How to make underfloor heating your own. We make a water heated floor with our own hands

Having chosen the option of water-heated floors, also called hydraulic ones, as heating, you will have to thoroughly try with their installation. Of all the possible types of underfloor heating, water is the most difficult to install, however, the result is durable, which allows you to achieve more comfort and savings than a traditional radiator system. You can somewhat reduce the cost of installation if you install a water-heated floor with your own hands. To do this, it is necessary to purchase all the necessary elements and materials, as well as to prepare the floor surface in all the premises involved in accordance with the established requirements.

If you have not yet fully decided on the type of underfloor heating -.

Surface preparation. Features of base insulation for underfloor heating

The old screed is completely dismantled down to the base. Unlike when installing a warm floor, it is necessary to level the floor horizontally at the initial stage if there are differences of more than 10 mm.

Important: When using a water heated floor, in the device of which there are several circuits, the damper tape is also laid along the line between the circuits.

In order for the heat not to go down, it is necessary to insulate the base of the floor. Depending on the location of the room and the type of floor, as well as the target orientation of the heating system, the appropriate insulation is selected:

• If a warm floor is an addition to the main heating system, then it is enough to use polyethylene foam with a reflective foil coating as a substrate for a warm floor (penofol).
• For apartments with heated rooms on the floor below, it is sufficient to use sheets of expanded polystyrene or extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 20 to 50 mm or other durable insulation of suitable thickness.
• For apartments on the first floor with an unheated basement or houses in which the floor is located on the ground, more serious insulation should be used in the form of an expanded clay mound and expanded polystyrene sheets 50-100 mm thick.

Advice: You can use specialized heaters for underfloor heating. On the one hand, such materials are already equipped with special channels for laying pipes of underfloor heating systems.

A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the insulation. It is necessary to fix the screed layer, which will cover the entire underfloor heating system. Among other things, it is possible to subsequently fix the underfloor heating pipe to the grid, instead of using special fastening strips and clips. In this case, ordinary plastic ties are used.

Scheme of the surface of the warm floor

Selection of materials and necessary devices

Before you make a warm floor with your own hands, you should decide on the composition of the equipment and all elements of the system and calculate the materials.

The composition and arrangement of a warm water floor includes the following elements:

1. Water heating boiler;
2. Pressure pump (may be part of the boiler);
3. Ball valves at the boiler inlet;
4. Distribution pipes;
5. Collector with a system for setting and adjusting underfloor heating;
6. Pipes for laying on the floor surface;
7. Various fittings for laying the main route from the boiler and connecting floor heating pipes to the collector.

The pipe material for a water-heated floor can be either polypropylene or cross-linked polyethylene. It is better to choose polypropylene pipes with fiberglass reinforcement, since polypropylene itself has a significant linear expansion when heated. Polyethylene pipes are less susceptible to expansion. It is the latter that are most widely used in the layout of surface heating systems.

Pipes with a diameter of 16-20 mm are used. It is necessary that the pipe withstand temperatures up to 95 degrees and a pressure of 10 bar. It is not necessary to chase expensive options with oxygen protection and additional layers. Especially if the main task is to reduce the overall cost of installing underfloor heating.

The collector is a branch pipe with a number of taps (splitter). It is necessary to connect several underfloor heating circuits to one main supply line for warm water and return, chilled water intake. In this case, two splitters are used, which are installed in a special manifold cabinet. One - for the distribution of hot water, and the second - for the collection of return, cooled water. It is in the composition of the collector that all the necessary elements for setting up underfloor heating are placed: valves, flow controllers, air vents and emergency drain systems.

Scheme-example of connecting a water-heated floor

Calculation and distribution of pipes

For each room, the calculation of the length of the pipe and the step of its installation must be made separately. Calculations of a water-heated floor can be performed using specialized programs or using the services of design organizations. It is very difficult to independently calculate the required power for each circuit, while taking into account a lot of parameters and nuances. If you make a mistake in the calculations, this can nullify the entire operation of the system or lead to unpleasant consequences, including: insufficient water circulation, the manifestation of a "thermal zebra" when warm and cold areas alternate along the floor, uneven floor heating and the formation of leaks heat.

The following parameters are required for calculations:

1. Room dimensions;
2. Material of walls, ceilings and thermal insulation;
3. Type of thermal insulation for underfloor heating;
4. Type of floor covering;
5. Diameter of pipes in the underfloor heating system and material;
6. Boiler power (water temperature).

Based on these data, it is possible to determine the required length of the pipe used for the room and the step of its installation in order to achieve the required heat transfer power.

When distributing pipes, the optimal laying route should be selected. It is important to consider that the water, passing through the pipes, gradually cools. By the way, this is not a disadvantage, but rather a plus of water heated floors, because the heat loss in the room does not occur evenly.

When distributing pipes of a water-heated floor in each circuit, a number of rules should be followed:

• It is advisable to start laying pipes from the outer, colder walls of the room;

Important: If the pipe entry into the room is not from the side of the outer wall, then the pipe section from the entry to the wall is insulated.

• To gradually reduce the heating of the floor from the outer wall to the inner, the “snake” laying method is used;
• For uniform floor heating in rooms with all internal walls (bathroom, wardrobe, etc.), laying in a spiral from the edge of the room to the center is used. The pipe is brought in a spiral to the center with a double pitch between the turns, after which it unfolds and unwinds in the opposite direction to the exit from the room and to the collector.

In addition to the length and shape of the distribution of pipes, their hydraulic resistance should be calculated. It increases with increasing length and with each turn. In all circuits connected to the same collector, it is desirable to bring the resistance to the same value. To resolve such situations, it is necessary to divide large circuits with a pipe length of more than a hundred meters into several smaller ones.

For each circuit, a single piece of pipe of the required length is purchased. It is unacceptable to use joints and couplings on pipes that are laid in a screed. So the calculation of the length and the order should be carried out after carefully carried out calculations with thinking through the entire laying route.

Important: The calculation is carried out for each room separately. It is also undesirable to use one circuit for heating several rooms.

To insulate the loggia, veranda, attic, a separate circuit is laid, not combined with adjacent rooms. Otherwise, most of the heat will go to its heating, and the room will remain cold. Warming under a warm floor is carried out in the same way as with a floor located on the ground. Otherwise, there are no differences in terms of installing a warm floor on the loggia.

Video: theoretical seminar on the installation of underfloor heating

Selecting and installing a collector

typical collector for underfloor heating

Having decided on the number of circuits, you can choose the appropriate collector. It must have enough leads to connect all circuits. In addition, the collector is responsible for adjusting and configuring water heated floors. In the simplest version, the collector is equipped with only shut-off valves, which significantly reduces the cost of the system, but practically makes it impossible to adjust its operation.

Slightly more expensive options that include the installation of control valves. With their help, you can adjust the water flow for each loop individually. The increase in cost, although it will be noticeable, but such a system will allow you to set up a warm floor for uniform heating of all rooms.

Mandatory elements for the manifold are an air vent valve and a drain outlet.

