On this moment installation heated floors in the apartment has ceased to be a rarity and a curiosity. Modern renovation considers heated floors as the main or additional source heating. But the choice of heated floors is so wide that the buyer gets lost in the variety. We will look at which underfloor heating system to choose and how they differ in this article.

Installation of heated floors

The system of heated floors has been known since ancient times. Of course, the device of those years is much more primitive than its modern analogues. For example, the castles of the Chinese rulers were covered with double bottom floors. The lower level was a brazier heated by coals, thanks to which the upper level was always warm and comfortable. IN Ancient Rome people have created a whole floor heating system called hypocaust. The peculiarity of the hypocaust system was special cavities laid in the walls and floor of the house. A stove was heated in the basement of the room; the hot air, rising to the top, passed through a system of cavities and warmed up the entire house. As the name implies, heated floors are a heating system for heating a room from below, directly from the floor surface. Depending on the coolant, there are several types of heated floors, but they are all similar in operating principle. The installation of heated floors consists of a heating element placed on a heat-saving material, a layer of concrete screed (some types of heaters do not require a screed), and the final floor covering.

Pros and cons of heated floors

Having a heated floor in the house is a plus in itself. But let's take a closer look at the advantages of a heated floor system.

Even heat distribution. Let's turn to the laws of physics. Warm air is lighter than cold air, so the radiator heating system efficiently warms the middle layers of the room and the ceiling. The air cools down and falls down. A cold current forms on the floor. The wall away from the wall with the radiator receives minimal heat. Warm floors warm the room from below and throughout the entire area.
Comfortable human well-being. Have you ever noticed that when you are dressed warmly, but have cold feet, your whole body freezes? This is how the body works; when the feet are warmed, the whole body feels comfortable.
Heating system compatible. The ability to regulate heating from the radiator and floor without drying out the air.
Safety. Heating elements are hidden in most technologies for laying heated floors under a concrete screed; they are inaccessible to burns and are fireproof.
Suitable for families with children. The presence of children who spend most of their time on the floor is a direct indication for installing heated floors.

Heated floors have disadvantages, but they are few.

Difficult to install. It is possible to install a heated floor only during renovation with a complete re-covering.
It cannot be the only source of heat in rooms with low resistance of walls to cold. Installation of heating radiators is required.
When installing a water heated floor, you will need space for pumping and filtering equipment. It is possible to reduce the pressure in the water pipes if many apartments in the house are connected water system floor heating.

Types of heated floors

The main division into types of heated floors is made according to the type of coolant.

. The system is powered by electricity, and this is a plus and minus of flooring at the same time. The advantage is that heating is independent from housing and communal services. The downside is the cost of electricity; bills for such a heating element will increase several times.
. This type of system is less expensive to maintain, but installation will take more time and money. Another advantage of water floor heating is the absence of even minimal doses of radiation.

In turn, it is customary to divide electric heated floors into 3 types.

Film heated floor. Infrared heated floors heat objects in the room, not the air. Installation under any coating is allowed, except ceramic tiles.
Cable heated floor. The heating cable is laid under concrete screed. Universal in use.
Thermal mats. Thin cable heated floor on a mesh. Thermal mats are convenient for installation under ceramic tiles, since the coating is uniform and not wide.

In the following articles, I will talk in more detail about each type to help you decide on the choice of heated floors for your apartment or house.

Even in ancient times, a person, creating a living place for himself, tried to protect it as much as possible from enemies, predators and weather conditions, and to make it cozy and comfortable. This is still the case today: in countries where there are snowy and frosty winters, heating the home and work premises plays a very important role in terms of convenience and coziness.

Multi-storey buildings and private sector buildings, erected during the Soviet Union, were equipped. Such a system was easy to install and repair; at any time, the owners could increase the number of sections in the battery. Owners of private housing could regulate the heat by changing the parameters in the gas boiler. Residents of high-rise buildings depended on central heating, often froze in the cold or opened windows in more warm days suffocating in the apartments from the heat. Thermal comfort during construction was not in the foreground. Since winter in Russia is still a very cold season, modern methods construction offer the installation of floors with a heating function. And the house is warmer, and the children can safely play on the floor without fear of a cold, and it’s pleasant to walk around warm coating like walking on summer sand. They write and talk a lot about warm floors. This is a whole system that allows you to heat your home, in which heat is distributed evenly throughout the room. The heat carrier is located in the floor. If water base, then these are pipes, if electrical, then cables. Water heated to forty-five degrees undergoes regular movement in the pipe; a cable connected to the network performs the same heating function. Electrical heat regulated by a thermostat, water - using sensors on the boiler.

