What are the reviews about warm water floors? Underfloor heating - the pros and cons of water and electric heating systems Underfloor heating as the main heating pros and cons.

A warm electric floor is a unique engineering design that allows you to heat the entire room, perfectly complementing other heating systems. In some cases, underfloor heating even becomes the only heating element. This design can be used not only in houses, but also in other renovated premises.

Most often, underfloor heating is used in rooms where the floor is lined with porcelain stoneware or tiles. In addition, it is extremely rare that an electric floor is used without a central heating system. As a rule, these structures complement each other. The electrical system helps warm up the cold floor. Most often, tiles or porcelain tiles are laid out in the bathroom, in the kitchen or in the hallway, therefore, underfloor heating is often used in these areas.

It is worth noting the absolute advantage of a warm floor - heating the air to a height of up to 2.5 meters from the floor. Warm air indoors makes the living conditions in it even more favorable and comfortable.

Particular attention should be paid to the installation process of the electric floor. It is highly not recommended to save on materials, even if it seems that the difference will be insignificant. It is best to entrust the installation to professionals.

Benefits of installing underfloor heating

Electric underfloor heating is very popular today for a number of reasons:

The design of the electric floor is able to eliminate the disadvantage central heating in apartments. As a rule, the main heating in modern dwelling least of all heats the floor, leaving it rather cold. This is due to the fact that the batteries are located at some distance from the floor, as a result of which accumulates below cold air. Underfloor heating helps solve this problem. As a result of the installation of an additional structure, the heating of the room becomes uniform.
Installation of a warm floor does not require the use of additional equipment, what is he doing possible installation such a design in any room.
The degree of floor heating can be easily controlled, choosing the most optimal option for yourself.
A warm electric floor is complemented by a special thermostat, which allows you to set the required temperature in each room. In some areas, the heating can also be easily turned off altogether.
Warm air from the floor rises, thereby eliminating the formation of drafts in an apartment or house.
An electric floor allows you to rid any room of excess moisture, which, in turn, eliminates the likelihood of mold.
Warm flooring can easily be made the main source of heating in the house, thus getting rid of the batteries, which take up extra space and collect a lot of dust.
The electric floor is pretty robust construction which rarely fails. If the installation process went correctly - in accordance with the instructions, then breakdowns are unlikely to appear. Most often, problems with a warm floor appear only in cases where a breakdown or damage has occurred through the fault of the owner. For example, if a nail was driven into one of the elements of the system. If some kind of malfunction nevertheless arose, you should not worry and panic, since any electric floor can be easily repaired. If it is not possible to do this yourself, you can contact the service center.
The underfloor heating system is absolutely safe and resistant to moisture. Thanks to this design, you can create warmth and comfort in the house.
The design of the warm electric floor is compact and convenient, so it does not reduce the height of the ceiling in the room.
All structural elements of the warm floor are well hidden from the eyes, which makes the system inconspicuous and neat.
Installation of the structure is quite simple, even a person without much experience can install all the equipment and the system as a whole.
With the help of a warm floor, the surface in the house warms up evenly and equally everywhere.

Disadvantages of an electric floor

Despite the large number of advantages of the design of a warm floor, this system still has some drawbacks:

The first and most obvious disadvantage of the electric floor is the increase in electricity costs in the house. In this case, in order to reduce costs as much as possible, it is best to use a thermostat that will allow you to lower the temperature or turn off heating in some areas.
The second disadvantage is also associated with significant costs. The fact is that a warm floor is an expensive construction, which also requires certain costs for its installation.
Before installing the electric floor structure, it is necessary to change the wiring in the house. Such a system significantly increases the load on the electrical system, so the old wiring may simply not withstand.
The design of a warm floor is very demanding on the floor covering. It must, first of all, have good thermal conductivity in order to feel the effectiveness of the system. If there is a carpet or carpet on the floor, which transmit heat rather poorly, the efficiency of the warm floor will not be great.
Some types of flooring may be affected by the use of a warm electric floor. The greatest impact is on the wooden floor, as the wood shrinks when heated, and then begins to change shape.
If the floor covering is additionally varnished on top, the heating temperature cannot exceed 21 degrees.
In order to save energy and energy costs as much as possible, underfloor heating, as a rule, is not installed in places where there is furniture. In this regard, the rearrangement of furniture in the house will also entail the reinstallation of the floor heating structure.
The use of a warm floor in the house provokes the appearance of electromagnetic radiation. Of course, today everyone uses electrical devices despite the spread electromagnetic waves, however, with the installation of an additional electrical system radiation is amplified, so this factor must be taken into account.
The use of any electric heater, including an electric floor, entails an increase in the risk of electric shock. This factor should be taken into account, especially in rooms with high humidity.