For the complete automation of the hydraulic underfloor heating, collectors with servo-driven valves and special pre-mixers are used, which regulate the temperature of the supplied water, mixing it with the cooled back. Such systems, at their cost, can make up the bulk of the budget for an entire underfloor heating installation. For private use, there is no special need for them, because it is easier to carefully set up a collector group of a simpler type once than to spend money on an automatic system that will work in the same mode even under constant loads.

An example of connecting a collector of a warm floor

The collector of a heat-insulated floor is established in a special collector box. The thickness of such a box is most often 12 cm. The dimensions are selected taking into account the dimensions of the collector group with all the necessary additions in the form of pressure sensors, air vents and drains. Under the collector group, there must be a place up to the floor necessary for bending the pipes supplied from all the contours of the warm floor.

The actual installation of a water-heated floor begins with the placement of a manifold cabinet. The collector cabinet should be placed so that the pipes from each room and circuit are approximately equal in length. In some situations, you can bring the cabinet closer to the largest contours.

The easiest way to hide a cabinet is to mount it on the wall. The thickness of 12 cm makes it quite possible. The main thing to consider is that punching holes and recesses in load-bearing walls is strongly discouraged and even prohibited in most cases.

Important: The box should be installed above the level of underfloor heating, not allowing pipes to be removed upwards from it. Only in this case can the air exhaust system work adequately.

The collector cabinet is assembled and filled according to the general standard according to the instructions of the collector used, so that there will be no problems with mounting all the elements and additional equipment.

Video: collector assembly

Choosing a heating boiler

The choice of a boiler is primarily determined by its power. It must cope with water heating at peak times of system loading and have some power reserve. Tentatively, this means that the power of the boiler should be equal to the total power of all underfloor heating plus a margin of 15-20%.

A pump is needed to circulate water in the system. Modern boilers, both electric and gas, have a built-in pump. In most cases, it is enough for heating one- and two-story residential buildings. Only if the area of ​​the heated room exceeds 120-150 m², it may be necessary to install additional auxiliary pumps. In this case, they are installed in remote collector cabinets.

Shut-off valves are installed directly at the inlet and outlet of the boiler. This will help to turn off the boiler in case of repair or maintenance without having to drain all the water from the system.

Important: If there are several collector cabinets, then a splitter is installed on the main route for supplying warm water, and after it - narrowing adapters. This is necessary to evenly distribute water throughout the system.

general view of the entire system (connection of radiators can be excluded)

Installation of water heated floor pipes and pouring the screed

Basically, the laying of a warm floor is carried out using special fixing profiles, which are fixed to the floor with dowels and screws. They have sockets for fixing pipes. With their help, it is much easier to maintain the step distance between the turns of the pipe.

Advice: To fix it, it is enough to use plastic ties, which press the pipe against the reinforcing mesh. It is important not to tighten the pipe too tight, it is better that the tie loop is free.

Pipes are most often supplied in the form of coils. It is impossible to pull the pipe from the coil coil by coil. It is necessary to unwind it gradually as it is laid and fixed on the floor. All bends are made carefully in compliance with the restriction on the minimum possible radius. Most often, for polyethylene pipes, this radius is equal to 5 diameters.

If the polyethylene pipe is squeezed too much, a whitish stripe may appear on the bend. This means that the material began to stretch sharply and formed a hall. Unfortunately, such defects cannot be laid in the underfloor heating system due to the increasing risks of a breakthrough in this place.

The ends of the pipes that lead to the collector, if necessary, are laid through the walls and enclosed in foam polyethylene insulation. To connect the pipes to the manifold, either a Euro cone system or a compression fitting is used.

If this is your first time encountering polypropylene pipes -.

There are several schemes for laying underfloor heating pipes. You can choose the right one according to your needs. Along with other factors, it is worth paying attention to the arrangement of furniture and plans for its rearrangement.

When the underfloor heating installation is completed, a mandatory high pressure system check is performed. To do this, water is poured into the pipes and a pressure of 5-6 bar is applied for 24 hours. If there are no leaks and significant expansions on the pipes, then you can start pouring the concrete screed. Filling is carried out at connected operating pressure in the pipes. Only after 28 days can we assume that the screed is ready, and proceed to further work on mounting the flooring.

Important nuances of forming a warm floor screed

There are some features in the formation of screed over water heated floors. This is due to the principle of heat distribution in its thickness and the floor covering used.

• If the underfloor heating is laid under the tiles, then a screed should be made about 3-5 cm thick, or the pipes should be distributed with a spacing of 10-15 cm. Otherwise, the heat from the pipes will not properly warm up the space between them, and such a phenomenon will appear like a "thermal zebra". At the same time, the alternation of warm and cold stripes will be quite clearly felt by the foot.
• Under laminate, linoleum, etc. it is desirable to form a screed thinner. For strength, in this case, another reinforcing mesh is used on top of the warm floor. This will reduce the thermal path from the pipes to the floor surface. Also, a layer of heat insulator does not fit under the laminate, because it will only worsen the efficiency of the warm floor.

You can turn on heating with a water-heated floor at the first hint of the beginning of autumn cold weather. The initial warm-up may take several days, after which the system will already maintain the required temperature. The large inertia of water heated floors can also play a good role, even if for some reason the boiler cannot heat water for some time, the system will continue to give heat to the premises for a long time. In addition, you can keep the underfloor heating system at low power throughout the year, turning off most of the circuits and leaving only the part that heats the rooms where the flooring is made of ceramic tiles or self-leveling floors (entrance hall, bathroom, etc.), because even in hot weather, such coatings feel cold.

Video: Do-it-yourself installation of a water-heated floor

Whether the warm floor will be a fashion trend or an urgent need for additional heating of the home is not important. The main thing is to clearly understand that this is a responsible process and what the correct installation of a warm floor is.

Types of underfloor heating for individual housing

In Russia, everyone knows steam heating; in the transitional season, residents use all kinds of electric heaters to heat their houses. So warm floors can work on the basis of a hydraulic system or be connected to electrical networks. Which type of heating system to choose depends on the characteristics of individual housing. Therefore, before laying a warm floor advised by friends, it is necessary to find out exactly the legal aspects and the possibilities of its installation in the room.

The rules for laying a warm water floor require thorough preparation, and the whole structure will have a significant mass. In many cases, such a heavy structure is not acceptable in apartment buildings. And not only because of the weakness of the floors, the thickness of the structure with water pipes and preparatory substrates and shelters can reach 15-20 cm. Such systems are possible only on the first floors of multi-storey buildings with a sufficient height of the premises, or in individual buildings.

Owners of apartments in multi-storey buildings, especially with low ceilings, should think about how to lay a warm film floor. This is the simplest version of the electric floor, well suited for light flooring. And for a more massive floor finish of the rooms - tiles or wood, the rules for laying a warm floor recommend choosing cable or rod system options.

How to lay a water heated floor

The water coolant, although it does not have deadly properties like an electric one, can also cause a lot of trouble if you neglect the arrangement of the heating system. An accurate understanding of how to properly lay a hydraulic type warm floor will come after drawing up a detailed wiring diagram and technical calculations of the thermal unit.

