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How to choose a heated floor?


24-06-2024

Insufficient work of public utilities in the autumn and winter often leads to instability of the temperature regime in the room. This can affect the health of small children and the elderly. Therefore, the installation of heated floors in a house or apartment can be a relevant solution to the problem.

With proper observance of the installation technology, heat and noise insulation characteristics are significantly improved, uniform heating of the air is ensured, and money is saved on heating. In addition to installation, another important issue is the correct choice of the type of heated floors.

What options do manufacturers offer?

Systems of this type are divided into two main groups - water and electric floors. In the first case, such structures are a pipe that is filled with cement and provides circulation of hot water from the heating boiler. Water floors are used mainly in private houses.

The choice of electric underfloor heating implies the following classification:

  • Cable. A resistive two-core cable is used as a heating element here. The material is offered in different dimensional parameters by length. When installing such floors, it is necessary to raise the floor level by 5 or more centimeters.

  • Heating cable mat. Being a variation of the previous type of electric floors, it has a cable fixed on a fiberglass mesh. The step of its placement is 7.5-10 cm. These products are easy to install, but are used only under tiles, directly in tile adhesive.

  • Film (infrared). This is the most modern type of heated floors. Linoleum, laminate, tiles and parquet can be laid on its surface. The product uses a thin carbon film as a heating element. It is mounted using the dry mounting method directly on the screed under the floor covering.

Which heated floor should you choose: water or electric?

This is explained by the rising cost of electricity and the relative cheapness of gas, firewood, coal and other fuels. However, before choosing this floor format, you should take into account the following features of heated floors:

  • complexity of the design - the floors are a whole system with a pump, pipeline and hot water;
  • the likelihood of leaks - no water system is immune to it;
  • complex and expensive installation - it is impossible to install pipes in tile adhesive, and the process itself requires a lot of work;
  • impossibility of installation in apartment buildings - the reason for this is the leaks mentioned above;
  • accidents - the operation of the equipment requires frequent and expensive repairs.

It is also necessary to take into account the high inertia. If the main method of obtaining heat in the house is water heating with an automatic boiler, then floors of this type will definitely be advantageous. Otherwise, the heating temperature will need to be regulated independently. As for electric floors, the regulation system allows flexible use of their operating mode.

How to choose an electric heated floor?

The efficiency of the equipment and the quality of air heating in the room are usually assessed taking into account three main parameters - the amount of operating costs, the cost of purchasing materials and installation, the results of the device's operation.

What to choose - cable or infrared film?
Infrared floors are compact, but they only allow outdoor installation. This is explained by the fragility of bitumen insulation, which is subject to the slightest mechanical impact. In addition, the film surface is characterized by insufficient adhesion to adhesives and screeds. Cable floors are universal, providing decent strength and wear resistance.

Heating efficiency
Film options provide lightning-fast heating. But only 50% of such products provide for compliance with the operating period declared by the manufacturer.

Cable floors heat up more slowly, but retain heat evenly and stably. With their help, the entire area of ​​the room is heated, and not just the area above the system.

Installation process
In terms of ease of installation, infrared film takes first place - it is simply laid directly under linoleum or other covering. In second place are cable structures in the form of heating mats of a certain size. Thin cables laid in tile adhesive require the skills of the master. The last place is occupied by cables in a screed - due to the large amount of work and time.

Safety
Infrared film is considered the safest. Mats and cable materials also mostly do not provide for dangerous situations - if the integrity of the floor covering is not violated. The same can be said about the cable in the screed, which also has additional protection.

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