How to make a watery one warm. How to make a warm floor correctly: types of warm floors and step-by-step instructions for installing a warm floor in a house from heating with your own hands
At its core, a hydraulic floor is pipe system through which a liquid of a certain temperature circulates. Heating is carried out by a boiler, the design of which can include pump... Otherwise, it can be output separately. The pump is used to pump cooled water into the heating device.
At the entrance to the boiler, it is mandatory to install pressure gauge allowing you to control the pressure in the heating system. Hot water enters the piping system through collector... It also serves to drain the liquid.
The collector is a piece of pipe with two types of splitters: for hot and cooled water. The manifold includes emergency drain systems, adjustments and settings of the system operation, valves that prevent the reverse flow of liquid.
System mounting technology
Self-installation includes several stages: screed (or leveling), laying heat-insulating and waterproofing layers, distributing pipes, installing a heated floor collector, installing a water heater (boiler), installing pipes, pouring a screed.
All types of work must be carried out in compliance with sanitary standards and safety rules.
Each component structure must have appropriate pressure resistance indicators exposed to liquid or steam.
At every stage, it is necessary leak test and the durability of all devices.
Each scheme of a water-heated floor can have its own distinctive features depending on the type of room chosen (bath, balcony, living room), as well as the main material of the floor covering (tile, wood, plastic, concrete screed).
These nuances and detailed descriptions of each stage of installation are presented below.
Base leveling
The leveling process required in the presence of irregularities is always accompanied by complete removal of the old screed, cleaning of dirt, dust from construction debris.
For horizontal differences exceeding 10 mm, the procedure is mandatory.
The procedure can be performed Dry and Wet way. In both cases, the first step is getting rid of holes and cracks with the help of concrete mortar or other construction mixture intended for this.
With the "dry" method, the following works are carried out:
You need to start alignment from the far corners, moving to the front door. If during the work projections or depressions are found, you can get to them with the help of "construction islands" - sheets of GVL.
When using the "wet" method, after removing the old screed, a primer is poured onto the floor and leveled with foam rollers. It takes up to 5 hours to dry. The next procedure is similar to the "dry" method, the only difference is the use of water when compacting expanded clay.
How pipes are laid
Polystyrene boards are laid on the leveled floor surface. They serve for thermal insulation and prevent the spread of heat in all directions.
The actual pipe laying is carried out in two main ways: bifilar (parallel rows) and meander (spiral).
The first variety applies when there is a slope of the floors, there is no need for strictly uniform heating. The second- requires a lot of effort and accuracy, is used when using pumps of lower power.
The number of contours depends on the size of the heated room. The maximum area for placing one contour - 40 sq m. The laying step can be either uniform throughout its entire length, or vary depending on the need for enhanced heating in certain areas. Average stride length is 15-30 cm.
Since the pipes experience strong hydraulic pressure, when installing a water-heated floor, it is unacceptable to connect them using couplings. Only one coupling can be used for each circuit.
It is recommended to use one circuit for heating each room, including a bathroom, a loggia, a pantry, a barn. The smaller the contour, the higher its heat transfer, which is especially important for corner rooms.
Collector installation
The manifold must contain a sufficient number of outputs to connect all circuits.
The same goes for return manifold. In its simplest form, it contains only the valves required for one-way water flow.
Availability servos allows the opening or closing of valves.
The thermostat makes it possible to set a certain temperature and subject it to regulation. It is connected to the valves by means of controllers and is brought out to a place accessible to users by the system.
Place the thermostat away from drafts, cold or hot air currents for adequate information transfer.
The collector is installed at a height 50 cm on a wall bracket or in a special box mounted in the wall. The pipes fit into the corner clip and are secured with Euro cones.
To install the thermostat, you need a 1.5-3 m cable and presence of an outlet nearby with its location.
Hydraulic pressure testing of the system
After connecting the pipes into a single system it is necessary to check their strength and tightness. To do this, they are completely filled with water and air is released. The working capacity of all valves is monitored, pipes are visually checked for leaks.
Re-pressure testing is carried out after connecting the pump and barometers.
After the floor is filled with concrete, the pipes will be under pressure up to 30-40 MPa. Pressure testing is carried out under pressure, in 1.5 times the working, which is 60 MPa.
For this shut off all manifold valves and pump air or liquid into the pipes. The pump is pumped with water for 30 minutes, the pressure is controlled several times in the period from 1 to 2 hours with the pump turned off. A drop in the indicator is acceptable in 2 hours at 20kPa.
