The floor is not warm enough. The temperature of the heat transfer fluid is low
A typical and common problem faced by owners of city apartments and private homes, complaining about the unsatisfactory work of the underfloor heating. uneven heating. In normal operation, the water circuit should fully and evenly heat the concrete screed or floor covering, creating the necessary conditions for heating the home.
In this case the problem is the uneven flow of the heating medium in the water circuit. Due to the fact that the pipes may have different lengths, due to the same intensity of supply of coolant, the degree of heating each pipe is different. Usually before the start-up in the manifold cabinet set the levels of electric actuators to the required position.
Before the system starts up, the optimum values for each circuit are set from the outset. The actuators are set in the correct position by measuring the temperature of the thermal fluid in each water circuit. Consequently, the temperature of the coolant in the system is changing, changing the degree of heating of the water circuit.
Way out in this situation is as follows. Looking for the water circuit, in which the heating medium does not heat the water floor according to the set temperature, then manually increase the boiler water supply.
Peculiarities of floor heating at the first start-up
Why is Accent on the expression of the first switching? The answer to this question is simple. When the underfloor heating system heated to a suitable temperature level, heating the base of the room as needed is not turned off completely, and maintain a minimum level of heating.
This is done to achieve at any time the greatest level of floor heating in a small span of time.
The first activation of underfloor heating requires significantly more energy expenditure than during use. As a consequence, this will take a long time. Additional energy and time is needed to overcome the inertia of the screed.
It should be emphasized that for infrared heating commands to overcome the inertia of the structure of the floor is not.
Optimal temperature
When installing equipment is fundamental to achieve a uniform distribution of heat flow in the room. This will allow you to reduce energy consumption, to solve the problem of the speed of heating tiles.
Amazing Radiant Floor Heat | One Year Update & System Costs
The temperature at the bottom of the room should be higher than the temperature at the top of the room. If the temperature characteristics are set a few degrees lower, the energy bill is reduced by 10%. When the temperature increases by several degrees, the system automatically reduces the amount of heat supplied by 40%.
The heating period is determined by several factors:
It should be realized that the first start-up the system is heated in stages. first the pipes are heated. It takes a few hours depending on the temperature of water, screed layer size, power screed. The air in the room is heated last, for this will need about two-tenths of an hour.
What the system works correctly, without failures, it is necessary to ensure at the technical level of the competent first start-up:

The principle! Control valves and flow meters provide uniform heating of the room, while reducing the heating time. A quarter of an hour will be needed for heating the air with screed thickness of 50 mm, the system power of 150 W/m2.
Some users increase the water temperature to 55 degrees to reduce the heating time. This solution leads to the opposite effect. Underfloor heating is equipped with sensors that protect against overheating, thus, accordingly, to heat the room, the system is off. Not counting this, with a constant overheating can damage the floor covering.
Principle! Temperatures above 60 degrees will crack the screed.
At the first start-up heating lasts 12-36 hours, the water temperature in all this reaches 90 degrees. Then cool the water to 70 degrees. When the system is not heated, you should find a likely cause at the technical level of faulty installation. Most likely, the equipment is connected when the screed has not yet cured.
- 15 minutes. so long will have to wait for the owners of infrared system, which is built specifically under the thin final coating, but with a sharp heat the room rapidly cools down;
- 30-60 minutes. this is the time it will take to heat an infrared floor that is installed under a dense covering;
- 1-3 hours. that’s how long the floor is heated under the stoneware. If you lay a tile on a special adhesive, first the adhesive is heated, then the ceramics, and then the air;
- 3-15 hours. this is the time needed to heat the electronic cable embedded under the screed with a layer of 3 to 5 layers; in case of slow heating the air also cools down slowly.
How quickly an electric “underfloor heating” heats up
Or another similar question: “How much faster a floor with a heating mat placed directly under the tile will be heated than a cable in the screed?”. To answer these questions, below is an estimation of the heating rate of the floor structure and examples of how to calculate the heating time for some floor structures.
This calculation assumes the following design: floor without thermal insulation under the cable, heated room under the floor. Heat losses from the floor surface and from the ceiling surface under the concrete ceiling are not taken into account. It is assumed that in order to estimate the heating we assign a layer above the cable/matt and a layer under the cable/matt with the same thickness.
