can restore the structure of the polymer over time and have the highest possible thermal conductivity. It is impossible to guarantee that when installing the tubes they will not be broken, but for metal-plastic this, without exaggeration, is a death sentence. The best way In this regard, cross-linked polyethylene behaves, the alternative to which is copper. In the latter case there is a series additional benefits: even higher thermal conductivity, a miniscule coefficient of thermal expansion and the ability to remember shape during deformation.

For open systems heating, the absence of excess pressure can lead to the ejection of gas molecules through the walls of the tubes; over time, gas particles can accumulate into fairly large plugs. To exclude such phenomena, modern pipes for heated floors they are made of composite materials with a built-in oxygen barrier.

When it comes to materials for installing heated floors, insulation cannot be ignored. Its choice is decisive for the durability of the heating system and the floor as a whole. The thermal barrier must be incompressible, retain its shape and, naturally, have high resistance to heat transfer. Of all the options, extruded polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam are most suitable for use as a thermal cutoff; polyisocyanurate boards are less commonly used.

Do you need a backup heating system?

You can often hear the opinion that water heated floor systems are unreliable, and therefore when using them as the main source of heating, there is an illusory risk that over time the house will be left without a single source of heat. This misconception is associated, first of all, with the experience of operating underfloor heating systems, which, in essence, are budget counterfeits of the original technology.

Judge for yourself: if low-quality pipes are used for the heat exchanger, the risk of their clogging, breakage and destruction of the screed due to thermal expansion increases significantly. Here it really makes sense to combine floor heating with the installation of radiators, although this version of the heating system is fraught with adjustment difficulties: you constantly have to adjust the flow, otherwise the temperature in the room increases to truly uncomfortable values.

However, if a warm floor is designed taking into account all technological requirements, it can work as the main heating system for many decades. Care and sensitivity during the installation of thermal insulation, pipes and when pouring screed eliminate the main risk factors for both the occurrence of leaks and damage to the floor covering or the base on which it is laid. In general, the costs of organizing a backup heating system and correct device water heated floors are approximately equal.

Preferred types of boilers

The main disadvantage of water floor heating systems is their extremely low resistance to overheating. This rule mainly applies to heat exchangers made of polyethylene - this material has one of the highest coefficients of linear thermal expansion. For copper pipes this figure is significantly lower.

Due to such restrictions, it is required right choice boiler unit and corresponding adjustment of its operating mode. Boilers running on natural gas and electricity are considered the most suitable. Their thermoregulation system eliminates the supply of too hot coolant to the underfloor heating system.

The least suitable for connecting a water floor heating system can be safely called solid fuel boilers. Their peak power is almost impossible to limit, especially when periodically changing the type of fuel. That is why such systems require inclusion in the hydraulic circuit special devices that maintain the water temperature in the heating circuit by mixing liquid from the return line.

Connection diagram

The final argument against underfloor heating systems is the complexity of organizing the coolant distribution scheme. If the system has more than one floor heating circuit, the installation of hydraulic manifolds with flow regulators is required.

House heating scheme with water warm floors. A - gas heating boiler; B - combined mixing unit and collector group; B - heated floor contour. 1 - boiler with built-in circulation pump; 2 - security group; 3 — expansion tank; 4 — three-way valve mixing; 5 - circulation pump; 6 - ball valve; 7 - needle valve or valve with a servo drive; 8 — pressure reducer; 9 - flow meter

On the one hand, installation and commissioning of such complex networks is comparable to additional costs. However, all the efforts to organize heating with underfloor heating are more than compensated by the comfort of its use: each room can easily adjust its own thermal regime, while the entire system can be easily and efficiently balanced even if there are several dozen “loops”.

Otherwise, the heating floor connection is made according to classic scheme organizations closed system heating with overpressure. The only addition is the water preparation unit at the make-up inlet: since the heat exchanger consists of fairly narrow channels located at the lowest point of the system, it is necessary to remove from the water all mechanical impurities that can settle and eventually completely clog the tubes.