Do-it-yourself installation and connection of a gas boiler and a pump for a warm floor
A standard boiler, operating on gas and serving to supply hot water and space heating, has 5 outlets arranged in series from left to right:
- Hot water outlet to the heating system.
- Hot water outlet to the water supply system.
- Gas supply.
- Cold water inlet for heating and supply.
- Cold water inlet from heating (return).
Connections of all pipes to the heating element detachable, are installed using couplings and nuts.
The heating system is controlled separately from the water supply, which makes it possible to connect independently.
In the boiler from the collector of a warm water floor must be suitable two tubes. One will supply cooled water, and the other will supply hot water to the heating system.
The pump is included in most modern boilers. If it is absent, it is necessary to install it. in series with a manifold and a heater.
Screed pouring mixture
Filling the floor or screed is a procedure that requires great care and accuracy. Avoid floor cracking during drying and during the operation of the system, it is possible by carefully observing the temperature regime and strictly following the instructions for preparing the solutions.
For filling apply ready-made self-leveling mixtures for underfloor heating or by yourself mixed on a concrete base.
In the first case, the mixtures are made on the basis of gypsum, they require dilution with water to the consistency of sour cream. In this case, the drying time for the floor is from 3 to 5 days. During this period, it is recommended to minimize air humidity.
From the use of these solutions for screed floors in rooms that are constantly exposed to water (bathroom, cellar) it is better to abstain.
Homemade mixtures are made on the basis of cement. The recommended brand is M300 and higher. The composition of the mixture is as follows:
- Cement- 1 part.
- Fine-grained sand- 4 parts.
- Water. Water is added until the mixture acquires the consistency of a dough. When adding water, constant stirring is required.
- Plasticizer. It facilitates the application of the screed, it is applied in the concentrations recommended by the manufacturer, ranging from 1 to 10% of the volume.
The criterion for the correct consistency of the mixture is the ability to sculpt lumps out of it that do not crumble or spread. If the plasticity of the composition is not sufficient - the ball is cracking, which means that there is little liquid in the mixture. If the mixture is too liquid, it is necessary to add sand with cement.
Before pouring, the perimeter of the room is covered with a damper tape, which serves for noise insulation, prevent the floor from cracking when heated.
Pipes and cables are secured with rigid clamps.
The screed is made at air temperature from 5 ° to 30 °(a number of professional mixes can be laid at lower temperatures, they are specially marked).
Maximum area for a one-time filling - 30 sq. m. It is better to divide large spaces into sections. In places where the surface is divided into sections, pipes are put on protective corrugated hoses.
The shelf life of the finished solution is 1 hour, after which it cannot be used.
Pouring of one section is carried out promptly and in one step.
Immediately after the procedure, the mixture is pierce in several places with an awl or a thin knitting needle to allow air bubbles to escape. For the same purposes and additional leveling, a needle roller or a stiff brush is used. The needle must be longer than the thickness of the mortar layer.
Drying of homemade mixtures occurs within 20-30 days and has a number of features:
- Unacceptable sudden changes in temperature indoors, exposure to direct sunlight. This is fraught with uneven drying and subsequent deformation.
- Better floor surface cover with plastic wrap and periodically (every few days) moisten with liquid.
- After drying it is recommended turn on the heating system for several hours in moderate heat mode.
- Recommended air humidity - 60-85%.
Before laying tiles, linoleum, parquet or wood flooring heating must be turned off.
When using materials that are prone to cracking and swelling, the air humidity must be downgrade to 65%.
The tiles are laid on tile adhesive, carpet, linoleum and laminate directly on the screed.
Self-assembly of a warm water floor is possible only if a sufficient amount of time, accurate and strict adherence to all instructions and rules.
We offer you to watch a video detailing the installation of water heated floors:
Warm floors have become available to every home owner, such floors are especially relevant in private estates. It is pleasant to feel the warming warmth with your feet on a cold winter evening. And how great it is when a baby who has just learned to crawl or is trying to walk can be on the floor for hours without the risk of catching a cold.
It is useful for every man who has hands and head in place to know how to properly make a water-heated floor with his own hands, and our instruction with a video will help with this.
The following other points count in favor of underfloor heating:
- savings in operation up to 45%;
- the ability to get away from the device of radiators, which makes it possible to better use the space of the room;
- finishing coating is suitable from any material;
- the air warms up more evenly, there are no drafts;
- the comfort of being in a space heated by thermal radiation is much higher than with radiator heating.
However, there are also disadvantages, which include pressure drop in the heating system due to the coolant distracted by floor heating, as well as the inability to quickly find and eliminate the leak in the event of an accident.