The floor heating time is related to the heat capacity of its construction and for 1 m2 can be calculated by the formula:
t heating = (C/P) (T initial. T final),
P. power of the heating system, W/m2,
T. initial and final temperatures of the floor.
Heat capacity is calculated by the formula:
where ρ. specific density of material(s) of the floor structure,
c. Specific heat capacity of material(s) in the floor structure,
For the example, let’s take the following characteristics:
installed power. 135 W/m2 (at 220 V);
screed thickness above the cable/matt. 15 mm glue 5 mm tile 10 mm = 30 mm;
Initial floor temperature. 18 °C, we assume a minimum comfortable floor temperature of 27 °C;
Specific heat capacity of cement-sand screed c = 840 J/(kgK), specific density ρ = 1600 kg/m3 (DBN B.2.6-31:2006 Thermal insulation of buildings). For simplicity of calculation. roughly the same values for glue and tiles.
To simplify the calculation, it is assumed that the layer above the cable/matt and the layer below the cable/matt with a similar thickness is estimated for the initial heating. Thus, the heat capacity of 1 m2 of the floor structure with a heated thickness of 30 30 = 60 mm = 0.06 m and respectively with the same volume for 1 m2 will be:
C = ρ c V = 1600 840 0.06 = 80 640 J/(Km2).
t heating = (80640 / 135) (27. 18) = 5376 s ≈ 1.5 hours.
Thus, the estimated heating rate from 18 to 27 °C (by 9 °C) for an underfloor heating system with a capacity of 135 W/m2. with a cable/mat installation depth of 3 cm, screed under the cable/mat with a minimum thickness of 3 cm (no thermal insulation immediately under the cable/mat), is approximately 1.5 hours.
The speed of heating the floor over the cable / mat is about 3 cm / 1.5 hours ≈ 2 cm / hour, where 3 cm. the depth of the cable / mat and no insulation immediately under the cable. This speed will answer the question “How long will it take to heat the floor if the cable is at such a depth??”i.e. the depth at which the cable is installed is divided by this speed.
If the cable/mat is installed directly on the thermal insulation, i.e. there is no heating of the screed underneath it, then at a similar depth of installation the speed of heating will be twice as high. about 4 cm/hr.
Below are examples of estimated times for heating the floor surface to a minimum comfortable temperature at a power of 135 W/m2.
Mate under the tiles with a thickness of 1.5 cm (here the floor design is usually always without thermal insulation “right under the mat”):
Heating cable is installed in the screed without thermal insulation at a depth of 5 cm from the surface, below the floor is a warm room:
Cable on thermal insulation in the screed at 5 cm from the surface (min. 2 cm. thick, with a separating layer of, for example, aluminum foil):
The following conclusions can be made about the calculated values of the heating rate of the floor structure:
Not heating at full capacity
Sometimes consumers do not immediately pay attention to the fact that something is wrong with their floor heater. It’s on, but it doesn’t warm up well. Electric floor heating, depending on its type, has the heating parameters set by the manufacturer.
On average, if the installation was done correctly, for:
- Infrared film floor heating time will be 10-15 minutes;
- heating mats filled with adhesive will reach the temperature set by the thermostat in 6-8 hours;
- A cable floor “sunk” into a thick screed will take up to 24 hours to warm up.
If the system took longer to warm up, or if it never reached the set parameters, this could be the reason:
- Incorrect installation of the temperature sensor. If it is placed too close to the heating element of the structure, it will force the thermostat to turn off before the floor is heated.
- The sensor itself can fail, so it must be checked without disconnecting the thermostat.
- It can be caused by low voltage, which can be avoided by installing a stabilizer.
- The floor can take a long time to warm up if the heat loss is higher than the system has time to generate. This can happen in the absence of thermal insulation.
- Initially incorrect calculations can significantly reduce the capacity of the underfloor heating.
Practice shows that in order not to wonder in the future how long heats up an electric floor heating, it is necessary at the stage of installation to make correct calculations and lay the system taking into account all the layers of the “pie”.
The speed of heating
To know exactly how quickly an electric underfloor heating will heat up, you need to make calculations based on its design. For example, if the system was installed without thermal insulation, because there is a heated room under the floor, the heat loss will be higher, and therefore heating is required for a longer time.
To estimate the heating of such a structure, we must consider two layers of screed. above the cable or mat and below it.