If you haven't settled on any option yet, let's look at the positive and negative points such coverage.

Pros:

Save money on heating costs (up to thirty percent). The warmer the room, the less heat is spent heating it. If our feet are warm, we perceive even low temperatures as comfortable. Heat, according to the laws of physics, rises. That is, without heated floors, the warmest place in the apartment is under the ceiling. With heated floors, the temperature is even everywhere.
No special equipment is required for installation; faults can be easily fixed.
At correct installation such a floor can last up to fifty years.
The appearance of a heated floor does not differ from the usual one and does not attract attention like radiators.
Rising from the floor warm air creates an obstacle to the formation of drafts.
Ideal conditions for children's games. You can play wherever you want without the risk of catching a cold.

Minuses:

Pleasure is expensive. The cost and installation, of course, will pay off someday, but money is needed now.
It's not easy Maintenance, you will have to raise the floors a few centimeters, this is not always realistic. Now, if your construction has just begun, this is your option!
You will have to think about floor coverings, because, for example, laying a warm, dense carpet on such a floor will ruin all your efforts, and there will be no benefit from the floor.
Difficulties almost always arise with repairs. The floor heating system in the rooms is common; sometimes it is difficult to determine the place where the breakdown occurred. But if you spare no expense on installation and invite real professionals for this, and follow the operating rules, there shouldn’t be any problems.
All furniture should be raised above the floor to allow free circulation of heat unless it is made of natural materials, it is possible to isolate small but constant concentrations from it harmful substances when heated.
The flooring may warm up slowly (from three to five hours), first the concrete in which it is built will heat up, and then the covering and the air. But when the system is turned off, cooling occurs just as slowly.
When staying indoors for a long time warm heating gender, exacerbations of diseases are possible lower limbs(for example, varicose veins - a vascular disease of the veins).
Installing water in city apartments has technical difficulties and requires special permits.

Advantages and disadvantages of infrared heated floors

Half a dozen years ago, film heated floors were a unique phenomenon; today, infrared film floors are used to create comfortable zones in residential buildings, apartments and offices. Popularity and demand have created competition and, accordingly, advertising and product reviews, which can be true or fictitious.

In an electric infrared film heated floor system, the main thing is the presence of a thin heating carbon film, which, when connected, begins to emit infrared rays and anions. The radiation comes from carbon paste applied in parallel, straight or curved stripes.

On expensive films, the paste is applied in a uniform layer. To ensure that the heat transfers to the flooring and not the neighbor's ceiling, it is necessary to use a heat-reflecting underlay. If you can still lay the materials yourself, we recommend inviting a qualified electrician to connect to the network. Most markets now offer Korean-made heating films. This film is different good quality and reasonable prices, which, unfortunately, depend on the value of the currency.

Selection and installation of infrared film

The market can offer products made in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the USA, China and, naturally, Russia. Increased competition expands the choice, but at the same time, the company, while presenting the quality of its product, often speaks unflatteringly about competitors’ products. Film infrared floors are the floors of the future. Hydrocarbon fiber is much more thermally conductive than many analogues used in heating systems. The most popular installation method is under laminate. This material warms up in literally a matter of minutes and can be quickly dismantled if necessary. But, covered with a laminate, a film floor still cannot be the main heating system in the room, since the quickly heating material cools down just as quickly if the system is turned off.

By the way, the film mesh can be attached not only to the floor. It is perfectly installed on walls, ceilings, and curved surfaces. Users come up with a lot of things: they heat containers with honey, heat various equipment, the bottom of a home pond, build greenhouses, and much more.

Myths about infrared heated floors

Many sellers of cable floors tell buyers a horror story that film floors ionize the room with negative particles. Some radiation does indeed come from the film itself, but the laminate, tile or linoleum covering it on top does not allow it to pass further. You can even do mobile system, when the heating film with a backing is laid under the carpet, and placing the wires and thermostat in a safe corner allows it to be used in cold period year, putting it away for the summer.