In any case, the main argument in favor of underfloor heating is the opportunity to increase the comfort of living with significant cost savings.
The device and the main features of the installation
The principle of the construction of a floor heated with water is as follows: pipelines are connected to a heating boiler or central heating system through which hot water is supplied to the system of pipes laid in spirals along the ceiling, and the water that has given off the thermal energy is removed through the return pipeline back to the heating system.
The work should be performed in the following sequence:
- leveling the surface, waterproofing (protection against leaks), thermal insulation, laying a reinforcing mesh on a layer of foil;
- pipe-laying by one of the methods (snake or spiral);
- the device of distribution units;
- connection to a boiler or heating system of pipes for supplying hot water and a return pipeline;
- pressure testing and installation of valves;
- system testing;
- pouring pipes in rooms with mortar (concrete) or flooring with a board;
- device of a clean floor covering.
You should start laying a water-heated floor with your own hands with a screed device that levels the surface of the base horizontally. Further be sure to provide a waterproofing layer to prevent soaking of downstream rooms in case of pipe damage and water leakage from the system.
As protection against moisture, polyethylene film or special waterproofing materials can be used.
The heat-insulating layer must be given special attention.... In the premises of the basement or the first floor, heat losses make up a significant proportion, therefore, the thickness of the heat-insulating layer should be at least 20-25 cm. On the second and higher floors, a layer 50 mm thick is quite enough.
Insulation can be:
- expanded polystyrene;
- mineral wool;
- glass wool;
- technical stopper;
- basalt slabs, etc.
In retail outlets you can purchase special heaters with grooves for laying pipes, these plates will help to shorten the working time and reduce labor costs.
Insulation be sure to cover with a layer of foil, which serves as a heat reflector and increases heat transfer. It is advisable to reinforce the base for pipes with a serious approach, since in a year or two the insulation will bend in places, or even completely crumble, and all the work will go to waste.
The screed is poured with a thickness of 50-60 mm, the material is a solution of grades 100-150 or cast concrete M-300, but certainly with the addition of plasticizers, which prevents cracking.
When heated, the mass of the screed will expand, and in order to avoid cracks, an expansion joint must be made; most convenient for this leave a gap of 1-1.5 cm around the perimeter which should be filled with elastic material. Instead, it is recommended to glue the damper tape around the perimeter before starting work.
A niche in the wall is knocked out with a size of approximately 60x40x10 cm, depending on the number of pipelines that will be located there. There are ready-made boxes on sale, specially designed for such cases, with a set of everything you need.
Selection of coatings, pipes and other materials
The choice of coverage should be depending on the purpose of the premises: in the bathroom, toilet and laundry, ceramic tiles are preferable, in the hallway - linoleum, in the living room a laminate is a good choice, for the bedroom and kitchen you can choose any of the materials according to the preference of the hostess.
According to technical characteristics any floor covering is suitable, and the screed that has gained strength will be an excellent basis for a finishing coating.
The situation is somewhat different; strong, lightweight and elastic materials should be chosen. This is polypropylene or cross-linked polyethylene.
When choosing polypropylene, you need to pay attention to pipes,, then a high degree of expansion of this material when heated is not terrible.
Polyethylene pipes have a significant lower coefficient of linear expansion, for this reason, many experts prefer to choose them.
Pipes are sold in coils or coils, with this form of release it is convenient to lay them out on the surfaces of the floors. Diameters are usually used in the range of 16-20 mm, while there are two more conditions for their suitability: the ability to withstand a water temperature of 95 ° C and a water pressure of 10B.
Read about the comparative characteristics of cast iron heating radiators.
Calculation and distribution of pipes
Are applied pipes with diameters of 16, 20 or 25 mm... Using a pipe with a smaller diameter will lead to impaired water circulation. By measuring the pressure in the heating pipe using a pressure gauge, you can find out the pressure in the system.
Too large pipe diameter for laying in a floor cake will result in decrease in operating pressure and drop in temperature.
Another characteristic of the material is its need, for which the length is calculated. You can lay pipes in one of the following ways: snake or spiral (snail)... Diy installation schemes for a warm water floor look like this:
In the first case, significant changes in temperature are possible in certain areas of the area, coil gives better heat distribution... This method of layout provides for the alternation of direct and reverse supply of the coolant.
On a sheet of "graph paper" or a notebook in a cage should draw on a scale of 1:50 or 1: 100 a sketch of the room and draw pipe routes, and the beginning should be at the riser closest to the window. The first row is laid 25 cm from the walls.