Time for 1m2 is calculated by the formula:
t heating = (C/P) (t initial. t final), where:
To calculate what is the heat capacity of 1 m2 of the floor, the formula is applied:
For example, with the values:
- the power of the construction is 135 W/m2;
- the thickness of the layer of mortar over the cable is 15 mm, 5 mm of glue and 10 mm of the floor covering, all together = 30 mm;
- Initial t. 18, minimum for the system. 27 deg;
- s (heat capacity of the screed) = 840 J/m2;
- ρ (specific density) = 1600 kg/m3.
Based on such parameters, it turns out that the heat capacity of 1m2 of the system with the heated thickness of the bottom and top layer of the screed = 3030 = 60 mm or 0.06 м.
By substituting the figures in the formula:
The time for heating the system will be:
It turns out that an electric cable floor without insulation and with ties above and below it will take about an hour and a half to warm up from 18 to 27 degrees.
If at installation of a warm electric floor to apply a thermal insulator, even if a heated room under it, speed of heating will decrease twice.
If the heating time of the electric floor heating significantly exceeds the allowable norms, it means that the system is malfunctioning somewhere and you need to identify the cause, otherwise you may incur high costs for its maintenance.
How long does it take to heat an underfloor heating system??
Conclusion: The time to heat up an electric floor depends on the type of electric floor (heating mat, cable or infrared film) and the type of flooring (laminate, carpet, parquet, tile or screed). Let’s add, these calculations are appropriate, all other things being equal. These are such as the heat loss of the room, the power of the underfloor heating and others, which we will talk about next time.
If you still have questions: How long does it take to heat up an underfloor heating? How much the floor heating heats up? How quickly the underfloor heating heats up under tile? The site has a free consultation. Address to our managers, they with pleasure will help you. Phone numbers you can see on any page of the site, or order a call back. On this site a large number of electric floor heating, both Ukrainian and European manufacturers. We have the most democratic prices. Enjoy the shopping.
How long does the underfloor heating first warm up?
Underfloor heating is gaining more and more popularity among consumers.
They successfully complete heating systems and guarantee the comfort of the rooms.
A specific feature of underfloor heating is that the heated air comes from below. Such a system ensures an optimal level of humidity.
Underfloor heating systems can act as:
- The main and only heating system;
- Additions to the existing system;
- Meeting specific needs and creating a specific comfort zone.
The system is good in that the warm air is not at ceiling level, and at human growth level, while at the foot level the temperature is several degrees higher, this temperature in the room is most comfortable for humans.
Established standards for the surface temperature of underfloor heating
In the handbook of Building Standards and Regulations (SNiP) has a strict guideline about what the floor temperature should be. According to paragraph 44-01-2003 the maximum and minimum temperature of the floor heating should be in the range of 26 and 35 ° C.
The minimum point of 26 ° C should be set only if there are constantly people in the room.
If the room is rarely visited by visitors, then the optimum temperature should be at around 31 ° C.
This value is usually set for bathrooms, swimming pools and toilets, where a comfortable temperature for the feet is most needed.
The main limitation is that the temperature along the axes of heating should not exceed the allowable 35 ° C, a higher temperature will cause unwanted overheating of the system and the floor covering.
Comfortable temperature of the floor heating for different coatings
For a parquet surface, the maximum value is 27°C.
This is due to the peculiarities of the material and its thermal properties, overheating such flooring can lead to its deformation.
For a comfortable stay in the room enough 22-24 ° C. This temperature is pleasant for the feet and evenly heats the air in the room.
Unlike classic radiators, the air temperature will be maximum over the entire height of the area.
In practice, the heating medium value of 30 ° C is rarely achieved.
As a rule, all parameters are calculated at the design stage of the heated surface. Before installing water and electric heating systems, their tasks and room heat loss values must be taken into account.
The rate of heating of underfloor heating
According to their features, heating systems can be divided into two types:
- Water, where the function of the coolant is water, antifreeze or ethylene glycol solutions;
- Electrical, where carbon rods, electric cables or infrared film act as the coolant.
Each system has its advantages and disadvantages. Time of heating of such floors depends on the construction of heat carriers and the depth at which they are laid.
It takes an average of 1.5 to 2 hours to heat a square meter of floor with a screed depth of 5 to 6 cm.