How to lay a warm floor based on a hydraulic system

Preparing the base for a water heating circuit is not an easy task. If there is any coating, it must be removed before the floor slab. Thorough heat and waterproofing of the surface and its leveling are carried out. Penoplex or something similar with a density of 40 kg / m³ is taken as insulating materials, the layer thickness should be 30 ÷ 150 mm. Along the walls of the room damper bookmarks made of expanded polystyrene are placed, they are designed to compensate for the thermal expansion of heating surfaces.

Water heated floor, installation rules:

How to lay out pipes for underfloor heating

The heating system using a water coolant has a significant feature. Hot water is supplied from the heating boiler, and, having passed through the heating circuit, it cools down and returns. In the installation of hydraulic structures, it is necessary to understand how to properly lay the pipe for underfloor heating and at the same time avoid intersections and ensure optimal heating of the room.

When drawing up a pipe layout scheme, the following is taken into account:

• an area restriction of 40 m² for one thread of a water pipe, if the room is larger than this parameter, then an additional circuit is placed;
• how to properly lay a pipe for underfloor heating in cold areas of the room, it can be windows or external walls.

Water pipes with different heating modes are damped with polystyrene tapes. This once again emphasizes the accuracy of the installation of the system to the developed project. In the absence of the necessary skills, it is better to turn to specialists.

How to install electric underfloor heating

How to properly install a warm floor made in an electric version depends on its design. Manufacturers produce several types of electric floors:

• cable - is a single or two-core cable;
• execution in the form of mats - the same cable of a smaller diameter, fixed on a mesh polymer substrate;
• rod - a set of infrared heating elements connected in a ladder structure;
• film infrared - a thin lavsan film with soldered heating elements.

How to lay a warm floor from an electric cable and mats

The heating cable can have one or two cores. This determines the scheme of its layout. The single-core version of the coolant is laid in such a way that both ends of it are connected to the network. A two-core cable is connected at one end to the thermostat, and its other end is insulated.

The cable is laid in waves or in a spiral with a distance between turns of 7-15 cm. When calculating the cable, it is recommended to exclude areas occupied by furniture or other dimensional objects adjacent to the floor. The coolant is mounted on a leveled surface with a mandatory heat-insulating layer. Fastening the cable is best done with mounting tape.

The outputs on the wall of cables, working and from the temperature sensor, are placed in protective tubes and placed in a strobe. Conductors are connected directly to the thermostat or through a junction box. The system is being tested to identify weaknesses. If the correct laying of the warm floor is done, then the concrete screed is poured. Concrete is laid with the system turned off, and after about a month, you can perform decorative finishing and use the floor.

Installation of a warm floor from heating mats is carried out in the same sequence. The layout of the mats is preliminarily drawn up and, if necessary, they are cut. Instead of a screed, glue and a top coat can be laid directly on the heating mat. Floor operation begins no earlier than 30 days later.

How to install a warm film floor

Film installation, although it looks quite simple, but also requires a competent approach to construction work. The base of the floor must be level and carefully primed. The film is very thin, so it can tear if the base is not properly prepared.

A heat-reflecting material is laid on a heated, even overlap. Do not work with infrared film at temperatures below 0°C. A cut film is laid on the coating with the copper conductors down, the cuts are made only along the allowed lines. Separate sheets of the film are connected according to the electrical circuit, the outputs of the power wires are connected to the thermostat. Exposed conductors are insulated with bitumen.

After installing the temperature sensor, the heating circuit is tested, if the result of the test operation is positive, the final finishing of the floor surface is carried out.

Despite the apparent simplicity of installing floor heating systems, working with electrical equipment requires strict adherence to safety regulations and control of the production process. If there are not sufficient skills in the production of electrical and construction work, this is not at all a reason to give up comfort. For a qualified installation of a warm floor, you can always turn to specialists.

All about the development of a water-heated floor with your own hands.

In this section, I will tell you how to make a warm floor with your own hands. Let's consider the device of heat-insulated floors. Taking into account my many years of practice, I will tell you how to save on materials and how to make a floor heating scheme correctly. You do not have to buy expensive equipment, in the form of mini schemes for mixing units. Knowing the schemes and devices for the operation of a warm floor, you can design any scheme on the fly and solve the problem of a warm floor.

This article is a complete tutorial on designing underfloor heating. Knowing the physics of phenomena, you will understand the principle of arranging underfloor heating. This information will help you avoid costly problems with your underfloor heating installation.

And it's free!!! This article was developed by a specialist with many years of experience and experience in installing underfloor heating.

Also, this article will be a permanent reference for those involved in and.

This article will be illustrative examples and connecting nodes of underfloor heating. We also solve typical problems.

I'll tell you in a simple, understandable language for dummies, how to install a warm floor!

In this section you will learn:

In this section, I will explain all the nuances that are encountered in the practice of an ordinary installer.

So that you do not get tired ahead of time! We will go from simple to complex. In this article, we will take a closer look at practical experience. Let's look at the dependency graph. Let's count a little. And who wants to count very accurately, you can visit and get acquainted with my personally developed section Hydraulics and heat engineering. This section has more physics and mathematics. In general, whoever wants to consider the entire physics of the processes of water supply and heating, then you cannot do without Hydraulics and Heat Engineering.

As for the temperature of the underfloor heating slab itself, it should not exceed 30 degrees. In general, this is enough. If the mixing unit has a thermostatic valve with a thermal head, then the required temperature setting is adjusted by turning the thermal head. Usually up to 60 degrees. Keep in mind that the temperature of the water in the warm field from the actual temperature of the floor heating slab may differ by 10 - 20 degrees.

The simplest thing in this task is the way of laying the pipe on the surface of the future warm floor.

But even here, new installers manage to do it wrong!

And so, with regard to laying a warm floor, I recommend the snail method, this snail method is the most economical in terms of hydraulic losses. Since with this method, the liquid in the pipe flows with fewer turns, which increases the good flow of liquid in the pipes. Also, the floor heats evenly over the entire area.

For example:

In order to correctly draw and mark a room, it is necessary that the number of longitudinal stripes be even. That is, 8,10,12,14,16 and so on.

For example, there are 16 longitudinal and 18 transverse stripes (Transverse ones do not affect the position of the threads.).

This floor surface is not rectangular and has a chamfer. In such cases, we mark lines parallel to the chamfer with the same pitch as the cell.

And here's what happened:

If the length of the pipes exceeds the allowable value, then it is necessary to lay two contours on the same surface. For example:

If there is an obstacle, then you should bypass this method:

It is important to make the lengths of the contours the same if possible.

There is also practical advice, near the outer walls, make the laying step less by 1.5 times, if the total laying step is not equal to 10mm. Since the floor near the outer walls consumes heat faster.

As for the size of the area?

From my own experience I will say that the area can be 6x6 meters. Or maybe 10x5 meters. In many places and in reference books they write that the area of ​​\u200b\u200ba warm water floor should not exceed 40m 2.

But I will say so! If the length of the floor exceeds 10 meters, then such a floor should be divided into parts. Since the heated floor begins to lengthen as the temperature rises.

A damper tape is laid on the places where the floors are separated. It is better that the whole circuit is within a part of the warm floor. That is, so that the circuit itself does not cross the damper tape.