The pipe pitch is taken equal to 25-50 cm(25 cm - with a diameter of 16 mm, 30-40 cm - with Ф20 mm, 40-50 cm - with Ф25 mm).
The length is measured on the sketch, the scale conversion factor is applied and the required size is obtained. To connect to the riser, you should add 2-2.5 meters.
For each circuit, you need to buy the length of the pipe in one piece, since joining is unacceptable. One collector is made for several rooms, it is possible for the entire floor.
Selecting and connecting a collector and a boiler
When it is clear how many circuits will be connected to the collector, you can begin to select it in length and determine the number of valves, but also take into account that in order to be able to regulate the warm coating mode you will need a pressure sensor, air vents, drains.
The collector with its lower pipe must be located at the same level with the supply pipeline, slightly above floor level.
There are specially developed plumbing standards for the assembly of this unit. It is best to hide the collector in a niche in the wall., approximately in the middle with respect to all contours.
The boiler is chosen according to the power sufficient for heating water, plus a certain power reserve. Determine the total required power as follows: to the sum of the capacities of the circuits, add 20% to the stock.
For greater efficiency of the system, it is advisable to install a circulation pump; in most boiler models, the pump is already included in the kit, capable of provide hot water to a one-two-storey house with an area of 120-140 m2... For large areas, additional pumps are needed.
Pipe and coating installation technology
For fixing pipes, there are now on sale great accessories - plastic tracks representing combs. They are used as guides, and for more reliable fastening, special tightening elements are also used.
It must be remembered that the pipe must remain intact, therefore sharp bends leading to creases are unacceptable(for plastic pipes, the bending radius can be at least 5-8 diameters). Holes must be drilled if the path to the manifold is through a partition or wall.
The procedure and technology for installing a water-heated floor with your own hands are presented in this video:
After finishing the laying of pipes and connecting them to the manifold, installing the boiler and all plumbing work, pouring with mortar or concrete is unacceptable without conducting a hydraulic test of the system.
The pipes are filled with water, the pressure is raised to a level of 6 B and kept for 24 hours. If everything is in order and there are no fistulas, there are no gaps, then they are filled with cast mortar or concrete.
During the installation of the tie, the pipes must be filled with water and under pressure, this is necessary to avoid crushing, squeezing pipes.
For ceramic floors, the screed is made thicker, from 30 to 50 mm, for laminate and linoleum - no more than 30 mm, with another plastic mesh padding. Thus, the thickness of the cake will allow the coating to warm up quickly.
It is quite possible to make water floors with your own hands, but for a really long-term service of underfloor heating, a project or at least sketches and calculations are best ordered by a heating engineer, which will take into account all fittings, equipment, materials to the smallest detail and fulfill the specification.
Such serious work done with your own hands will save significant funds and raise the owner's self-esteem.
Warm floors have become far from a novelty. This technology is used for underfloor heating in apartments, private houses, offices and various other premises. Their principle of operation is simple - they heat the base under your feet, as well as the air in the room, which allows you to warm up any room well enough. They are usually installed in addition to the main heating system. Their installation is not as difficult as it seems, but it is quite troublesome. How to make a warm floor correctly? This process will largely depend on what type of system was chosen for installation.
Now there are three main types of underfloor heating, which differ in the type of heat carrier, and also have a different arrangement technology. However, in general, they are united by one main advantage - the heating element is installed directly into the floor cake, due to which it heats up... At the same time, the air masses in the room also warm up, but the air near the floor will be warmer, but above this border, at the level of a person's head, the air remains slightly cool, which makes it possible to create an optimal microclimate in the room.
On a note! In certain cases, underfloor heating can completely replace the central heating system. But this is not always possible and it is still not worth giving up on the main radiators.
Water based heating
In this case, the coolant is ordinary heated water, which flows inside the pipes, laid according to a certain pattern and poured with a concrete screed. The service life of such a system is approximately 20 years. A fairly reliable and safe option, but it is used either in private houses or in new buildings, where it is possible to connect such a floor. In old multi-storey buildings, without the permission of the management company, it will not work to connect the water floor, since the installation will involve connecting it to a central heating system that is not designed for additional loads - in other apartments it can become very cold.
The disadvantages of this design can be the likelihood of leaks and the risk of flooding of the premises located below, as well as the tendency of some types of pipelines to corrode. Installation, of course, is laborious, but this is one of the most economical floor options. Such heating can be installed under any topcoat. However, if you want to use the capabilities of a water-heated floor as efficiently as possible, study the features of different coatings. Find the perfect option will help.
