The floor heating device has always attracted special attention. The building materials market offers a variety of floor heating systems. Good underfloor heating: how to choose if there is no complete information about which underfloor heating is better?
In this article, we will try to talk in detail about what floor heating systems are, what advantages and disadvantages they have.
What is underfloor heating
The history of underfloor heating is not so short. Even in ancient Rome, in buildings near thermal springs, floors were heated with hot water. Hot water came from sources through pipes laid under stone ceilings.
Today, this idea has been successfully implemented in water heating systems for the bases of premises. Along with water heating, there are efficient electric heating systems. Consider all modern underfloor heating devices:
- water heating;
- electrical cable;
- heating mats;
- infrared film.
Water heating
In an apartment building it will not be possible to legalize the installation of warm water floors It must be said right away that the installation of water floor heating in apartment buildings cannot be legalized. This is easily explained by the fact that no public utilities will allow you to connect additional equipment to the central heating system. Installing a gas boiler in the apartment is also unlikely to be allowed. Although there are exceptions.
Therefore, water floor heating is most often installed in large rooms of public buildings and private households.
Which underfloor heating is better to choose if the house is connected to the water supply and central gas supply? Of course, it is worth thinking about the device of water heating of the flooring in the house.
How does underfloor heating work?
The basis of all heating equipment are pipelines laid on the base of the floor. Pipes are made of two types: metal-plastic hoses and pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene. 
Consider these two types in order to know which pipeline to choose is better:
Metal-plastic hose
The pipe is a complex composite multilayer compound of aluminum and polyethylene. The layers are connected with a special adhesive composition.
The disadvantage of such materials is that in case of poor-quality pipe manufacturing, its structure can delaminate, and this can lead to very unpleasant consequences during heating operation.
Cross-linked polyethylene
Polyethylene pipes are more reliable than metal-plastic ones The structure of the polyethylene hose is made of one-dimensional plastic. Such pipes are more reliable than metal-plastic products. Manufacturers assure that polyethylene hoses can carry water at a temperature of 60 degrees for 100 years.
Pipes of both types are produced with an outer diameter of 16 mm. Choosing the best heat pipeline should be based on the conditions of the premises and your financial capabilities.
The water heating system includes a whole range of high-tech equipment: a gas boiler, a pump, a set of collectors, a pipeline and other components.
Without the appropriate qualifications, it is impossible to undertake the installation of water floor heating on your own in any case.
Underfloor heating with electric heating
Unlike complex water systems, electrical devices are easy to install and cost less. To have an idea of how to choose an electric underfloor heating, consider the design features of each type of heating device. Based on this information, everyone can draw conclusions about which electric underfloor heating is better.
There are three types of electric floor heating systems:
- electrical cable;
- heating mats;
- infrared film.
Electrical cable
An electric cable is laid on the floor base as a heating element.
The wire is fixed in the form of a compressed sinusoid. The cable, connected to the mains through a thermoregulation system, heats the flooring in the room to a comfortable temperature level.
Heated flooring up to 20 - 25 degrees will allow you to walk barefoot on the floor on the most frosty days.
The cable is mounted in sections, and then they are connected The cable is a shielded wire with two layers of insulation. The wires are mounted in separate sections, which are interconnected into a single structure with special hermetic couplings.
The heating cable system is absolutely safe and withstands high humidity conditions.
Cable electric underfloor heating can be laid in all living quarters and even on a glazed loggia. Through the electric heating control system, it is possible to set different temperatures in each room separately.
Here are some technical characteristics of electrical cables:
| Power kW | Floor heating 200 W/m2 | Length cable | Resistance, Ohm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0,175 | 0,9 | 9,8 | 271 |
| 0,28 | 1,4 | 15,6 | 168 |
| 0,485 | 2,4 | 27 | 119 |
| 0,67 | 3,4 | 37,4 | 58 |
| 2,35 | 11,8 | 13,1 | 16,7 |
For those who are thinking about which underfloor heating to choose, we will inform you that the cable system is the cheapest of all types of electric heating of building envelopes.
Thermomats are good to lay under the tiles Lay electric mats by simply rolling the rolls. The mats are connected with special insulated clamps.
Since the mats are thin, they are perfect for ceramic tile flooring. Therefore, the question of how to choose a warm floor for tile flooring is solved very simply.
The main advantage of thermomats is ease of installation. Electric heating mats, by their design features, can affect the decision of the question of which warm floors are better. How do electric mats differ from an ordinary cable floor?
Mats are the same cable that does not need to be specially laid out over the entire surface of the flooring base. The wire is attached to a fiberglass mesh. Its diameter does not exceed 3 mm. These mats are sold in rolls. Together with a set of electric mats, be sure to purchase the appropriate thermostat.
Subsequently, the tiles are glued directly onto the electric mats.
Infrared warm floor
Often you have to solve a dilemma: a warm floor, what should it be - infrared or cable? We have already talked about cable heating, now we will consider infrared film heaters. For more information about heating a house with an infrared floor, see this video:
Infrared film is the latest achievement in the field of interior heating. Due to the thin material, the warm coating is called film. Thanks to this, the infrared warm coating can be laid directly under the floor material: laminate, parquet, linoleum.
It is forbidden to apply any adhesive compositions on the film. Therefore, when installing a ceramic tile flooring, the installation of an infrared film is excluded.
When deciding how to choose a warm electric floor, one must not forget about the economic side of things. Infrared film is one of the most expensive underfloor heating coatings.
Advantages and disadvantages of the device of different types of underfloor heating
Water floors are best arranged on the 1st floor of your house
Before purchasing the most optimal type of underfloor heating, you should consider the features of each technology:
- It is advisable to install a water floor on large areas of the first floors of houses. Experts do not recommend making water heating at the upper levels of buildings. This will cause unjustified risks in the event of an emergency due to unauthorized pipeline leakage.
- Electric heating cable is laid in a very short time. However, the heating device in spacious areas leads to a large consumption of electricity.
- Heating mats are an advanced cable covering. The mats are much thinner than the cable, which allows them to be laid directly under the floor covering.
- Infrared film coatings outperform all of the above types of floor heating. However, despite their attractiveness, the cost of such warm floors is still very high. When choosing which underfloor heating is better, you need to know that the installation of film heating does not require a concrete screed or dry floor.
Before installing any type of heating, the base of the floor is covered with a vapor barrier and insulated.