If you have a large area and need to divide it, then you should make sure that there is a separate contour for each part. The contour is laid by one branch. That is, it is actually one pipe through which one stream runs. That is, the damper tape must separate the flows. Not many pipes should pass through the damper tape. Where is the damper tape - there is a constant change in the distance between the warm floors. And being there can harm them.

In places where pipes enter the heated stove itself, it is necessary to lay it in some kind of insulation. It can be a heat-insulating energy flex, or a corrugated pipe. So that in this place the smoothing of the movement of the plate from .

Underfloor heating?

Now I’ll tell you the difference between an ideal warm floor and so-so:

Option like this:

The base of the floor is not even and has an error of up to 5 cm. That is, somewhere it is normal, and somewhere it is 5 cm lower, or even 10 cm. The insulation has a thickness of 2 to 5 mm. The thickness of the concrete screed is from 5 to 15 cm.

The option so-so refers to the low-quality work of a warm floor. Many have done this before. Let's say the floor does not heat evenly and badly. Heat goes into the stove, especially through a thin insulation. Such a heater is allowed in apartments, and even then such a heater does not economically affect the floor. Heat escapes to the lower load-bearing floor!

The perfect underfloor heating!

The base of the floor is even and has an error of up to 3 cm. Insulation from 25 mm, this is usually polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam (With a density of at least 35 kg / m 3 for strength). The thickness of the concrete screed is from 5 to 10 cm. It is necessary to lay a metal mesh in the screed to strengthen the floor. Also, a metal mesh can play a smoothing effect of heat transfer across the floor. The metal mesh must be laid under the pipe, for reinforcement, you can add a mesh on top of the pipe. A damper tape must be laid along the edges of the floor to compensate for the expansion of the floor.

What about underfloor heating pipes?

The pipe can be mainly made of metal-plastic or. There is a big question, what is better metal-plastic or cross-linked polyethylene. Many sellers and craftsmen argue that it is better for a warm floor to lay a special pipe for a warm floor from.

From my own experience, I can say that the difference is very small and the efficiency is almost the same. So this is a hugely inflated myth about cross-linked polyethylene, and it is also expensive. I can only say that the higher the internal for a warm floor, the better. Since the heating is better and the flow resistance is lower. What improves the efficiency of a warm floor. With regard to heat transfer, then without a doubt it is higher! But is it worth the candle? Not! Firstly, the difference is very small, and secondly, the laws from the calculations of heat engineering fully allow heat transfer. This is that the rate of heat transfer is quite enough to heat the concrete floor. Since the concrete floor itself does not transfer heat as quickly as we would like. If the concrete floor transferred heat instantly, then the effect would be significant.

Copper pipe and corrugated stainless steel pipe can also be used. But these pipes are very expensive and the installation of such pipes is very laborious. So these pipes are definitely out of the question!

The laying of a warm floor has the following sequence:

Explanation for each element of the underfloor heating pie:

1. Styrofoam plate is used to prevent the bottom into the concrete slab or into the lower room. The expanded polystyrene plate must be with parameters of at least 35 kg / m 3 to prevent damage when loaded from above. Usually, for the first floor, which has an unheated lower room (basement, etc.), a polystyrene foam plate with a thickness of at least 100 mm is mounted. For subsequent floors 50mm. Sometimes laying up to 50 mm thick is allowed. For acceptable floor heating, the thickness of the polystyrene foam board should not be lower than 30mm. The polystyrene foam plate is laid on a flat floor surface without gaps, if there are irregularities in the floor, then such drops are covered with screenings and leveled over the entire floor, and then a polystyrene foam plate is laid on the screening.

2. The second layer on the polystyrene board is to lay down either foil penofol or plastic film. Since foil penofol is polyethylene foam covered with foil, it has, like polyethylene film, a waterproofing effect. This effect prevents vapor permeability between the concrete floor and the styrofoam board. If moisture does not pass from one environment to another, then the climate improves in terms of thermal insulation properties. This waterproofing effect reduces heat loss to the bottom, thereby saving thermal energy. And the foil layer additionally increases the vapor permeability insulation, as it is known that various metals have a high resistance to the permeability of various substances. Also, not a little important effect of the foil is its ability to reflect heat rays, which also adds to the downward reduction effect. Also, polyethylene film and foil reduce the penetration of harmful substances from the expanded polystyrene board, as it is known that expanded polystyrene is a harmful substance. Like it or not, but in small quantities you will have to breathe polystyrene foam vapors. Another nuance will be that the open foil in foam foam, when pouring a concrete screed, can quickly be destroyed by the chemical reactions of the solution. Roughly speaking, the solution eats the foil if it is very thin. Ask sellers about false penofol special for underfloor heating in a wet way (that is, a concrete underfloor heating). Foil penofol for underfloor heating can be protected from corroding the foil or be sufficient with a thick layer of foil.

3. A steel mesh with a certain pitch serves to strengthen the base of the concrete screed of a warm floor. The mesh located in the lower layer, when the concrete screed is deformed, goes into tension, and thereby increases the strength of the concrete screed to fracture. In addition, the grid makes it possible to fix the pipe on it. Attached to the grid through plastic clamps, which is sold in electrical stores. The mesh itself is fastened with dowel-nails of a certain length through the foam polystyrene plate to the floor slab. The mesh to the dowel-nails is connected through a metal mounting tape.

4. The damper tape is used to prevent the destruction of the concrete screed from the thermal expansion of the concrete screed itself.

It is poured with a high-quality concrete screed (Cement + screenings. Do not lay a large stone.). So that the screed does not crack, it is necessary to water it for the first week in the morning and evening with cold water, or better buy a special “plasticizer” for this purpose, which is diluted with concrete mortar and prevents cracking. At worst, consult with experts on how to make a smooth screed so that it does not crack. Special additives or additives are sold. The thickness of the screed is not more than 5-7 cm. the distance from the pipe is from 1-3 cm, provided that there is still ceramic tiles on top. If there is no tile, then leave 3-4 cm from the pipe. When the concrete screed dries, do not let hot water through the pipes. Better just leave it under pressure of 1.5-4 atmospheres. What they write must be kept up to 6 atmospheres and so on, also an inflated myth. Everything works and does not deteriorate. And you leave the pressure in order to detect marriage and detect leaks during pipe damage. And all...

Don't worry about the tie! Any tie will do. And do not listen to any firms that promote their technology. Allegedly, their floor transmits heat well and so on. This is again an inflated myth. Again, the difference is very small. Because of some small percentages, such a PR is inflated "mom don't cry!" ... The main thing is that the smaller the thickness of the concrete floor screed, the better the heat is transferred. Since concrete itself plays, albeit small, but thermal insulation. That is, it resists heat transfer. Do not lay parquet on a warm floor. Parquet is also a kind of heat insulator, but already stronger than concrete and ceramic tiles. Lay ceramic tiles on the warm floor. It is allowed to lay down parquet only in warm regions. With us, with 30 degree frosts, this is not possible. Of course, you can put parquet or wood. But you lose a lot of outgoing heat from the floor. Therefore, it is necessary to add heating power to other heating devices (radiators).