Heating with a cable
Such floors can be installed in absolutely any room - even in old, even in new apartments, houses, offices, etc. This option has become a real salvation for those who, for some reason, cannot make a water-heated floor. The system is quite simple to install and is a specially laid electrical cable inside the tie. It converts electricity into heat.
For the arrangement of heating can be used self-regulating and resistive cables... In the latter case, a two-core one is usually used (single-core ones often become sources of radiation harmful to the body, therefore they do not prefer to use them). Self-regulating wires do not have the same drawbacks that resistive wires have. Typically, a cable floor is used if the topcoat is made of tiles or linoleum.
IR floor
This is perhaps the most popular floor heating system, since it does not require pouring a new screed, is easy to install, but the quality is not inferior to other heating options. It is represented by thin mats with carbon strips connected to each other by wires. Such floors heat up quickly, but also cool down quickly (sometimes this function is needed), very thin, allow you to quickly adjust the heating temperature, are economical in terms of energy consumption, easy to repair and completely safe for humans. Such a system also works thanks to electricity. There is a drawback - a little static and because of this - the attraction of dust to the base. Read more about infrared floor heating, depending on the topcoat, in separate articles on the portal: under the laminate, but under the tiles.
Table. Comparison of the characteristics of different systems.
| Characteristic | Water floor | Electric floor |
|---|---|---|
| EMP presence | No | Possibly depending on the type of cable |
| Possibility of arrangement in apartment buildings | Only in new buildings with a separate connection | Yes |
| Quick control of settings | No | Yes |
| Depending on the heating season | Yes - in apartments and no - in private houses | No |
| Installation time | Long-lasting due to the need to fill the screed | Short |
| The ability to lay any topcoat | Yes | Certain types of flooring must not be laid on top of an electric floor. |
| Ease of repair | Difficult repair | In the case of infrared floors - quick repair |
Prices for an electric heat-insulated floor "Teplolux"
electric warm floor thermolux
If you have not yet decided on the type of warm floor, read it. There we examined in detail the advantages and disadvantages of different materials and made a list of recommendations.
Do-it-yourself warm water floor
Let's consider in more detail the process of work when arranging water floor heating. It includes a number of stages - this is the preparation of the rough base, the installation of the system itself, as well as pouring the screed and laying the topcoat. In this case, a budget option for creating a heating system will be considered.
Underfloor heating is a serious cost item for renovation, so it is important to calculate exactly how much and what materials will be needed. To ease your labor costs, we have prepared a description of how to calculate a warm floor - water or electric. Online calculators are included. And in the article "" you will find a complete list of everything you may need during installation.
Preparation of the base
Consider how to make a rough floor for arranging a water system based on expanded clay.
Step 1. The first step is to completely dismantle the old wooden floor. Planks and logs are removed. Remains of bricks and oversized construction waste can be left on the base.
Step 2. A laser level is used to determine the height of the final floor. The main reference point of the required level is the front door. The markings should be 1.5-2 cm below the threshold.
Step 3. Marking is applied to the walls. The first mark marks the border of the screed with the laid heating pipes (the screed must not be less than 6 cm thick). The second indicates the thickness of expanded clay insulation (in this case, the thickness of this layer will be 10 cm).
Step 4. Along the line of the laser level, marks are applied to the walls along the entire perimeter at the level of the finished floor.
Step 5. Marking is applied to the walls and two other levels - expanded clay bedding and screed. The reference point in this case is the mark of the finished floor.
Step 6. The rough concrete floor is covered with sand, which is evenly distributed over it. You can focus on the bottom mark.
Step 8.
Step 9. The holes in the walls, left over from the logs, are sealed with pieces of brick and cement mortar.
Step 10. Waterproofing is laid on the sand layer. In this case, it is a dense polyethylene film that is installed on the walls with the plant. For convenience, the film is fixed with tape.
Step 11. Installation of beacons begins. For this, cubes from a foam block of high density are used, on which metal beacons will then be installed. The cubes are installed on polyethylene at a distance of about 1 m from each other. The height of one cube is 9 cm.
Step 12. Metal profiles-beacons with a height of 1 cm are installed on the cubes.
Step 13. At the joints of the lighthouses, a cube must be installed. For correct docking, the beacons are trimmed. With correct docking, the beacons are superimposed on each other in the direction of the future movement of the rule.
Step 14. Lighthouses are set by level. Landmark - a line on the wall indicating the height of the screed. You can use plywood pads to level them.
Step 15. When the beacons are leveled, they are fixed on the cubes with self-tapping screws.
