A warm water floor can be an ideal source of heating for a private house. But this is provided that it is correctly designed and laid. If the technology of laying a warm water floor is observed.
At the first stage, thermal insulation of walls and ceilings is carried out. Next, calculate the required floor power, buy the desired model. After that, you can proceed with the installation of a water-heated floor in a private house.
There are two main schemes for installing a warm water floor: "snake" and "snail" (spiral). The “snake” is easier to lay, but it is not very effective in the design of the water floor: the coolant cools down as it moves towards the opposite wall.
In a small room, this is not criminal, but for a large room, a “snake” is not an option.
Spiral styling is suitable for any room. The first part of the pipe (the hottest) runs along the outer walls. Further, the “shell” twists towards the middle. From the middle, the movement back begins with a repetition of the same trajectory.
With such a scheme, the heating of the outer side of the circuit will be more powerful, the middle - weaker, and in general the room will be heated evenly.
The scheme for mounting a warm water floor on mats is simpler: channels are provided in the design of the mats themselves. Or bosses between which pipes are laid.
Regardless of the installation method, there are general rules for installing underfloor heating:
The maximum heating area with one circuit is 40 squares. The length of the pipe is about 100 meters. If the area of the room is larger, two circuits should be installed.
It is also not recommended to heat adjacent rooms with one circuit, even if they are small. Especially when it comes to rooms with different temperature conditions: a room and a loggia (veranda), a room and a bathroom.
Installation of a system of water-heated floors involves the installation of a distribution manifold, with which you can adjust the parameters of the coolant for different rooms separately.
For underfloor heating, plastic, polyethylene and metal-plastic pipes are used. The optimal section is 1.6-2 cm. If the laying is done under the screed, it is better to choose metal-plastic. It is stronger, there will be no risk of damaging the pipe when installing the screed.
The pipe for a heat-insulated floor is released in coils. Do not unwind the coil in advance and stretch the pipes, this can lead to the formation of creases. Unwind the pipe as it is laid gradually.
As a heater, polystyrene foam boards with a density of 35 kg per cubic meter and a thickness of three to 15 cm are suitable. When laying the floor on the ground (or if there is an unheated basement below), it is better to use extruded PPS with a thickness of at least 5 centimeters.
The installation instructions for a water-heated floor under a screed prohibit the operation of a warm floor until the concrete has completely solidified (about a month).
Increase the temperature of the coolant should be gradual. The necessary heating of the floor is achieved in about three days.
Options and installation procedure
When there is already water heating in the house, the task is to integrate underfloor heating into an existing system. If the device of the system starts from scratch, it is necessary to install a thermal unit for a water-heated floor.
The concept of "heat unit" includes a heating boiler with a heat exchanger and the main elements of its piping:
- circulation pump. The device of a heat-insulated floor obliges to choose forced circulation of the heat carrier in a contour;
- filter. It is installed together with the pump, it is needed to clean the coolant;
- expansion tank - a device for relieving excess pressure;
- safety group: pressure gauge, automatic air vent, safety valve and other elements that control the operation of the system and prevent emergency situations.
When using a gas boiler, it is also necessary to provide a gas supply from a main or cylinder and a chimney. When using an electric boiler, a power cable must be connected to the heating element.
The pump is most often installed on the return pipe (the pipe through which the cooled coolant returns to the boiler) directly in front of the boiler. The expansion tank is usually placed at the highest point of the system, but for closed systems with membrane-type tanks this is an optional condition.
Important! To connect the boiler to the gas main, permission from the local administration is required. Insertion into the trunk line and connection may only be carried out by personnel who have the appropriate license.
The installation of the floor itself can be carried out in several ways - with or without a cement-sand screed, using special insulating mats, laying pipes between wooden logs or over a subfloor.
The choice of method depends on the type of foundation: if the house is wooden, the screed is not used, because. load-bearing timber structures will not withstand the load. And when laying on the ground, a screed is needed, because. without it, the thermal efficiency of the floor will be low.
The choice also partly depends on the floor covering: laying a screed under a laminate is undesirable, because. too thick an intermediate layer between the pipes and the room will prevent heating. And the technology of installing a water-heated floor under a tile involves a screed device.
Another selection criterion is the height of the ceilings. The screed inevitably takes up some of the usable space in the room.
The procedure for installing a warm water floor with a screed:
- Level the base with cement-sand mortar or leveling compound.
- Lay waterproofing film.
- Put in a heater.
- Lay the joints of the floor with the wall with a damper tape.
- Lay a layer of polyethylene foil: waterproofing and reflective surface.
- Lay reinforcing mesh.
- Lay the pipes according to the diagram. Fasten to the grid cells with plastic clamps.
- Pump water into the system, test for leaks during the day.
- Pour a screed 4-7 cm high. The recommended brand of concrete is M300. You can use the finished mixture for underfloor heating.
- Dry the screed and lay the finish coat.
Installation of a warm water floor without a screed is carried out in two ways: with laying pipes between the logs or on top of the subfloor. Modifications for these methods may be different.
For example, a modular system implies the presence of ready-made wooden modules with milled grooves for pipes. Rack - wooden slats are stuffed onto a sheet of plywood, the gaps between them are channels for laying pipes.
The layered structure of the floor between the lags looks like this: waterproofing + insulation + reflective plates with channels for pipes + pipes + plywood sheet + top coat.
When laying on top of the flooring, the insulation is also placed between the lags on the waterproofing. Above - plywood or subfloor boards. It is recommended to grind the boards so that there are channels for pipes between them.
Foil is used as a reflective layer, it is attached to the boards with brackets. Further, pipes are laid in the channels and fixed on top with narrow metal plates. The plates are attached to the boards.
Instead of boards, you can use polystyrene mats with channels for pipes. The standard size of the mats is 0.5 meter, they are interconnected by ready-made locks. Between the mats and the walls leave a gap for thermal expansion of 10 cm.
The last step is to lay a waterproofing coating and a finishing floor.
findings
- We will carry out the correct installation of a warm water floor on our own.
- The method of installation depends on the characteristics of the base and the type of flooring.
- If it is necessary to heat a large area or several rooms, several circuits are installed.
- With any installation method, it is necessary to lay waterproofing, insulation and heat-reflecting elements.
Video about the technology of installing a water-heated floor.