It is worth noting that, despite all these shortcomings, most people still use underfloor heating in the house, since for them such systems are necessary condition comfortable stay. Moreover, most of these shortcomings are completely insignificant and easily eliminated. As for additional costs, then, as a rule, everyone is well aware that comfort costs extra money.

Electric underfloor heating is used much more often than water. This is easily explained, since such a design has several advantages:

Electric underfloor heating is much easier and more convenient to regulate in terms of temperature supply than water. It is enough to use just a thermostat, with which you can set the desired temperature and do it much more accurately than in a water system.
Installation of cables in the electrical structure of a warm floor is much easier and faster than water pipes in a water heating system.
The use of a water underfloor heating system entails the installation gas boiler for heating water. This measure requires additional space as well as increased installation costs.

Thus, it can be determined that the electric floor heating is very convenient to use. It is particularly well suited for heating large rooms, for example, an apartment or a small country house. Also, the design of a warm electric floor is great for an office, since it is far from always possible to install a gas boiler in such a room.

Disadvantages of electric underfloor heating compared to water

Unfortunately, the electric floor heating system also has some disadvantages in comparison with the water structure:

Often, a water heated floor becomes a more economical option than an electric one. Such savings are especially noticeable in large areas.
Using hot water for floor and space heating is a safer option than using electricity. Hot water can harm a person to a lesser extent than electric current.
The water heating design can last much longer than the electrical system. According to the most popular manufacturers of such systems, a water floor can last up to 50 years in a house.

Using a water floor the best way suitable for heating large rooms. For example, it is best used in large country houses or work areas.

Electric floor - unique modern design for maximum comfort in your home. With such a system, your floor will always be warm, which will not only allow you to walk barefoot, but also allow children to play on the floor without fear that they will be blown by a draft. At the same time, the design is absolutely safe, the system perfectly protects all elements from the ingress of water and other objects.

Video: which electric underfloor heating is better?

On the this moment installation of underfloor heating in the apartment has ceased to be a rarity and curiosity. Modern renovation considers underfloor heating as the main or additional source of heating. But the choice of underfloor heating is so wide that the buyer is lost in variety. Which underfloor heating system to choose, how they differ, we will consider in this article.

Underfloor heating device

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

Pros and cons of underfloor heating

The presence of a warm floor in the house is already a plus in itself. But let's take a closer look at the advantages of the underfloor heating system.

Uniform distribution of heat. Let's go back to the laws of physics. Warm air is lighter than cold air, so the radiator heating system warms up the middle layers of the room and the ceiling with high quality. The air cools down and goes down. A cold stream forms on the floor. The wall farthest from the radiator wall receives the least amount of heat. Underfloor heating warms the room from below and throughout the area.
Comfortable human health. Have you ever noticed that, being warmly dressed, but with cold feet, the whole body freezes? This is how the body works, when warming the legs, it is comfortable for the whole body.
Compatible with heating system. The ability to regulate the heating from the radiator and the floor, without overdrying the air.
Security. Heating elements are hidden in most technologies for laying a warm floor under a concrete screed, they are inaccessible to burns and are fireproof.
Suitable for families with children. The presence of children who spend most of their time on the floor is a direct indication for the installation of underfloor heating.

There are drawbacks to underfloor heating, but there are few of them.

Difficulty of installation. It is possible to lay a warm floor only during repairs with a complete re-laying of the coating.
It cannot be the only source of heat in rooms with low wall resistance to cold. It is necessary to install heating radiators.
When installing a water heated floor, you will need space for pumping and filtering equipment. It is possible to reduce the pressure in the pipes with water if many apartments in the house connect a water floor heating system.

Varieties of warm floors

The main division into types of underfloor heating is made according to the type of coolant.

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

In turn, it is customary to divide into 3 types of electric underfloor heating.

Film warm floor. Infrared floor heating heats the objects in the room, not the air. Installation under any covering, except a ceramic tile is allowed.
Cable warm floor. The heating cable is laid under a concrete screed. Versatile in application.
Thermomats. Thin cable underfloor heating on the grid. Thermomats are convenient for installation under ceramic tiles because the coverage is uniform and not wide.