Step 16. The sub-floor should have a slight slope (the difference is up to 5 mm for each meter of the base length). If necessary, the cubes can be pressed into the sand to achieve the desired result. The operation is carried out along the entire length of the beacons.
Step 17. Additional cubes are installed between the main cubes.
Step 18. Expanded clay is mixed with a small amount of cement mixture. This will create a sturdier floor. A bucket of sand, 2 kg of cement and about 3 liters of water are used for a bag of expanded clay.
Step 19. Prepared expanded clay is laid out on the base and leveled. Backfilling is carried out starting from the far corner of the room. There should be about 1.5 cm of free space to the upper level of the lighthouses.
Step 20. The expanded clay layer is covered with cement mortar. The mortar is leveled with a trowel over the entire surface.
Step 21 The screed is aligned with the beacon rule. Ideal evenness may not be achieved. To make the beacons easy to remove from the screed, their surface is not smeared.
Step 22. Two days later, when the screed dries up, the beacons are removed. To do this, the screws fixing them are unscrewed. Wooden linings are removed along with the lighthouses.
Step 23. After that, the resulting cracks are cleaned of debris and sealed with cement mortar.
Piping and connection
After preparation, the installation of the heating system itself begins.
Step 1. In this case, the existing heating system will be retained on the basis of the gas boiler. The battery is powered by a supply circuit located on the second floor. The water leaving the radiator is directed to the return circuit, which is located in the basement. The warm floor will be connected to the second outlet of the battery and to the return circuit. Taps will be installed to turn off the radiator and underfloor heating. A circulation pump will be installed at the entrance to the return circuit.
Step 2. The radiator is equipped with the necessary fittings. These are connectors and pipes. To seal the connection, sanitary flax and sealant are used.
Step 3. This is how the finished battery outputs will look like. One of them will be used to connect a warm floor.
Step 4. Before further installation of pipes, a damper tape is glued around the perimeter of the room (we have already discussed it). She sits on the walls with glue.
Step 5. Multifoil is laid on the rough screed - a special insulation. Separate strips of material are fixed to each other with adhesive tape.
Step 6. A reinforcing mesh with 10x10 cm cells is laid on top of the foil. Individual pieces are overlapped by 1-2 cells. The mesh is connected to each other using a wire.
Step 7. The pipe leading to the return is installed and connected.
Step 8. To the other outlet from the battery, a water floor pipe with a section of 20 mm is mounted. A piece of protective corrugation can be put on the initial section of the pipe.
Step 9. The pipe is laid on the floor and fixed to the reinforcement mesh with plastic clamps. When laying, it is important to ensure that there are no kinks on the pipe. To shape the knees, you can use a hair dryer that heats the pipe. The distance in the loop between adjacent pipes should be about 20 cm in this case.
Step 10. The underfloor heating pipe is laid with a snake.
Step 11. The ends of the return pipe and underfloor heating are directed to metal pipes leading to the basement. Voids can be sealed with polyurethane foam.
Step 12. The sections of the metal mesh that rise above the floor level are fixed on the base of the floor using dowels and metal plates.
Step 13. Further work will be carried out in the basement. The circulation pump is being installed. It connects to the return pipe. Two cranes are also installed in the system. One of them will cut off natural circulation. The bottom valve completely closes the inlet to the return pipe.
Step 14. The regulating unit is being assembled and all pipes are connected. In the mode of natural circulation, water flows through the underfloor heating pipe into the return line with both taps open. If you turn off the upper tap, then the water from the warm floor will move along the additional pipe towards the pump - this is the mode of rapid heating of the floor. If the bottom tap is closed when the pump is off, then the warm floor will be completely turned off.
Filling the screed
The final stage of the installation of the water floor is the pouring of the screed and the laying of the floor covering.
Step 1. To make the screed even, metal beacons are installed. They sit on pieces of concrete.
Step 2. Pieces of concrete are fixed to the base with cement mortar.
Step 3. The lighthouses are fixed to the concrete with self-tapping screws in pre-made holes. All of them must be strictly aligned.
Advice! It is better to start installing the first beacons from the side of the door. This will allow you to more correctly select their height relative to the doorway.
Step 4. A concrete solution is prepared in exact proportions.
Step 5. The concrete is evenly distributed over the prepared floor.
Important! At the time of laying the screed, the floor pipes must be filled with water.
Step 6. The concrete solution is aligned with the beacons using the rule.
Step 7. The screed is dried within 28 days. The floor is covered with a topcoat.