How long should the pipeline be in the underfloor heating circuit?

Everything depends on the specific case. Below I will show you a table where the resistance to the movement of water in the pipes is indicated. And you have to understand what length to choose!

For 16 metal-plastic pipes up to 80 meters.

The node scheme for a warm floor can have several options. Consider the simplest visual option, where there are no special problems.

Underfloor heating wiring diagram.

To understand this, let's look at a visual diagram.

Arrows indicate water flows. The floor is a contour of heat-insulated floors.

Which scheme do you think is more efficient? Certainly consistent! In a sequential scheme, the entire pump flow goes to the underfloor heating circuit. And in a parallel circuit, the pump flow is shared with the inflow flow of the inlet circulation. Therefore, if you want to squeeze the maximum efficiency out of the pump for the underfloor heating circuit, then definitely you need a sequential mixing unit system. And it is not discussed.

Also, with a sequential scheme, you can lay many more circuits in one mixing unit. Since the cost of floors can be obtained much more. While on the parallel type, the pump flow is shared with another circulation ring.

To help you understand which schemes are serial and parallel types, let's look at schemes.

Parallel circuits of mixing units:

Sequential schemes of mixing units:

A sequential system is better in that the entire pump flow goes into the underfloor heating circuit. This stream is not shared. Thus, it makes it possible to make a large number of circuits in one mixing unit.

Want to learn how to make a warm floor without a mixing unit?

Do not forget! The diagram does not indicate automatic air vents. I hope it's not difficult to figure out where to put them. Set the supply and return manifolds to a high point. Keep in mind and think that the pump rotor does not spin in the air.

We have not considered the option when there is one circuit for a warm floor. In principle, this is quite possible for one circuit. Only the diameter of the pipes can be reduced, and the power and flow rate of the pump can be reduced by a factor of three. More details below.

You can find out which schemes to apply to three-way valves.

What pump to use for a warm water floor?

Standard circulation pumps are sold on the market for a flow rate of 2.5 m 3 / hour, which is about 40 liters / minute and a head of up to 6 meters. The higher, the faster the flow in the underfloor heating circuit. For a warm floor, there is a standard pump standard with parameters (2.5m 3 / h with a head of 6m.).

If it is indicated on the pump that it has a flow rate of 40 liters per minute, then in reality this does not mean that it will pump like that. It all depends on the throughput of the system itself or the underfloor heating unit. Let's say if you have a lot of long circuits, then they give sufficient resistance to movement, as a result of which the pump flow decreases.

Approximate schedule of all pumps:

And now the real schedule of such a pump (2.5 m 3 / h with a head of 6 m.):

Graph 1.

Now think, the better the transmittance, the less pressure appears on the contours. The more branches (circuits) in one mixing unit, the higher the flow rate and, of course, the lower the pressure on all circuits. So don't overdo it! If a pressure of 3 meters is required for good pumping of the circuit, then it is necessary to observe the flow rate according to the schedule and not increase the number of circuits.

How to find out the total flow in the mixing unit for a parallel circuit?

2. Calculate how many losses all branches (circuit) will produce. But in fact - the number of losses will be able to find the constant flow of incoming heat to the mixing unit. It is usually equal to about 40-100% of all circuit costs. That is, if the total flow rate of the circuits is 15 liters / minute, then the flow rate of incoming heat is approximately 6-15 liters / minute. This is envy of the temperature difference from the incoming temperature and the temperature set by the thermal head. They also affect the consumption and heat loss of the floor itself. That is, if the temperature from the boiler is 60 degrees, and 40 degrees are set in the mixing unit, then the flow rate will be approximately 40%. And if the temperature from the boiler is 75 degrees, and 40 degrees are set in the mixing unit, then the flow rate will be approximately 25%. You also need to take into account the bypass, if it is available, then a constant flow also goes through it. Also add about 6 liters/minute to the bypass. If they are long, then, accordingly, they are large, and, accordingly, the thermal head begins to transmit more heat, which means that the pump flow rate increases, and, accordingly, the pressure drops.

And if it is very difficult to understand, then consider this:

2. Multiply all flow rates of the branches by 2. That is, if the flow rate of all circuits is 15, then the total flow rate of the pump itself should be 30 liters / minute.

How to find out the entire flow in the mixing unit for a serial circuit?

Compare the resulting flow rate with the graph and find the head loss given by the graph. There is a flow scale on the horizontal coordinate, from the desired scale you rise up, rest on the line and then move horizontally to the left and get a pressure scale. The schedule for other pumps is original. You can simply manually draw the scale of your pump and draw an arc in it as shown in graph 1. Since all pumps operate on a standard curve. And depending on the pressure, you can select the required length of the pipeline from table 1.

Check out one more feature!! This is that if a pump with a head of 6 meters, in fact, as usual, produces less pressure, for example 5 meters. If the flow rate is 40 liters/minute, then it can deliver 30 liters/minute. This happens due to various factors: Loss of voltage in the network. Local resistances of the tee nodes themselves. Some narrowing in the pipes, turns and so on. And in the end, you need to consider about 15% lower pump life. Only then will you do the right thing.

Here is a graph of practical experience for a pump with parameters (2.5m 3 / h with a head of 6m.):

Graph 2.

How to find out how long the pipe is needed for underfloor heating.

To calculate this, you need to know the water flow in the pipe for a given length of the pipeline for a certain floor area. Also, at 10m 2 there should be a flow rate of at least 2 liters / minute. Depends on heat loss. Below are the details.

According to table 1, find the pressure loss. And so that the pressure at the inlet to the circuit is not lower along the pipe at a certain fluid flow rate.

And the pressure in one mixing unit is the same for all circuits. The pump creates one pressure for all circuits. The pressure is calculated according to schedule 2.

Don't get confused! This is a comprehensive solution. Read below about the laying step and then it should be clear about the length of the pipeline. The main thing is not to make the pipe too long.

And if it’s simple, then for every 10 meters of 16 pipes it is necessary to pump at least 0.4 liters / minute. That is, 2 liters / minute are needed for 50 meters of pipe. And at 80 meters 3.2 liters / minute.

The comprehensive solution is:

Table 1

Keep in mind that if you install it on an already clogged heating system, then perhaps with this mixing unit you will take some flow from the boiler, which may affect the flow in other heating branches. This problem is solved by adding , with additional pumps.

As for pipe bend losses, they are very small, for example, to obtain a resistance of 1 meter at a speed of 0.44 meters/second, 200 turns (90 degrees) are needed. As a rule, there can be a maximum of 40 on one circuit.

It is very important to know that if you use antifreeze in your heating system, the viscosity of the antifreeze differs from water by 30% to 50%. And this means that the water through the pipes will run even more slowly. And the calculations need to be carried out already by others. It is necessary to add a pump power margin of about 20% or shorten the pipes by 20%. Also keep in mind that the heat capacity of the anti-freeze liquid is again about 20% less. This means that this liquid will carry less heat.

How many contours of a warm floor to complete in one mixing unit?