In the following articles, I will talk in more detail about each of the types to help you decide on the choice of underfloor heating in an apartment or house.

Under the concept of a water-heated floor, they mean a piping scheme laid in a layer of concrete screed. Heated from the boiler or boiler, the coolant circulates through the pipes and heats the floor.

In private houses and cottages, water-heated floor heating is increasingly being used, the opinions and reviews of customers about which are ambiguous. To make a decision on the rationality of using such a design, one should understand some of its features:

Underfloor heating is part of the water heating system, so it can be installed in country houses and cottages or new buildings in the presence of heat exchange risers or autonomous heating. In apartments houses old building this species floor heating is prohibited.
The design is a "layer cake", quite difficult to implement. Installation requires a certain amount of experience and a high degree of qualification.
If the pipelines are damaged, a leak occurs, and the location of the breakdown is difficult to identify. To repair the site, it is necessary to disassemble the floor.
Not all types of finishes are suitable for underfloor heating.

What are the user reviews?

“The process of installing underfloor heating is truly an amazing thing to do in my home. I hired contractors for installation - the floors turned out like in a fairy tale. General heating works at a minimum mode, the rooms are warm and cozy. In the bathroom - in general, a class, there is no such dampness and the water dries quickly on the tile. Even with the heating turned off, the cold floor does not cause discomfort.”

Igor, Moscow.

“I installed a warm floor over the entire area of the apartment to use it as the main option without radiators. In the corridor, bathrooms and kitchen, ceramic tiles were laid on top, and in the rest of the rooms - laminate. The room thermostat regulates the operation of the boiler, while the system does an excellent job of heating - an economical and convenient type of heating.

Anatoly, Nizhny Novgorod.

“In the house, I heat the entire first floor only with a system of water-heated floors - there are no radiators. Very warm even very coldy. The main disadvantage is the price. Laying technology and materials are much more expensive than batteries, plus special thermostatic mixing pump groups. It is better to hire specialists to carry out the work – this is also an additional cost.”

Konstantin, Volgograd.

“Heated floors have increased comfort compared to radiator heating - this is indisputable, but they also have a number of disadvantages. I have such floors in bathrooms, corridors and baths. At temperatures below 25 ° C, the floor in the bath is heated to 30-35 ° C - it is hot for the legs. I visit the house periodically, so I lower it to 15 ° C. Batteries are able to warm up the house in 4 hours to 22 ° C, and warm floors - in 8. In the summer, I ran into the problem of a cold tiled floor.

Alexander, St. Petersburg.

“I have a big house, I made warm floors in all rooms. The first year was not included, they launched only the next - the winter was severe. The batteries were turned off, the temperature in the rooms was 21-22 degrees - it's warm to walk on the floor even without slippers. The average monthly gas consumption turned out to be 1.7 times less than with radiator heating.”

Daniel, Samara.

“I have been doing floor installation under parquet board. I would like to note that the maximum temperature on the surface of the parquet should be no more than 27 ° C, while laying a warm water floor under the furniture should definitely be avoided. With good ventilation of the room and with insulation external walls the temperature in the room will be 24-25 degrees, taking into account floor heating up to 27 ° C without additional sources heating."

Maxim, Moscow.

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One of the varieties heating systems, often used in dwellings, are heated floors powered by electricity. For example, those with a high degree reliability cable systems. Modern electric underfloor heating systems are designed for easy and fast installation.

Principle and features of work
Pros and cons of underfloor heating
Types of electric underfloor heating
Cable floor heating
Infrared warm floor
- Film floor heating
- Rod warm floor
How to choose a warm floor model?
- Electric underfloor heating under tiles
- Electric underfloor heating for laminate and parquet
- Electric underfloor heating under carpet or linoleum

Principle and features of work

Electric underfloor heating is heated by electricity, i.e., it heats up first electrical cable, and that gives off heat to the floor surface.

regular kit heating system includes:

underfloor heating element (cable, mat, etc.);
supply wires supplying voltage to the heating elements and connected to them by couplings;
control device (sensor);
control device (thermostat).

Also, during installation, additional materials may be required:

thermal insulation;
damper tape;
reinforcing mounting mesh;
adhesive tape and other consumables.

