In a wooden house you can install an electric heated floor. This system consumes relatively little power. At the same time, the quality of heating in this case will be much higher than when using convectors, batteries and other similar equipment. How to install a warm electric floor in a wooden house will be discussed in detail below.
Features of heating
Many owners of private houses and apartments have already been able to appreciate the benefits of space heating with underfloor heating. There are many varieties of such systems. A warm electric floor in a wooden house (photo below) requires a certain installation methodology. It is indicated in the instructions by the manufacturers of such systems.
Most often, in a wooden house, heating elements are mounted without screed. This greatly facilitates the installation procedure. You can cope with such work in just an hour. Creating a screed layer has several disadvantages. Because of it, the floor level rises at least 10 cm, or even more. At the same time, the screed warms up for a long time. Sometimes, in order for the system to be able to heat the room, it takes more than a day.
Installation without screed has many advantages. After installation, the system can be operated immediately. No need to wait until the cement slurry has dried. The floor heats up in just half an hour. This is especially liked by the owners who visit the country house periodically, for example, they come to relax for the weekend.
Varieties of systems
Today, a large selection of heating systems for arranging a warm floor is on sale. They can significantly differ in the principle of their work. You should responsibly approach the choice of a warm electric floor, installation method. In a wooden house without a screed, you can mount the wire and film. These are the two main types of systems that are used today in the course of arranging heating.
A commercially available cable can be resistive and self-regulating. The first option is much cheaper. It has the same temperature over its entire length. Self-regulating wire is a more complex device. Its cost is quite high. It is used extremely rarely for floor heating . More often, a self-regulating wire is purchased for heating pipes, drains.
The film has an affordable cost. At the same time, its installation does not cause difficulties for buyers. This system can be mounted quickly and easily. In this case, the quality of heating will be high. For installation without screed in a wooden house, this system is more suitable.
Wire features
A warm electric floor in a wooden house without a screed is sometimes mounted using a resistive wire. Since this product has the same heating temperature over its entire length, it has a number of installation requirements. The fact is that this type of system is more suitable for installation in a screed. It requires that the environment that surrounds it be identical in all areas.
If you install the wire without a tie, it will come in contact with air in some places, and in some places with solid objects (floor base, logs). Because of this, it will heat up unevenly. Such a circumstance over time leads to overheating of the system and its failure.
To solve this problem, it is necessary to purchase special insulation materials that have cutouts for the wire. In this case, the heating element will fit snugly to the base. On top of it will be a wooden coating (laminate, particleboard, etc.). This allows the system not to overheat and work for a long time.
Film
It is better to mount a warm electric floor in a wooden house without a screed when using an infrared heating film. This is a special type of system. Its thickness is minimal. The heating element in this case is a special carbon paste. Electric current is supplied through it. Because of this, a special type of energy is generated. Such rays belong to the infrared part of the spectrum.
The paste is between two sheets of film. It is laminated in them. In this case, the heat produced by such a heating element does not heat the air. It acts on surrounding objects. The wooden surface of the floor is heated. This type of heating is much more effective than a wire if you plan to do dry installation.
The film is cut in certain places (specified by the manufacturer). The kit comes with special clips and wires that allow you to mount the system.
Alternative
If the owners of the wooden house do not want to mount the heating system in the screed or directly under the wooden floor, they can choose a warm electric floor in the wooden house for tiles. Today it is one of the best options for such systems.
In this case, the wire will also be the heating element. But it will be thinner than the screed system. Such a wire can be delivered in bays of a certain length or on a grid of polymeric material (mat). The second option is easier to install. The mat is rolled out, and a heating wire is laid out on it with a certain step. If the owners of the house purchase a wire in the bay, it will need to be laid out independently on the floor surface. The cost of heating mats is higher than that of a wire wound on a reel.
The presented system is mounted in a layer of tile adhesive. You do not need to create a thick layer of screed. This option is suitable for heating the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. Under the laminate it is easier to mount the film.
Power
An important indicator when choosing a heating electric system is its power. You need to correctly calculate this indicator so that the system can heat the room. It should be noted that in rooms where the laminate will be flooring, it is necessary to cover at least 80% of the useful area with a heating system. Under the furniture, the film or wire is not laid out. Otherwise, you need to install an additional radiator in the room.