Based on golden experience:

From experience, I will say a pump with a flow rate of up to 40 liters / minute and a head of 6 meters for a parallel system, up to 8 circuits with a length not exceeding 65 meters for 16 pipes are enough.

For a serial system, up to 12 loops of a long pipe not exceeding 65 meters for 16 are sufficient.

If you decide to make pipes 80 meters long, then you should make 5 circuits for a parallel system, 8 circuits for a serial system, for one such pump.

Just don’t think of making a circuit 100 meters long 16 pipes, it’s not very economical! Verified by my personal experience!

Algorithm for solving this problem for a parallel system.

Let's say you got 6 contours of a warm floor. With the length, you also decided and it is about 80 meters. You also decided on the flow rate and it is equal to 3 liters / minute for each branch.

And now we consider:

We are watching table 1.

combimix

Download program CombiMix 1.0

Video tutorial on calculating the mixing unit

If something is not clear, write in the comments, since I am both the administrator and moderator of this site, I am also the author of this article. I receive notifications of added comments, and I read them.

For many of us, the issue of efficient heating of our homes is always relevant. In many ways, our concerns are related to the poor efficiency of centralized heating, the inclusion of which we look forward to every autumn. We can heat our own house better by equipping our own autonomous heating system. For residents of city apartments with a choice of alternative heating methods, the task is much more difficult.

However, there are options that can be successfully applied in their own households. A water heated floor is a heating system that can fully satisfy the inhabitants of private houses. For an apartment, this option is of little use due to the existing official ban. As an auxiliary means of heating, laying a water floor in the bathroom is carried out.

Do-it-yourself underfloor heating, water, the circuit of which can be connected to a centralized hot water supply or to an autonomous heating device, a real engineering solution. The question is how correctly the calculations will be made, the installation of the pipeline and the installation of structural elements will be correctly performed. Let's deal with questions on this matter in more detail.

Motives preceding the installation of a water floor

If you decide to re-equip the heating system of your own home, preferring a heated floor, the decision is quite justified. Here we can safely talk about the effectiveness of the chosen option. Such a residential heating system is economical, has high performance and technological parameters.

The most interesting thing is that, unlike other heating systems, this heating scheme, i.e. making a water heated floor with your own hands is quite within the power of an ordinary person. Such heating schemes are called hydraulic among professionals. The basic principle of operation is to heat the floor covering from the inside, as a result of the circulation of hot coolant through the pipe. The water circuit is connected to an autonomous boiler, to a centralized hot water supply system. Due to the fact that as a result of heating the floor, an extensive warm surface is created in the heated room, giving off heat to the internal volume of air.

The heated screed acts as a giant radiator, giving off heat energy to the air masses. Uniform heating of the entire floor area ensures the natural circulation of air masses inside the room. Warm air rises, giving way to a portion of the cooled air. In rooms with warm floors, there are practically no cold corners, the air mass warms up evenly, from bottom to top.

Despite the fact that such a heating system is associated with long and labor-intensive work processes, its efficiency is an order of magnitude higher than traditional heating with radiators. Having correctly calculated all the steps and the sequence of work, you can significantly reduce your own costs. When choosing consumables, equipment and accessories, you can use the advice of professionals. Installation requires a clear sequence and adherence to technology. As a result, you will get a durable heating system, the necessary level of comfort in your home. Underfloor heating is much more efficient than a radiator heating system.

Important! When equipping your home with underfloor heating, you should remember that you are making the heating system forever. Laying a long water pipe, subsequent installation of a screed, work processes that are done seriously and for a long time.

Preparatory work

The main problem that you will have to face in this case is the old screed. It will have to be dismantled. This process is not easy, however, you can not do without it.

For reference: It is much easier for owners of new housing in this regard. You have panel ceilings on which you can freely lay water pipes and a new screed. It should be remembered that the weight of a screed with a thickness of 10-15 cm is 200-300 kg / m 2. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the strength and reliability of the entire building.

The preparatory work that you start consists not only in the dismantling of the old concrete coating, but also in the preparation of the surface itself. Your underfloor heating requires a level surface to function properly. The maximum allowable height differences on the surface should not exceed 10 mm. The photo that is brought to your attention shows the process of preparing the surface for laying the heating pipe.

After you have eliminated all the flaws on the surface, proceed to laying the waterproofing layer. Along the walls of the dwelling, around the entire perimeter, lay a damper tape, which will play the role of a thermal compensator for the concrete screed expanding from heating.

On a note: when installing several water circuits, the damper tape is attached not only to the vertical walls of the room, but also between each water circuit, along the laying line.

So that the heat from the heating pipe does not go down, the base of the floor is insulated. For this purpose, you can choose a wide variety of materials that are currently on sale in the assortment. The type and method of insulation depends on the following factors:

• underfloor heating, which is an auxiliary heating system, can be insulated with polystyrene foam, covered on one side with foil. Such material is called penofol;
• if your apartment or living quarters are located above heated rooms, you can limit yourself to ordinary sheets of extruded polystyrene foam 20-50 mm thick or mineral wool;
• living quarters on the first floor require careful insulation. Here you can use bulk expanded clay and expanded polystyrene sheets with a thickness of 50-100 mm.

For reference: today, special insulation boards are on sale, equipped on one side with grooves and channels, designed for laying pipes of a water heating circuit.

A reinforced mesh is laid on top of the insulation, on the basis of which the concrete screed will be held. Usually, it is on the grid that the pipes of the water floor are installed using special brackets, clamps and clips. The picture shows a typical layer cake, the layered structure that underlies a permanent underfloor heating system.

Consumables and equipment

Before you start laying a warm water floor with your own hands, take care of the careful selection of the necessary materials, equipment and equipment. Typically, an underfloor heating scheme includes the following elements and materials:

• heat carrier heating source (autonomous gas boiler, hot water and central heating system);
• circulating pump (some models of gas boilers have pumps in their design);
• distribution pipes;
• blocking valves;
• three-way valve;
• collector;
• main pipe for the water circuit;
• a set of fittings for connecting pipes and equipment.

Of all the listed equipment and materials, special attention must be paid to the choice of pipes that will make up a single heating circuit. As a rule, today in practice polypropylene pipes and pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene are used. In the first case, it would be better to opt for pipes coated with reinforcing fiberglass. Polypropylene has a significant thermal expansion, so thanks to fiberglass, it is possible to reduce the effect of pipe deformation when heated.

Polyethylene pipes are less susceptible to thermal deformation, so they are most often chosen for outdoor communications equipment. The most convenient pipe diameter for water floors is 16-20 mm.

On a note: when buying a pipe, look at the markings. Pipes must withstand a pressure of 10 atm. and a heating temperature of up to 95 0 C. Otherwise, you risk creating a time bomb in your home.

Starting to make a water-heated floor with your own hands, think not only about saving money, but also about your own safety and practicality of the system during operation. Do not chase cheap materials. Just try to purchase pipes from trusted and reliable manufacturers.