Many consumers ask whether the seams on the tiles, if it is placed on a film floor. If the installation was done correctly, the tiles will stick exactly as they would if they were laid on a regular screed. When installed correctly, a fiberglass reinforcing mesh is used and must be nailed to the floor underneath. fixed from tiles special glue, the layer of which is at least one and a half centimeters.

By nature, people are thermophilic, so every owner tries to insulate his home as much as possible.. Some use a heater, some insulate the facade, and some install heated floors. If all these methods of accumulating heat indoors are used together, then you definitely won’t have to worry about the house being cold in winter. The harm from an electric heater is obvious - it dries out the air in the room, but is underfloor heating harmful to health? This needs to be sorted out.

Advantages of heated floors

Before we begin to understand why heated floors are so dangerous for humans, we cannot fail to mention its advantages. Among them:

environmental friendliness. This type of heating has proven to be an order of magnitude better than an electric heater. The temperature of the carrier is at such a level that the operation of the system does not affect the environment in any way;
efficiency. This is almost the most economical system heating today;
quick heating of the room. The convector will first heat up and then dry out the air in the room, while the warm floor will begin to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room from the first minutes;
heating elements are hidden from view. This allows you to implement any design idea, because there is no need to install any bulky boilers and pipes;
durability and structural strength. Using quality materials and compliance with installation technology, the need for preventive repairs will not arise for many years;
versatility. This heating system can be used in both residential and office premises..

Reading the above information, it is easy to understand why heated floors are in such demand among consumers. And yet, what is it Negative influence on human health?

Fiction or real harm

The harms and benefits of heated floors are something you should understand before installing them in your home. Which accusations against this heating system are fiction, and which are actually true?

The following negative characteristics are attributed to this heating system:

Release of toxic substances when the floor covering is heated. This assumption can be immediately refuted. Even if you lay linoleum or PVC tiles on the floor, no toxic substances will be released into the air. To cause harm to a person from fumes from the surface of low-quality materials, you need to get the floor quite hot. Does anyone really walk around their home as if walking on hot coals? The coolant temperature is 45C, and the floor is usually heated to 28C, which is quite safe.
Harmfulness of electromagnetic radiation. Warm floors are made not only from pipes that cut into the heating system. The design of this heating system comes in several other types: heating mats, infrared thermal film, electrical cables. All of these options involve connecting to an electrical outlet, and like any Appliances that runs on electricity, such warm floors emit electromagnetic waves. However, no matter what cable is used for the floor structure, single-core or double-core, the radiation intensity will be negligible. However, doctors do not recommend increasing the level of electromagnetic radiation in your home. Many consumers are thinking about the dangers of infrared heated floors. In fact, this radiation is safe for humans.
Furniture cannot be placed on heated floors. But this is just the opposite. If you do not provide for the installation of heating elements in areas with furniture, then what to do when you want to update the room and rearrange it? It turns out that sofas and wardrobes will move to heated areas of the room, and you will have to walk on the cold floor. It's not rational. If you look at this issue from the point of view that the temperature of the coating can affect the durability of pieces of furniture, then you definitely shouldn’t be afraid of this. The floor is not hot, and under the influence of 28C nothing will happen to the furniture.
Walk on warm floor harmful. Why should this fear be true if on the hottest days of summer everyone happily walks without shoes on the hot sand? And children love to take off their shoes and run barefoot on the warm ground, because adults themselves say that this is useful.
Warm floors dry out the air in the room. Of course, if you place the heating elements too close to each other, the room will be too hot, and this risks drying out the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose. There is nothing left to do but ensure the room is humidified by regularly using a humidifier. However, if the floor design is thought out correctly, it will not reduce the level of humidity in the apartment.
Due to the heated floor, the room is very dusty. The idea of this heating system is not to dilute cold air warm, but radiate heat, i.e. it does not raise air masses from the floor covering. If a person is allergic to house dust, then there is nothing left to do but clean more often, and it doesn’t matter whether the house has a warm floor. Breathing dust is harmful, however, the wind raises whole clouds of dust on the street and few people think about its dangers.

The above accusations against heated floors are mostly untrue. Of course, some of these problems will pop up, but they are always the result of improper placement of the heating elements.

What is the negative impact of heated floors on human health?