When working with normal electrical wires, which are connected to sockets and lamps, calculate the cross section of the conductor and set the appropriate rating of the devices automatic shutdown. This is done so that the wires do not overheat during operation, because otherwise their insulation will dry out, crack and crumble, which in the end will inevitably cause short circuit online.

Wires in underfloor heating elements work quite differently. In them, electricity should be converted into heat as efficiently as possible. Here the wires are special, they are not destroyed by heat and can work in this mode for many years. Top Producers such systems guarantee 20 years of operation of their products.

Pros and cons of underfloor heating

When choosing a floor heating design, you need to compare the pros and cons of the available options.

Advantages of electric underfloor heating

Allows you not to be afraid of water leaks.
Works completely silently.
It does not require space and remains invisible, because it does not need a boiler and pumps, like a water heated floor.
Electric underfloor heating heats the surface evenly, which cannot be achieved with water systems.
Easy temperature control with ergonomic remote control and thermostat.
Long service life, which can reach 50 years.

But there are also disadvantages in electric heating systems:

Very expensive operation does not allow heating large areas premises, in this case are cheaper hydraulic systems heating.
The generation of electromagnetic radiation - however, it is very weak, and does not harm a person, but still it exists.
Serious load on electrical network, which not every household network can withstand.

Types of electric underfloor heating

Electric heating in similar systems can be done in two ways heating elements:

in the form of a cable;
in the form of films with infrared radiation.

You can also classify them according to the design method:

Heating cable (single-core or two-core). It may be self-adjusting.
Warm floor "electric mats" - when the same cable is already attached to the mounting grid.
Film underfloor heating - uses an infrared heating element.
Rod underfloor heating - also uses the infrared heating principle.

There is no unequivocal answer to the question of which floors with electric heating are better to choose, since each system is not devoid of not only advantages, but also disadvantages.

Cable floor heating

The heating element here is a special cable, which converts the electricity passing through it into heat. Moreover, different cables can be found in cable heating elements: single-core, two-core or self-regulating:

A single-core cable includes a single heating thread, its ends are brought together during installation and one of them is connected to the phase current-carrying wire, and the second to zero.
There are two threads in a two-core cable, so its installation should not be reduced to a loopback, but uses a “dead-end” laying method.

A type of two-core cable is a self-regulating cable, which is able to regulate the degree of heat generation in its different sections. It is often used to protect pipes from freezing and in snow melting systems.
A heating mat is a single-core or two-core cable, which is fixed on a mounting grid with a certain pitch. Its advantage is that it can be embedded not only in a concrete screed, but also in a layer of tile adhesive in the bathroom, if it is used there top coat. Thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the floor in the bath and speed up the installation process.

Electric floor heating systems based on cable heating elements are good in that it is convenient to perform any configuration of the heating zone from them ( heating mats, alas, they cannot boast of this).

Any cable structures quickly enough (in 10-15 minutes) heat up and are able to continuously give off heat for 4-6 hours.

Best for any stone covering(porcelain stoneware, ceramic tiles, etc.) to mount cable systems.

Infrared warm floor

This system is divided into film and rod underfloor heating.

Film floor heating

It is made from a multilayer polymer film, the thickness of which ranges from fractions of a millimeter to several millimeters. At the edges of the sheets there are thin copper electrodes, to which thin graphite strips located between the polymer layers, which are heating elements, are connected.

Benefits of underfloor heating film:

The film for underfloor heating with infrared radiation is universal - it goes well with different floor coverings: laminate, parquet, tiles, etc.
Such a floor can be arranged with your own hands, if you have minimal skills.
Relative efficiency - per unit area, it spends no more than 30-70 W of electricity.

But film floors, especially from too thin film easy enough to damage, however, they will work after that, except for the place of damage.

Repairing such a floor with the dismantling of the floor covering, replacing the damaged area and re-installing it will be very expensive. Therefore, the installation of such floors must be treated very scrupulously and carefully.

Rod warm floor

It also uses an infrared heating system, but here the heater is flexible rods made of composite material containing carbon and silver.

The advantage of this heating system is the possibility of its use on any flat surface, even on the ceiling.

Other benefits:

Even if several rods get damaged, the system will continue to work.
Installation of rod systems is so simple that any man who knows how to hold tools in his hands can handle it.
It can be placed under any floor coverings, including in a bathtub under a layer of tile adhesive or under a thin layer of screed.

Video about the types of electric underfloor heating:

How to choose a warm floor model?

