best electric underfloor heating
Elementary physics dictates that the most efficient heating should be placed at the bottom and that the house is below the floor? And it is much more pleasant to walk on a warm floor, even if the temperature in the room is quite comfortable thanks to traditional radiators. Electric underfloor heating, although it has quite certain requirements for power supply, is many times more convenient to install than conventional, connected to the central heating. Besides it is safe in terms of leakage and it is perfectly compatible with thermostats with electric heater you can set any comfortable temperature without much trickery.
You can make almost any floor warm, except perhaps cork (a layer of cork is an excellent insulator: it is more likely to warm the ceiling of your downstairs neighbor than the floor on yours). You probably need a good electric underfloor heating under the tiles in the toilet and bathroom: in this case you can immediately lay a heat cable or a more convenient to install mat when pouring screed. However, if you fill the floor in the living room under any other coverings, such as laminate, then this floor heating comes in handy. The key here is pouring: both of these types of heat floors can not simply be laid under the coating!
But for the repair of small blood (for example, if you’re going to cover the boardwalk with linoleum or carpeting) is the best thing. This infrared floor heating. It is laid without mandatory filling, unlike cable heating and heat mats. In addition, thermal film minimally raises the level of the floor it has the smallest thickness.
Well, we decided to put an electric underfloor heating. It remains to decide which one, and this is traditionally our job.
Features
The main characteristic of an infrared floor heating is the ability to provide uniform heating of the floor tiles to a pleasant temperature for the user. The carrier of heat is water (a special liquid) or electricity. On the efficiency of the system affects the power of the system and the features of its installation (the step of the pipe or cable), the thickness of the screed, the features of the floor covering. Heating of the room is carried out in layers.
First the cable (or carbon strip, pipe system. depends on the type of floor heating) is heated, then the heat is transferred to the screed, from it to the floor covering.
When installing underfloor heating in the bathroom, it is important to take a responsible approach to the selection of waterproofing film, as well as protection of the system from moisture penetration from the flooring. To do this, you need to buy special floor tiles for wet rooms with a minimum index of moisture absorption and special moisture protection.
How to Install a SunTouch Electric Floor Heating Mat
How to choose the best underfloor heating under tiles: instructions and tips
Ceramic tiling is an almost perfect floor covering. It is strong, waterproof, durable and beautiful. However, ceramics is a cold material. While in the summer it can even be pleasant to step on the cool surface, in the fall or winter is not desirable to do so. A good solution. installing a under-floor heating system. Let’s find out what kind of underfloor heating is best to put under the tiles.
What is a warm floor?? The name says it all: It is a heating system that regulates and maintains the temperature of the floor covering in the room. It can be used as the main heating source as well as an additional one.
Similar systems for heating existed in ancient times. So, in ancient Greece and ancient Rome used the following method: the hot air from the wood stove through a system of pipes was distributed in the space, arranged under the floor. Needless to say, only the very rich had access to such technology? Today, underfloor heating is much more accessible, and their principle of operation is not as complicated as before.
Currently there are two main types of underfloor heating: water and electric. In the first, the main coolant is water, circulating through pipes laid under the floor covering. The second type, electric floors, is the most popular these days. The heat conducting element is an electric heating cable if we are talking about electric cable floors or heating mats, or composite rods or conductive carbon strips if we are talking about infrared flooring. In this review, we will focus on electric underfloor heating.
When choosing a floor heating, you should pay attention to its functionality and power. Also, much depends on the type of room in which the floor heating will be installed. In high-rise buildings, it can be difficult to choose a heater. Under the tile flooring there are many good options. Tile itself is a cold coating, which makes the installation of a warm floor a necessity.
Water underfloor heating is not suitable for houses with a centralized heating system and multi-storey buildings due to difficulties with connection. Electric? Suitable for any home.
Electrolux EMSM
- Power consumption. from 0.075 to 1.35 kW.
- Heatable area from 0.7m2 to 12.0m2.
- Degree of protection against dust and moisture. IP 68.
- Weight. from 0,4 to 2,76 kg.
Electrolux EMSM is a range of versatile, ultra-thin floor heating mats for underfloor heating systems for all types of floor coverings. A distinctive feature of the product is the elastic base, able to stretch during installation, according to the demands and needs of the user. Thus, it is possible to create zones with different intensity of heating in the room, which is especially important for rooms with different types of floor coverings. In addition, the elastic base allows to use the system in rooms with a complex geometric shape of the base, effectively avoiding obstacles in the form of walls, pieces of furniture or large household appliances.