Speed of heating of water floors
The water underfloor heating takes quite a long time. Time of heating up can be 20. 30 hours, for feet the temperature increase will be felt in about 5 hours.
Most of the time and energy is spent on heating the screed, which reaches an average thickness of 5 cm. Only after it is heated up does the heat return to the room.
After switching off, a comfortable surface and room temperature can be maintained for twenty-four hours. As a rule, the total time of heating and cooling depends on the thickness of the tie elements.
A significant disadvantage of this heat transfer medium is the complexity of installation.
The speed of heating electric floors
Electric floors warm up fast enough in comparison with water floors. The electric heat carriers are heated instantly. It does not take them more than 6-8 minutes.
The rest of the time takes uniform heating of the screed around the perimeter of the room.
The time of heating up to the set values takes from 12 to 24 hours depending on the square of the surface, the effect will be noticeable after a couple of hours for your feet.
In case of power failure, the cable floor will be able to maintain the selected thermal mode for a long time. The design is connected to a thermoregulator, which will automatically adjust the strength of the heating when the temperature drops by 2. 3 degrees.
The speed of heating of infrared film and screed floors
Rod and film infrared floors are considered the most innovative and fastest in heating.
Their peculiarity is that the heat transfer takes place through direct radiation. A general increase in the room temperature becomes perceptible in the very first hours.
Heat transfer to the air takes place directly without unnecessary heating of screed and underlayment. In addition, such floors have the smallest thickness of screed.
After the first activation, it only takes 10 minutes for the elements to reach their rated output and begin heating the room.
Since the human body temperature is 6 degrees higher, the first time you do not feel a significant effect. But the feet feel comfortable already in the first hours of operation of the system.
Important! Note that the maximum temperature of the infrared heat-carrier can not exceed 30 ° C, otherwise the elements may fail.
Regulating the temperature of underfloor heating
To create a comfortable environment, as well as to control the consumption of electricity and other resources, users resort to adjusting the temperature of underfloor heating.
Regulation of water floors
In water systems is usually installed thermostatic valve or pump-mixing groups with automation.
What you need to know before installing heated flooring
They prevent overheating of the system and flooring, react to changes in room temperature and open or close the valves, maintaining the set modes.
The advantage of such regulators is that they are simple and easy to assemble.
Regulation of electric and infrared floors
Electromechanical, digital and programmable thermostatic regulators are used for electric floors.
They are connected in parallel to the circuit and use special sensors which analyze changes in surface heating modes.
They shut off the heat transfer media when the maximum heating thresholds are reached.
How much the floor heating heats up when it is first turned on
Floor heating is usually used in individual rooms of the house, it acts as a supplement to the traditional heating with radiators.

Such a system has many advantages. When starting the installed equipment, the question often arises, how much the floor heating warms up the first time it is turned on.
It happens from a few minutes to two and a half hours.
The design of the system
Such coatings have more and more supporters, it allows you to reduce the cost of maintenance, eliminates the causes of moisture, guarantees high comfort in the room.
However, we must remember that this is a completely different heating system, and the principles of its operation are significantly different.
Therefore, how much the floor heating heats up when first turned on. this is quite a common question among those wishing to install such equipment.
The most important parameter in heating systems is the temperature of water supply.
To ensure proper operation of the installation and solve the question of how long it takes to heat the floor heating, you can not exceed the allowable value of 55 C. this temperature, which provides a comfortable atmosphere of 30 C. This value, is the maximum, above which the surface overheats, which is harmful to health.
How much the floor heating warms up when you turn it on for the first time
Here you will learn why the water underfloor heating does not warm: the possible problems and their manifestation, the cause of poor performance, uneven and long heating time, as well as in what manifests a breakthrough.
Despite the fact that built-in heating systems and, in particular, water underfloor heating, are considered the most reliable, durable, efficient, sooner or later you can encounter problems.
By studying them in advance it is easier to determine why the water underfloor heating does not work, and to take corrective measures.
Failure in the system of water underfloor heating manifests itself in a sharp decrease in the level of comfort in the room.
- The most frequent failure of heating. It gets cold in the room.
- Users are less likely to encounter excessive heating. When it becomes unbearably hot, and the heating time of water underfloor heating is significantly reduced. If such a fault is not eliminated in time, the flooring, screed and the pipes themselves can deteriorate.