When deciding how to choose one or another model of a warm floor, you should be guided by the following criteria:

whether the underfloor heating will serve as the main source of heat in the house or only an additional one;
what kind of flooring is planned to be used in the room;
what is the total height of the room and the condition of its ceilings.

Different floor coverings require the installation of different heating elements. Not all systems are suitable for carpet or tiles, and others cannot be laid under parquet or laminate, so you need to choose which electric underfloor heating is best for a particular finish.

Electric underfloor heating under tiles

Under porcelain stoneware and ceramic tiles, you can put:

self-regulating and resistive cables;
rod systems;
cable mats.

If you really need to combine them, then you need to put a reinforcing mesh on the heating film, and only then pour everything tile adhesive. But at the same time, a significant part of the thermal radiation gets stuck in these layers. Therefore, this option will be ineffective, in addition, rod mats and infrared films are the most expensive materials of all those used in electrical warm floors. It is worth using a cheaper and more effective solution.

Electric underfloor heating for laminate and parquet

Laminate and parquet can be heated by the following systems:

heating cable;
infrared film;
rod mats;
cable mats.

Although you can use any design, but still the film turns out to be the most convenient, since its installation will be the easiest. If you take heating cables, then you should prefer self-regulating.

Electric underfloor heating under carpet or linoleum

Under the linoleum, you can also place any heating electrical elements.

Therefore, if the elements mentioned above are used, they must be supplemented with a correctly installed high-quality temperature sensor.

It is much better to combine self-regulating wires and rod mats with linoleum, since they do not overheat.

Pretty good showed itself in combination with these coatings film heating. Although the film is afraid of overheating (blocking), its melting point is very high, which gives an additional margin of safety if the temperature sensor of the system fails.

Are you considering electric floor heating as a heating system for your home? Which of its types would you lay down, and why? Tell us about your plans or experience in the comments - they will be of interest to other builders!

Today we would like to touch upon one of the most controversial issues in the field of space heating - is it possible to use underfloor heating as the main heating of a private house or apartment? Below we will consider the pros and cons of such an idea, which in fact will allow you to answer this question!

Flat

Electric underfloor heating as the main type of heating is reasonable to use only in private homes. It is extremely illogical to use such a heating system in an apartment for several reasons:

You still have to pay for heating, because. risers will pass through your apartment.
overlap central system quite problematic, and expensive (dismantling of batteries, changing the pipe system, welding work etc.).

As you can see, in apartments, the ability to use electric underfloor heating as the main heating is not advisable due to several significant drawbacks. If you are not satisfied with city services, you can simply do it without turning off the central system. This solution to the problem is recommended if the housing and communal services are late to launch heating season and you just need to get out of the situation for a while.

By the way, the water floor heating system also cannot be used in apartment buildings, because this is prohibited by law. The reason is obvious - hot water will pass under your flooring, cool down and only after that it will flow further to the neighbors.

private home

As for the use of electric underfloor heating as the main heating of the house, here you can already think about whether to do it or not. The only thing that can stop you is the monthly cost of paying the electricity bill. If you do economical system, install electricity and turn on the heating wisely, while the main type of heating will be quite reasonable.

The advantages in this case are:

Ease of installation. even a person without special skills can.
The heating cable, thermomat or film will not occupy the free space of the rooms, unlike radiators or convectors.
Good room heating. Heat will be radiated evenly over the entire area of a private house.
Long service life with correct installation and use.
No need to spend money to buy a boiler and other types of equipment.
The cost of creating electric floor heating (as the main one) is at least 2 times cheaper than water.

Of the minuses of underfloor heating as the main heating of a private house, we can distinguish:

There should be no problems with power supply on the site, otherwise in winter there is every chance to freeze if the light is turned off for a long time.
Far from all regions, the cost of a kilowatt of electricity is acceptable. First of all, you need to take into account the costs, so as not to face material problems later. We provided a detailed cost calculation in the article -.
Heating cable or infrared foil must not be laid under the installation points. household appliances and furniture. If the warm floor is used as the main heating, so-called cold bridges can form just in unheated places. As a result, as the reviews on the thematic forums show, there may be significant heat loss and dampness on the walls.

As you can see, the possibility of using this heating option as the main one has its advantages and disadvantages. To begin with, in relation to your conditions, weigh the pros and cons, and then draw a conclusion. We also recommend watching the video below, which provides more modern version main heating in the cottage.