Video - Installation of a water floor
Video - Installation of a warm IR floor
The complexity and the whole process of manufacturing a warm floor will depend on which heating option is chosen. A water floor is perhaps the best option for arranging base heating in a private house or a new building. For those who do not want to bother with the screed, we recommend using infrared floors.
Water underfloor heating is a popular heating system with its unique properties. In order for these properties to manifest themselves in full glory, you need to attend to the correct laying of the entire underfloor heating cake. If you break the technology, there is a risk of burying the system in the screed. And such cases are quite common. If you do not want this, then welcome to our material!
Due to the fact that the pipes of the warm floor are laid out over the entire area of the room, the most uniform heating of each section is achieved. Wherever you are in your home, you will be equally comfortable.
With water floors, in most cases you get rid of heating radiators that used to take up extra space in your home. For all these features, they love water heated floors in private houses. Let's figure it out step by step with our own hands.
Step 1. Prepare the base
A rough screed acts as a basis for a warm floor in the house, which in most cases is not poured very carefully. Therefore, before you start laying the floors, clean the surface of the screed from excess debris. If there are sags, knock them down until smooth. If there are indentations, trim them. These factors will further favorably affect the integrity of the system itself.
Step 2. Install the distribution manifold
Having chosen the option of water heated floors, also called hydraulic, 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 a durable one that 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 prepare the floor surface in all involved rooms in accordance with the established requirements.
If you have not yet fully decided on the type of warm floor -.
Surface preparation. Features of warming the base under the warm floor
The old screed is completely dismantled down to the base. Unlike when installing a warm floor, you should 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 the 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 the 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 a suitable thickness.
- For apartments on the ground floor with an unheated basement or houses where the floor is located on the ground, more serious insulation should be used in the form of a mound of expanded clay and expanded polystyrene sheets 50-100 mm thick.
Advice: You can use specialized heaters for warm floors. On the one hand, such materials are already equipped with special channels for laying pipes for underfloor heating systems.
A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the insulation. It is necessary to secure the screed layer, which will cover the entire underfloor heating system. Among other things, it is possible to fix the underfloor heating pipe to the mesh later, instead of using special fastening strips and clips. In this case, conventional plastic ties are used.
Scheme of the device of the surface of the warm floor
Selection of materials and necessary devices
Before making 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:
- Water heating boiler;
- Delivery pump (can be included in the boiler);
- Ball valves at the boiler inlet;
- Distribution pipes;
- Collector with a system for setting and adjusting underfloor heating;
- Pipes for laying on the floor surface;
- Various fittings for laying the main route from the boiler and connecting the underfloor 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 prone 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. You don't have to chase expensive options with oxygen shields and extra coats. Especially if the main task is to reduce the total 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 of warm water and a return, cooled water intake. In this case, two splitters are used, which are installed in a special manifold cabinet. One is for distributing hot water, and the other is for collecting cooled back water. It is in the collector that all the necessary elements for setting up underfloor heating are located: 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 through 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 allow a flaw in the calculations, this can negate 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 on the floor, uneven floor heating and the formation of leaks heat.
For calculations, the following parameters are required:
- Room dimensions;
- Material of walls, ceilings and thermal insulation;
- Heat insulation type for underfloor heating;
- Floor covering type;
- Diameter of pipes in the underfloor heating system and material;
- Boiler power (water temperature).
From this data, you can determine the required length of the pipe used for the room and the step of its installation to achieve the required heat transfer power.
When distributing pipes, the optimal laying route should be chosen. It is important to take into account that the water passing through the pipes gradually cools down. By the way, this is not a drawback, but rather a plus of water-heated floors, because heat loss in the room does not occur evenly.
When distributing pipes for 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 entry of pipes into the room is not from the side of the outer wall, then the section of the pipe from the entry to the wall is insulated.
- To gradually reduce the heating of the floor from the outer wall to the inner one, a "snake" laying method is used;
- For uniform floor heating in rooms with all internal walls (in the bathroom, wardrobe, etc.), laying is used in a spiral from the edge of the room to the center. 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 until it leaves the room and to the collector.
Most often, the pipe is laid in increments of 10 to 30 cm.In most cases, 30 cm is sufficient, and in places with increased heat loss, it can be reduced to 15 cm.
In addition to the length and shape of the distribution of pipes, their hydraulic resistance should be calculated. It rises with increasing length and every 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 contours with a pipe length of more than a hundred meters into somewhat 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 fit into the screed. So the calculation of the length and the order should be carried out after carefully carried out calculations with the thought of 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 contour is laid, not combined with the adjacent rooms. Otherwise, most of the heat will go to heating it, and the room will remain cold. Warming under a warm floor is performed 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 select the appropriate collector. It must have enough pins to connect all circuits. In addition, the collector is responsible for the regulation and adjustment of water heated floors. In the simplest version, the manifold is equipped only with shut-off valves, which significantly reduces the cost of the system, but practically makes it impossible to adjust its operation.