The question arises why poorly heats a water heated floor or no heating at all?
Often such problems can arise immediately after the installation of the system at the first start-up. That is why it is important to know the requirements for commissioning water underfloor heating, as well as know how to properly adjust the system.
Not to worry, wondering how long it takes to warm up a water underfloor heating, it is worth adhering to all the requirements of the technology of installation in the construction of “warm pie”. One possible reason for the poor quality of the heat output of the system is poor quality insulation.
Invaluable help in identifying the problem can have periodic recording of energy consumption and temperature. By checking them it is much easier to detect a malfunction on time.
Water in-floor heating is a rather complex system of interconnected components. If the water underfloor heating does not work, the causes may be different.
First of all, you need to know the basic elements of this type of heating:
- Pipes. pipelines through which the coolant circulates, transferring heat to the floor surface.
- Bypass.
- Circulation pump.
- Collector and actuators of the input group. Serving to regulate the flow in the circuits, as well as the balancing valve designed to mix the heated water and the already released heat.
- Thermostats and thermostatic regulators. allowing to regulate and maintain the set temperature. In case of failure, both cooling and critical overheating of the system is possible.
It is worth taking into account the possible flaws in the installation. Eliminate such defects as, for example, insufficient insulation and high heat loss, will be problematic, because you will have to lift the floor covering warm water floor, remove screed and pipes.
Also, if the water heated floor does not warm, the reasons may lie in the wrong calculations in the design and, as a consequence, improperly matched the parameters of the system components. It often happens that there is not enough energy to heat properly. In this case, the matter is in weak voltage network or insufficient power of the boiler.
However, consider the most characteristic breakdowns, places and causes of their occurrence, as well as ways to solve the problem.
Breakthrough of the water underfloor heating is manifested by leaks and often a sharp drop in pressure in the pipes. Leaks not only reduce the amount of coolant in the system, but also fraught with the destruction of the floor, flooding the neighbors and damage to property.
If a water heated floor began to warm badly, and the leak is suspected, the first thing to do is to inspect the surface and the joints of the floor covering. Wet spots may not be present. Then you should use a thermal imaging camera.
After locating the leak you need to carefully remove the flooring and screed locally. The method to fix the leak is to cut out the damaged part of the pipe and replace it with a new, intact one. The technology depends on the type of pipes used.
Before dismantling the coating and dissecting the pipe, the heating medium supply to the circuit must first be shut off (at the manifold), and then the water from the circuit must be completely drained. After repairing the circuit starts. It is mandatory to check the solder or connection for leaks.
Before you heat the water underfloor heating, it is necessary to deflate.
In cases where poorly heats the water underfloor heating, the reasons may lie in the uneven distribution of coolant in the loops. This is due to the fact that the loops are generally of different lengths. If the flow rate of the water on the manifold in each loop is the same, it will take longer for the heat carrier to pass through the longer loop. Accordingly, in such loops the water cools down faster.
In this case, to solve the problem why the underfloor heating does not warm up will adjust the coolant flow on the collector in each circuit. The levels of the electric actuators of the supply valves should be checked and adjusted.
We must be patient, because the time it takes the water underfloor heating depends on many factors (the structure and thickness of the “warm cake”, the temperature and intensity of water supply, the temperature outside the windows, the floor covering material, what power is the heater selected for the water underfloor heating, etc.). д.).
To facilitate control and regulation help automation tools, namely temperature sensors and actuators on the manifold valves connected to an external thermostat. analyzer that sends commands to the manifold to regulate water flow to the loops.
Why the underfloor heating does not warm up if there is no leakage? Given that some elements of the system to function requires power from the mains, we can assume that the cause of trouble lies in them.
A common breakdown appears to be the failure of the circulation pump and thermostat located in the mixing unit of the manifold. Check whether they are supplied with voltage. You can do this with a multimeter or indicator screwdriver. In principle, the inoperability of the pump can be determined by the absence of any noise.
After a general check of the thermostat, if the problem is not detected, it is necessary to check the resistance of each of its terminals. It is possible that the temperature sensors are out of order. And therefore it is recommended to regularly check their performance.
If you can not find why the water underfloor heating does not warm, but nothing else gives rise to suspicions, it is better to ask for help from a specialist.