Next, go to the collector. This is a fairly complex structural element that has a lot of pipes and outlets. The choice of collector model also depends on the number of water circuits that you want to lay in the premises. The main task of the collector is to regulate the supply of hot water and the removal of the cooled coolant back to the heating source. All pipes laid in the floor are connected to the collector. The manifold includes the entire control group, thanks to which the water floor functions and you have the opportunity to adjust the supply / heating of the water circuit. These are valves that regulate the intensity of water supply to the pipe, air vents, emergency drain valves and thermostats.

Calculations and layout of the water circuit

Laying a water-heated floor with your own hands will require you to carry out certain calculations that will help you get accurate data on the length of the water circuits, their number, and which installation scheme to choose.

For each room, calculations are made individually. To simplify matters, you can use special programs that are available today in specialized companies. It will be better when these calculations are made for you by specialists, visually, on paper, with all the necessary recommendations. Doing calculations on your own means exposing yourself in advance to the risk of getting a technological error in the future. The basic values ​​for calculations are:

• dimensions (area) of the heated room;
• materials from which walls are made, ceilings;
• the level of thermal insulation of the house;
• what type of thermal insulation is laid in the substrate;
• the intended type of flooring;
• water circuit pipe material and pipe diameter;
• heater power, operating pressure in the system of centralized DHW or CH systems.

Based on these parameters, you can get a clear idea of ​​​​the length of the pipeline and the step size when laying the pipe. After the received calculations, decide on the layout of the heating pipe.

Important! When choosing a layout for laying a water circuit, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the water circulating through the pipe cools down. Therefore, the installation of the pipe should begin from the outer wall. Thus, you protect the heated room from the cold air zone.

In order to get a gradual decrease in the degree of floor heating from the outer wall to the center of the room, it is preferable to choose a "snake" laying pattern. In order to obtain uniform floor heating in rooms with internal walls, the “snail” laying scheme is used, i.e. in a spiral, from the edge of the room towards the center. Here the pipe is brought to the center in a spiral with a double pitch between each turn. Having reached the center, the pipe is unfolded and laid in the same form, only in the opposite direction. Both ends of the heating pipe must be connected to the corresponding collector nozzles.

When installing a warm floor, remember the step to be followed. Usually they are laid in increments of 10-30 cm. With large heat losses in the house, the optimal pipe laying step is 15 cm.

If the pipe pitch is more or less clear, then the situation with hydraulic resistance is ambiguous. The more turns and bends in the pipe, the higher the resistance. For each water circuit connected to the collector, this parameter must be made the same value. Contours with a length of more than 100 meters are divided into shorter segments of equal length. When laying a heating pipe, it is strictly forbidden to use joints and install couplings.

On a note: the installation of a coupling or tightening fittings is only allowed if you repair the break by repairing a water heated floor.

A separate circuit is used for each room. If you want to heat a balcony or loggia in this way, try to lay a separate circuit for this purpose.

Selecting and installing a collector

It has already been said above that the collector model depends on the number of water pipes laid in the floor. The device must have a number of outputs corresponding to the number of heating circuits. The task of this device is to be responsible for regulating the supply of hot water to the heating system and the removal of the waste coolant back to the heating device.

The simplest option is a collector equipped only with shut-off valves, but such a device practically makes it impossible for you to regulate the operation of the entire heating system. In more expensive models, control valves are provided, thanks to which you can independently set the optimal intensity of the water flow for each heating pipe individually. An obligatory attribute of any collector, an air vent valve and a faucet, an emergency drain. In most cases, simple, cheap collector models are installed. For normal operation of the equipment, it is enough to adjust all the valves once in accordance with the specified parameters.

If you are not looking for savings, it is better to purchase a device equipped with servo drives and mixing units. Such equipment allows you to automatically adjust the temperature of the water supplied to the pipes of the warm floor.

On a note: do not forget! Your collector must be installed directly in the heated room or next to it, in the neighborhood. For this, a special collector cabinet is made (dimensions 50x50 cm or 60x40 cm). The depth of the structure is 12-15 cm. If desired, the collector cabinet is recessed into the wall so that the whole structure can fit into the interior of the living space.

The collector cabinet is placed above the level of the water floors. Usually, all water circuits coming out of the screed are hidden in a special decorative box.

Installation of pipes and pouring screed

Worth noticing right now! Laying pipes does not mean that you can immediately start pouring a new screed. The screed is mounted only after starting the heating system. When the pipeline is filled with hot water, the water circuits calmly withstand the operating pressure, do not deform, there are no leaks at the connection points, you can begin work on the screed device.

Checking the readiness of the warm floor is done at elevated pressure. Water is supplied to the water circuit at a pressure of 5-6 bar, which is three times the normal operating parameters. Under such pressure, your system should stand for at least a day. Further, the pressure is reduced, bringing it to normal parameters, and using a collector, the optimum temperature for heating the living space is set. After start-up, your system should stand idle for 2-3 days, during which you should carefully monitor the performance of all elements and equipment.

The installation of the screed is done with the system turned on in accordance with a certain technology. The concrete structure is based on a sand-cement mixture with the addition of plasticizers. The video shows how you can make a screed for your own hands.

Choosing a heat source for a warm water floor system

Here you should immediately put everything in its place. There are three options for connecting a water floor:

• warm water floor from an autonomous gas boiler;
• underfloor heating from a domestic electric heater (boiler);
• water floor, to a central heating system or to a DHW system.

The first, most common option, which is mainly installed in new private households. A gas boiler is the most suitable heating device with which you can ensure the full performance of your home heating system. A warm water floor in this regard will work stably and efficiently.

If you have expressed a desire to connect a water circuit to heat the bathroom and bathroom through a boiler, the situation looks a little different. You will need a flow boiler that can regularly heat water to the required temperature. This option, it should be said right away, is very costly and ineffective.

And finally! Very popular among residents of city apartments is the scheme for connecting heating floors for a bathroom to centralized communications. The option of connecting a water pipe to a central heating system does not differ in practicality and is used only in case of emergency. It will be much more efficient to connect the water circuit to the coil (towel dryer). Usually, heated towel rails are installed in apartment buildings, which play the role of an additional loop in the hot water supply system.

Important! It would be appropriate to recall that this type of connection is not legal. A number of technological factors play a role here, which cannot be ignored.

Returning to an autonomous heating system, to a gas boiler, you must not forget that your unit must have an appropriate power reserve. For example, a conventional gas boiler for autonomous heating should have a capacity of 1 to 10 of the total heated area. These values ​​are taken for rooms with ceilings no higher than 3 m and with moderate consumption of hot water for domestic needs. This means that in addition to the power required to heat the coolant in the system and provide the inhabitants of the house with hot water, you will need a boiler with a capacity of 30-40 kW, taking into account the power reserve.

Conclusion

The device of a water floor, unlike a radiator heating system, at first glance looks bulky, costly and troublesome. You should not tell a lie if you claim that if you wish, you will limit yourself to minimal discomfort and little physical effort. Installation of underfloor heating for any room is a troublesome and difficult task. However, these worries and difficulties are worth it and will pay off in the future. If you managed to do everything right, without deviating from technology, your floor will serve you faithfully for decades.

In apartments on the 1st floor and in private houses, the floors are not very warm, which makes residents uncomfortable, and heat leakage through the floors reduces the weight of their wallets. How to quickly and inexpensively make the floor warmer?