Slightly more expensive options are those that include the installation of control valves. With their help, you can adjust the water flow for each loop separately. 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 and a drain.
For the full automation of the hydraulic underfloor heating, collectors with servo drives on the valves and special pre-mixers are used, which regulate the temperature of the supplied water, mixing it with the cooled back water. Such systems at their cost can make up a large part of the budget for the entire installation of underfloor heating. For private use, there is no special need for them, because it is easier to carefully configure a collector group of a simpler type once, than to spend money on an automatic system, which will work in the same mode under constant loads.
An example of connecting a floor heating collector
The underfloor heating collector is installed 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 should be a space to the floor necessary for bending the supplied pipes from all contours of the warm floor.
The actual installation of a water-heated floor begins with the placement of a collector cabinet. Place the manifold cabinet so that the pipes from each room and circuit are approximately equal in length. In some situations, it is possible to bring the cabinet closer to the largest contours.
The easiest way to hide a wardrobe is to mount it in the wall. The thickness of 12 cm allows it. 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 drain upwards from it. Only in this case the air exhaust system will be able to adequately work.
The manifold cabinet is assembled and filled according to a general standard according to the instructions of the manifold used, so that there will be no problems with the installation of all elements and additional equipment.
Video: Assembling the Collector
Heating boiler selection
The choice of a boiler is primarily determined by its capacity. It must cope with water heating at peak moments of system loading and have some power reserve. Roughly, 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 required to circulate water in the system. Modern boilers, both electric and gas, have a built-in pump. In most cases, it is sufficient 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 boiler inlet and outlet. This will help 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 distribute water evenly throughout the system.
general view of the entire system (connection of radiators can be excluded)
Installation of water underfloor heating pipes and screed filling
Basically, the underfloor heating is laid using special fastening profiles, which are fixed to the floor with dowels and screws. They have slots for fixing pipes. With their help, it is much easier to maintain the pitch distance between the turns of the pipe.
Advice: For fastening, it is enough to use plastic ties, which press the pipe against the reinforcing mesh. At the same time, it is important not to pull the pipe too tight, it is better that the screed loop is free.
Pipes are most often supplied in the form of coils. Do not pull the pipe out of the coil coil by coil. It is necessary to unwind it gradually as it is laid and secured to the floor. All bends are made carefully, observing the restriction on the smallest possible radius. Most often, for polyethylene pipes, this radius is 5 diameters.
If you squeeze the plastic pipe too much, a whitish line may appear on the bend. This means that the material began to stretch sharply and formed a hall. Unfortunately, such defects cannot be placed 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 a polyethylene foam insulation. To connect the pipes to the manifold, either a Euro-cone system or a compression fitting is used.
If you first come across polypropylene pipes -.
There are several schemes for laying pipes for underfloor heating. You can choose the right one based on your needs. Along with other factors, it is worth paying attention to the arrangement of furniture and plans for its rearrangement.
When the installation of the underfloor heating is completed, a mandatory check of the system under high pressure is performed. To do this, water is poured into the pipes and a pressure of 5-6 bar is applied for 24 hours. If no leaks and significant expansions are noticed on the pipes, then you can start pouring the concrete screed. The filling is carried out with the connected working pressure in the pipes. Only after 28 days can we consider that the screed is ready, and proceed to further work on the installation of the floor covering.
Important nuances of the formation of underfloor heating screed
There are some peculiarities in the formation of a screed over water-heated floors. This is due to the principle of heat distribution in its thickness and the used flooring.
- If the underfloor heating is laid under the tiles, then a screed with a thickness of about 3-5 cm should be made, or the pipes should be distributed with an interval 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 as a "heat zebra". At the same time, the alternation of warm and cold stripes will be quite clearly felt by the foot.
- For laminate, linoleum, etc. it is desirable to form a screed thinner. For strength, in this case, another reinforcing mesh is used over the warm floor. This will reduce the heat 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 hints of the beginning of the autumn cold. The initial warm-up may take several days, after which the system will already maintain the required temperature. The high inertness of water-heated floors can also play a good role, even if for some reason the boiler cannot heat the water for some time, the system will still give off 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 (hallway, bathroom, etc.), because even in hot weather such coatings feel cold.
Video: Do-it-yourself installation of a water-heated floor