Now we should talk about more significant problems that may arise when using heated floors:

Uncomfortable temperature conditions for sleep. There really is such a problem, since at the height at which it is located sleeping area, the air temperature reaches 23C. It is too hot and not everyone can sleep peacefully under such conditions. Somnologists say that the most comfortable temperature for sleep it’s 18-20C, so the heating will have to be turned off at night, and this is not economically viable. However, there is a way out: you need to install a thermostat and connect it to the heating system. With its help, you can easily regulate the temperature and set the most comfortable sleep mode. In addition, in bedrooms it is better to place heating elements with big step.
Warm floors are harmful to the health of people with vascular diseases. This is true, because it is harmful for a person who suffers from varicose veins or swelling of the lower extremities to keep their feet warm. In this case, again, you will need a thermostat that will allow you to select the most suitable mode.
Housewives suffer the most from such a heating system. This opinion came about because women, standing at a hot stove on a warm surface, risk developing gynecological diseases and varicose veins. To avoid this outcome, it is recommended to cover the floor parquet board, but not artificial material and install an adjustable system whenever possible.

What you should pay attention to when installing heated floors:

compliance technological process when installing a heating system;
arrangement of heating elements with large pitches in bedrooms;
provide the ability to set different temperature conditions;
choose quality natural coating, for example, a special parquet board that will not dry out and will be safe for health.

There is no need to talk about any incredible harm of heated floors for human health. This modern system heating, which allows you to heat the room well and at the same time save money.

Choosing a heated floor

Description of the types of heated floors, their pros and cons, as well as tips for choosing a heated floor...

The use of heated floors is common not only in cold latitudes, but also in areas with a continental climate. This heating system allows you to heat the rooms evenly; be independent from housing and communal services, save space in the room, and also warm floors have a positive effect on the human body.

There are two types of heated floors: water and electric. The second type of heated floors is divided into two more methods electric heating: convection electric floors and infrared.

So should you choose electric or water heated floors?

Advantages of water heated floors

The advantage of water heated floors is their efficiency, since they are connected to a common heating system and can significantly reduce energy costs for heating the room. Can be used to heat water different types fuel and energy. If you live in a private house or cottage, when installing a water-heated floor you will have to take care in advance heating boilers, since the load on them increases significantly.

IN apartment building With central heating, installing a water heated floor is quite problematic. If your apartment does not have individual heating, it will not be possible to install a water heated floor.

Disadvantages of water heated floors

The disadvantage of water heated floors is the reduced service life if the heated area is more than 60 square meters. The next disadvantage is its complexity and high cost of installation. When installing it, you will have to fork out for pumps, filters, and pipes. And yet, if one section or segment of the pipeline is damaged, it will not be possible to disconnect only part of the system, since the pipelines are connected in series. And if the boiler that heats the water stops working, then the water-heated floors will simply be useless.

Electric option is the most popular way of arranging heated floors. Cable system heating has increased reliability, and the high resistance value allows the cable to heat up even at low current, giving off heat to the floor covering.

Advantages of electric heated floors

An electric heated floor is easy to install; it can be laid in a concrete screed, and the screed can be decorated with a special parquet board or ceramic tiles. The heating temperature can be set using a thermostat, which is easy to control. You can adjust the temperature in each room individually. Electric heated floors do not require after-sales service, and they are quite durable. At correct operation the service life can be 50 years.

Disadvantages of electric heated floors

But, despite all the advantages, it is worth saying a few words about the disadvantages of electric heated floors. They require significant energy expenditure when heating large areas, which means heating a spacious house or apartment can cost a pretty penny. In this situation, it is more profitable to use water heated floors. An electromagnetic field is also formed, but due to the shielding braids it is insignificant.

Both water and electric floors have their pros and cons. The main thing when choosing is to take into account many factors: your budget, the size of the room and even the location of the furniture in the room. Taking into account all the nuances, you can choose what you need.

Repairing an apartment without the proper skills is quite a difficult task, and yet, quite often, out of all types of repair operations, homeowners undertake wallpapering the walls. Read the instructions on how to hang wallpaper yourself...

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);
temperature heating element not too large, 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 large area, the required heater power can reach up to 15-20 kW, which will significantly increase the 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:

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.
Heating hot water has a longer service life (as manufacturers say, the mark can reach up to 50 years).
Water will not harm human health, which cannot be said about current.
Installation of cables (or thermomats) is much simpler than water pipes.
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!