The heating cable is based on strands of aramid, an aramid, a superstrong material that is resistant to intense heat. It can not conduct electricity, and is resistant to tensile loads. Aramid strands are coiled with a conductive cable, which provides the flexibility of the design. Double flexible insulation and outer sheath made of fluoroplastic exclude the possibility of interaction of conductive cores with the external environment. It is worth noting that this series of products is covered by the manufacturer’s official warranty, which is valid for 25 years.
Types and peculiarities of laying each type
To determine the choice, let’s understand the types. In total there are three: a heating cable, thermal mats and film.
Heating cable
Actually, as the name suggests, it is a wire, inside of which there are current-carrying cores. They are heated, and then emit heat. The main difference is the method of installation.
The cable is sunk directly into the screed, so it is difficult to install independently, the help of a specialist is required. And this also imposes restrictions on operation. you need to wait at least a month when the screed dries out completely and the heat from the cable does not destroy it.
- It is not necessary to lay the system where it is planned to install cabinets or a kitchen. Therefore, experts always recommend making a plan of furniture arrangement before starting the repair.
- Professionals say that the heating wire. the best option for full heating.
Thermo mats (heating mats)
Heating mats work on the same principle as the cable, but they are assembled into a glass mesh. From that and the name. in appearance resemble mats.
The difference from the first option in the way of installation. It does not need a screed and installation is much easier. mats spread over the area of the room, and then immediately laid the final coating.
The power of thermo mats is small, but that’s why experts recommend them as an electric floor under the tiles. Only a small “substrate” in the form of a layer of glue is enough.
Thermal film
Thermal film is the latest design on the market. Heating occurs due to infrared radiation inside the film. Therefore, it is thin and fairly easy to install.
The material is practically universal, it can be installed under any coverings except tiles.
Electric underfloor heating with his hands
Electric underfloor heating is a popular solution for home heating. They are used both in private homes, and in apartments, because they are allowed to connect to existing wiring systems in apartment buildings. The warranty period on the floor heating of many manufacturers is very long. 10, 15 years and more. For example, the Russian manufacturer “Teplolyuks” gives a lifetime warranty on some of its products.
Electric underfloor heating is a great addition to the main heating system in the house. However, it can also be used as a primary source of heat, for this you need to arrange heating at least 80% of the surface. The advantage of underfloor heating is that the air in the room is heated evenly due to the fact that the heating is from below, and the heating elements are distributed over the floor covering.
Most mechanical or electronic thermostats are suitable for controlling the heating element. For example, automatic programmable thermostats from “Teplolyuks” allow you to set the time to turn on and off the heating, and a model working via wi-fi, to control it at a distance.
What is the best choice of electric underfloor heating under the tiles?
Electric underfloor heating is divided into two large groups: cable and infrared. A cable is a heating element of the cable floor, but infra-red heating is a composite rod or a film with current-conducting carbon strips applied on it. Cable flooring is available in the form of cable or heating mat. The heating mat is a cable, attached at a certain pitch to the base. The basis, as a rule, is a fiberglass mesh, or foil. Before buying, you need to clarify with the manufacturer or seller, with which coating combines a particular product. For tiles, both variants of cable floors are used (except for foil, because their installation does not involve a strong bond between the tiles, glue and the base), as well as rod. Infrared film is used with tiles quite rarely.
Heating cable. This is ideal if you are starting from scratch, or if you are planning a major renovation. To install such a warm floor, you need to perform screed and lay the cable in a layer of mortar with a thickness of 3-5 cm. The advantage of cable is that the total heating power can be adjusted by the installation step. For example, for a bathroom, where there is high humidity, you can lay the cable tighter and thus increase heating, and for a small room without a balcony, on the contrary, make the step wider and reduce power. Recommended wattage for living rooms if the main heat source is present. from 120 W/m2. For bathrooms or cold rooms, 150-180 W/m2. We recommend the double-core cables because of the relative ease of installation compared to the single-core ones.
Heating mats are placed in a thin layer (5-8 mm) of tile adhesive. Thus, the installation of the mat is easier than the installation of cable, and most importantly. it almost does not increase the height of the flooring. If you want to lay the mat at an angle or to fit the shape of the area, it can be cut without affecting the cable. The optimum wattage of the mat is 150-180 watts per 1 m2 : this provides even and quick heating of the room.
Stranded floor. Heating elements are rods of composite materials (carbon-based rods are the most common), attached to the mat at a certain pitch. Manufacturers of such floors claim that they are very economical, because they stop consuming electricity when the rods are heated to a certain temperature. Studded floor is installed both in the screed and in the tile adhesive.