Asking yourself how long it takes for a water underfloor heating to warm up, you should not expect an immediate response from the system, because such heating is inert. However, waiting too long gives reason to suspect a malfunction, which you can fix with your own hands.
Question for connoisseurs: How long does it take for the floor heating to warm up as opposed to the radiator? ? ( I would at least roughly know) 5 minutes or 24 hours.
Best answers
It heats up for a long time, it depends on the pump and the boiler, and it pulls a lot, but it is comfortable as soon as it is heated up.
Yes immediately, the stone-concrete quickly heat conducts. 1-2 minutes.
How long does it take floor heating to heat up the room. Hydronic floor heating. Perth
Depending on the specific installation of 20 minutes (film under the wood-fibre board) to 3 hours (in the concrete casting), and the full recovery mode after the long shutdown 6-8 hours. But it also takes a very long time to cool down. If the heating is turned off, you can stay in relatively reasonable conditions for half a day.
In the bathroom, an electric on the insulation for 10 minutes the heat appears, the water in the screed in a private house 24 hours of work the boiler
The thermal conductivity of metal is ten times greater than concrete or ceramic. So figure it out! The efficiency of steel radiators in most cases several times higher than that of underfloor heating (sometimes the opposite, but such systems are rare). And the radiator heats up many times faster. For example thermal conductivity of sand-concrete with density 1800kg/m3. 0,93 W/(m × ° C) Thermal conductivity of steel 7850 kg/m3. 58 W/(m × ° C) the Difference is almost 60 times. Т. е. If the temperature of the heat carrier is the same, the floor will warm up ten times slower. If the radiator heats up in a fraction of a minute the floor heats up in a few minutes.
Thermal conductivity of marble is better than that of sandcrete, but to steel far, marble density 2800 kg/m3. 2,91 W/(m × ° C) This if marble on the floor, with any cream granite data are similar.
If the floor is covered with tiles, its thermal conductivity must be calculated, taking into account the thickness of glue, tiles, and their properties, but in any case, these materials are less conductive than metals.
Here’s a good article about underfloor heating. [link blocked by decision of the administration]
Expert Answers
Do not be guided by the speed of heating in this matter. You are not going to lay a two-millimeter porcelain tile. Another issue is that it is impractical to install large tiles in a small room. It seems to me in any case, two hours will heat the floor.
The intensity of heating depends more on the thickness of the screed than on the thickness of the porcelain tiles.
Porcelain stoneware is standard in thickness, usually 10-12 mm, for the underfloor heating mat on the existing screed is more for comfort than for heating, and the initial heating rate is not relevant if there is a programmable temperature sensor.
When you turn it on for the first time, it can take as long as an hour or three In winter, when the floor is cold, you can even wait 24 hours. When the system enters into operating mode, 20 to 30 minutes will be enough. There are a few “buts”. How is the floor insulated, from below the street or living room, what thermostat is used, to what temperature you want the floor is heated.
Underfloor heating is not part of an operative (short-term) heating system. If you make it so. then the floor itself will not live long, because of the significant thermal and mechanical stresses that will be in the heating.
It all depends on the capacity of the floor heating per square meter. over. if the power is insufficient, the floor will not even warm up to the specified temperature, if the apartment is very cold, because of the location of the apartment (first floor for example), the thickness of the glue, etc.10 mm is a big enough thickness.
Underfloor heating: how much it heats up
To take advantage of all the benefits of such systems, it is necessary to perform the installation correctly and accurately according to the instructions to make the first startup:
- Before you start, you must carefully bleed and adjust the installation. The air in the heating circuits can significantly slow down and even block the heating.
- In turn, the lack of regulation of valves or flow meters will lead to uneven heating, slowing time.
Usually a thin coating under a small screed heats up in 15 minutes with a cable power of 150 W/m2. Very often, in order to speed up the solution to the problem of how long it takes to heat the underfloor heating, the temperature of the water supply is raised to 55 C. Meanwhile, such action can produce quite the opposite effect from the alleged solution to the question of how much the floor heating.
Sensors whose role is to protect against overheating can turn off pumps and heat supply. Thus, instead of speeding up the start and quickly solving the question of how long the floor heating heats, there is a delay. If the system is overheated, the coating can be affected in a few hours. Heating temperatures above 60 C will damage the surface layer and cracking screed.