The heating wire, which is mounted in tile adhesive, allows you to create an autonomous heating in the room, if it covers 70% of the area.
The power of the cable and film is not the same. One meter square wire consumes an average of 150 watts. The film will heat the floor to the same temperature only if its power is higher. Therefore, the film has an average power of 220 W / m².
Under a wooden coating, it is allowed to lay a wire with a power of 130 W / m². This is additional heating. Such systems are not able to independently heat the room. They are designed for comfort. The wire, which was mounted in the tile adhesive under the tile, can heat the room. What electric floor heating to choose for the tile? The power of the system should be 150-180 W / m².
Payment
In order to calculate which warm electric floor in a wooden house can meet the needs of the owners, you need to perform the correct calculation. So, you need to heat a room of 20 m².
If a film heat-insulated floor will be used, to create autonomous heating, it is necessary to cover an area of 80% with a heating element. In this case, it will be enough to purchase a film measuring 16 m². Its total capacity will be:
16 * 220 W = 3.5 kW.
For the same room, you can purchase a wire for additional heating. In this case, it is laid on an area of 50% of the room (10 m²). The total capacity of such a system is:
10 * 130 W = 1.3 kW.
If you need to mount the wire under the tile and make the main heating using an electric underfloor heating, you need to heat 70% of the room (14 m²). In this case, the total system capacity is:
14 * 150 = 2.1 kW.
Wired systems are more profitable than film. But they are undesirable to mount without a solution. Therefore, the choice must be made in accordance with the type of flooring.
Reviews of film manufacturers
When choosing a heating system, you need to consider customer reviews and experts. Today, a large selection of film infrared systems is on sale. According to reviews, a warm electric floor under linoleum, laminate, and high-quality chipboard is produced by the domestic company Teplolux. The cost of production will be an order of magnitude lower, and the quality remains consistently high. This manufacturer successfully competes with the brands of South Korea, China and the USA.
Cable Manufacturers Reviews
Considering reviews of warm electric floors in a wooden house, it is worth noting that high-quality systems are produced by domestic and foreign companies. The following manufacturers produce durable, reliable and efficient cable:
- Ensto (Finland).
- Davi (Denmark).
- Nexans (Norway).
- Teplolux (Russia).
The cost of products of these manufacturers is different. However, the quality of these systems is identical. Therefore, many of our compatriots choose a warm floor of Russian production.
Cable installation
Installation of an electric heated floor in a wooden house is carried out in accordance with safety rules and the manufacturer's instructions. If you plan to mount the cable in tile adhesive, you need to prepare the base. A layer of thermal insulation is laid on it. It is better to choose expanded polystyrene for these purposes.
First, in the wall, you need to make a shtroba and a recess for installing the thermostat. Without it, the floor is not heated. From the thermostat to the floor, the sensor will approach. It should be in the corrugated pipe.
When the insulation is mounted, wire is laid on it with special metal clips or using special tape. The step between the turns of the thin cable should be from 7 to 10 cm. In the insulation, a recess is made in which the corrugated pipe with the sensor from the temperature regulator is laid.
After this, tile is laid as usual. The solution layer should be 5-8 mm. After a week, the system can be operated as intended.
Film mounting
A warm electric floor in a wooden house can be mounted under a laminate, linoleum, parquet and other similar coatings. The infrared film in this case fits perfectly. It is necessary to prepare a strob for a temperature regulator in a wall. On a clean floor, lay a substrate under the laminate. A film is laid out on it.
Next, you need to bring a wire to it. Special metal clips are supplied. A wire is inserted into them and a film is bitten on both sides. This procedure is described in detail in the manufacturer's instructions. After this, the joints are isolated with a special bitumen substance. From above it is closed with plastic caps.
In the substrate, under the junction of the film with the wire, recesses are cut out. No system elements should rise above the surface of the substrate. Next, the sensor from the thermostat is placed in the prepared shtroba. A laminate, linoleum or other similar coating is mounted on top of the heating system. The system can be used immediately after installation.
Having considered the features of installing a warm electric floor in a wooden house, you can choose the optimal system and mount it yourself.