Since there are many design options, there is no clear answer. Consider the basic principles of how to make floors warmer, as well as floor insulation technologies that are often used.

Make the floor warmer quickly with cheap materials

Often no one wants to start long repairs. But at the same time there is a great need to make the floor warmer.

In order to quickly, slightly insulate the floor, you need to put a layer of heat insulator over the existing coating, but elastic, on which you can walk. We are talking only about felt up to 2 cm thick. On top of the felt, you can also put carpet up to 0.5 cm thick. Under the legs of the furniture, you will need to put planks, for example, from a laminate, so that it does not load much.

In total, you can quickly, in one fell swoop, make the floors a little warmer. But cardinally such warming will not correct the situation with cold floors. Why?

A little theory about floor insulation

A significant part of the heat from the house (apartment on the 1st floor) leaves through the floors if they are not insulated. This requires increasing the heating power in order to keep the indoor temperature normal. And the floors themselves become cold, forcing the tenants to keep their feet up.

To change the situation and make the floors warmer is possible only with the help of insulation. Those. a barrier of insulation is needed, which would significantly reduce the escape of heat through the floors.

Floors above cold undergrounds and basements must have a certain resistance to heat transfer, which is regulated by the standard. For the south-temperate climatic zone, this value is 3.7m2C/W (while for walls it is only 2.8 m2C/W). But when the outside air is below the floor, for ceilings above driveways, or when the house is on stilts .... - already 4.2 m2S / W is required.

The further north, the greater the resistance to heat transfer should be at the floors - for the north-temperate zone - 5.5 and 6.2 (m2C / W), respectively.

Based on economic benefit

The requirements of the standards are “invented” based on economic feasibility. The state does not order to create less thermal resistance, because it is not profitable in the first place.

Ordinary floors have very low resistance to the movement of thermal energy - it is either just a concrete slab or a 40 mm board. Therefore, to achieve the required thermal resistance, a significant thickness of the insulation will be required.

To make the floor warmer in the south-middle regions, you need to apply 10 centimeters of foam or 13 cm of mineral wool. And for the northern ones - 15 and 20 cm, respectively.

You can argue - why do you need to comply with the standard? 10 cm is expensive. And 5 cm will do. Unfortunately it won't work. It will be cool and not economical, as a result - much more expensive. It is recommended to follow the requirements of the regulation, which are based on obtaining the ultimate economic benefit from heat savings.

Insulate floors from the outside or from the inside

Insulation from the inside will "eat" the height of the room by at least 12 cm, but maybe by all 25 in a cold climate. In some areas, this is simply unacceptable.

It is usually preferable to insulate from the outside - from the side of the underground.

For wooden floors, if there is no access from below, then the boards are torn off and insulated between the lag.

But when the floors are made on the ground, or are on a concrete base inaccessible from below, then it is necessary to insulate on top. Sometimes at the same time they sacrifice the thickness of the insulation (heat) in order to preserve the internal dimensions.

How to make the floor warmer on a concrete base

If the base of the floor is concrete, monolithic or the floors are made on the ground, then there are no special questions about how to make the floors warmer from the inside of the room.

It is necessary to use a hard durable insulation. - extruded polystyrene foam under a concrete screed. This insulation is a vapor barrier, but in combination with concrete, this is not bad - the base will simply remain at the mercy of its climate.

A vapor barrier is laid on the base (soil) with a twist on the wall, a side is laid out along the walls from a heater with a thickness of 1-2 cm to the height of the concrete screed.

Further, expanded polystyrene plates are laid out with a continuous carpet in 2 - 3 layers until the standard thickness is reached. A cheap polyethylene film is usually placed on top of the insulation and a concrete screed 5 cm thick is poured on top (the strength of the base should allow).

With slight modifications, heated water floors are also made using this technology.

Thermally insulating the concrete slab from below

If the concrete base is accessible from the basement side, then reducing the height of the rooms can be avoided and extruded polystyrene foam can be glued from the underground side. Although this process is much more complicated and expensive. The work is carried out using the “wet facade” technology. But with the protection of the insulation from a rodent by attaching a metal mesh to the dowels.

Can styrofoam be used in this case? It all depends on the humidity of the air. If the humidity under the floor is the same as outside, i.e. frosty winds are walking, then cheap polystyrene is preferable. But if the underground is not well ventilated and the humidity is high there, it is better not to risk it and insulate it with waterproof polystyrene foam.

double floors

Double floors are not a difficult option to make floors warmer in terms of getting the job done. When the height of the room allows, it is possible to lay new floors on the logs on the old foundation. This can also be done on old wooden floors.

How to make the floors warmer by creating a new crate can be found in this video.

How are insulated floors made?

It remains to pay attention to three mandatory constructive solutions:

• solid vapor barrier under mineral wool;
• ventilation gap over mineral wool;
• coating of mineral wool with a vapor-permeable membrane preventing the spread of micro-dust.

• Styrofoam should not be used under a burnable coating.
• Instead of rigid mineral wool boards containing phenol, it is better to use glass wool without fillers, which should be checked according to the documentation. Phenolic derivatives should not evaporate into the room.

How to insulate a wooden floor

The classic option to make the floor warmer is to lay insulation between the lags. But here it is also important to perform a vapor barrier of the insulation, only now it should be from the side of the room, since from below, from the cold air side, ventilation of the insulation should be organized. Otherwise, the accumulation of water and the destruction of the floors threaten.

On the sidewalls of the lag, shard beams are stuffed. Wooden flooring is laid on them, mineral wool insulation is laid, then it is covered with a vapor barrier membrane, above which a ventilation gap of 2 cm is left to the flooring.

Thermal insulation of floors with heavy materials

Floors can be made warmer with cheap materials. Which have not a small specific gravity. For example, using slag, expanded clay, fragments of foam concrete.

But the thickness of the layer should be significant, in accordance with the coefficient of thermal resistance of materials - up to half a meter.

Usually such a heavy insulation is covered with a layer directly on the ground, and on top of them they make floors on logs. But a vapor barrier is placed on the ground, and convection air movements are prevented in the insulation layer by covering it on top with a diffusion membrane, or at least with newspapers sprinkled with a layer of sand.

Loose, loose materials

Vermiculite, loose stone wool, ecowool, dried algae - all these materials absorb water very well. They can be placed between the lag settlement layer, but with the obligatory use of reliable vapor barrier from the warm air in the room.

It is necessary to organize good ventilation of the hem, and do not forget that the insulation will be moistened with vapors from the ground, in case of insufficient ventilation.

You can also fill a low underground with a thick layer of materials that were used for insulation before - straw, foliage, sawdust.

They are pre-mixed with lime to prevent rapid biodegradation. The layer also needs to be covered with a membrane so that small particles do not spread and there is no waterlogging of the material. From below, such a heater is also desirable to be protected from ground moisture and from rodents.

A few technologies discussed will help to make the floors warmer in any case, even if there is no special design option needed. It is not difficult to make floors warmer in any situation, if you do not save on insulation and prevent it from getting wet.