The presence of a cold floor in the house leads to a certain discomfort, especially in the winter season, since even a boiler turned on at full capacity is not able to warm the surface to the optimum level. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the traditional heating system is able to heat only the air mass, and not a dense and massive floor.
What to do?
One way to solve the above problem is to connect a warm floor to the heating system.
The implementation of such actions leads to the following positive aspects:
- High economic efficiency.
- Security.
- Almost imperceptible noise level.
- Unobtrusiveness.
A person who has a warm water floor in his house can set the required temperature at any time. In addition, such a design is able to evenly heat any room.
Only accurate calculations and measurements can determine the correct connection of a warm floor to the heating system, which, in turn, will significantly reduce utility bills.
The benefits of underfloor heating
Almost everyone believes that a warm floor has only advantages. Firstly, the heat goes from the bottom up, therefore, everything will warm up correctly - legs and head will be comfortable at the same time. This moment is the main difference between the underfloor heating and radiator heating, in the case of the latter there is a rise of warm air to the ceiling, and then lowering cooled down to the feet, which is not only less comfortable, but also uneconomical.
The same feature of heat transfer allows a water-heated floor to improve indoor air quality. The basis of the work is thermal radiation, not convection, therefore, the circulation of harmful bacteria, plant pollen and dust is significantly reduced, which positively affects the level of air quality. People with allergies or bronchial asthma just need such heating.
Another indisputable advantage of a water heat-insulated floor is that by the time the installation and finishing work is finished, it will not be visible.
You can completely remove the radiators and arrange the furniture, based on your own wishes, without fear that the room will not warm up completely.
Installing a water heated floor in the house allows you to provide a different level of temperature in the premises, depending on individual needs. All you need is to purchase and connect a programmable thermostat.
Another undoubted plus of a water floor heating is energy efficiency. The reason for this is extremely simple - the coolant in the radiator system is usually warmed up to 80-90 degrees, when for optimal heating through a warm floor, 35-50 degrees are necessary. Due to the large area of accommodation, a lower temperature allows you to warm the room in the same way as a hot battery, but having spent much less energy on it, which leads to a reduction in costs.
Extremely simple maintenance cannot be ignored. Installation and proper commissioning guarantee uninterrupted operation of a water heated floor without human intervention.
Optimum wiring diagram
To ensure excellent work, the owner should have a scheme for connecting a warm floor to the heating system, drawn up by a competent engineer. In this case, the needs of the owner and the features of the house should be taken into account. For example, the design of a water floor is affected by: the area and shape of the heated room, its layout and allocated areas, furniture and appliances placed, as well as the number of external walls in the room, which are the main source of cold.
The most common connection of a warm floor to a heating system is a spiral pipe laying. True, if you plan to heat a large room, then you can use this method of installation, such as a loop or a snake.
Regardless of which scheme the choice falls on, a water heated floor cannot be made without: combs for heating, a manifold, a circular pump, pipes, ball valves, fittings, a heating distributor and other equipment.
Single pipe heating system
Connecting a heated floor to a single-pipe heating system (“Leningrad”) requires the presence of: a heat exchanger (floor boiler), return and supply pipes equipped with shutoff valves, an expansion tank located in front of the boiler, a circular pump and a safety unit.
In this case, the supply pipe is located immediately behind the circulation pump, and the return pipe is in front of it. To adjust the temperature in the room, shutoff valves installed on the sidebars are used. It can be either a valve or a ball valve.
The heat exchanger at the outlet has a temperature of 80 degrees, and by the time it enters the return pipe, it drops to 50 degrees. This is the optimum temperature for underfloor heating. Using shut-off valves mounted in the supply and return pipes, you can completely turn off the system without stopping the operation of the radiators. In addition, a bypass can be installed on the return, which will allow for temperature control.
Technological features
Connecting a warm floor to the heating system requires significant modernization, as there is a change in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the heating circuit.
The preparatory phase involves solving the following issues:
- How to connect the collector module to existing pipes?
- How to reduce the temperature of the water that circulates in the heating system to the optimum value (about 55 degrees)?
- How to achieve optimal pressure (8-9 atm.)?
You also need to calculate the parameters of the mounted system, the power of the heating elements and the optimal value of the main pipe.
Suitable heating systems
If the house already has a coolant, then how to connect a warm floor to the heating system will depend on its type.
If we are talking about a single-tube system, then an additional radiator is required.
Two-pipe already assumes the presence of pipes with hot liquid and pipes necessary for the return of water to the coolant for the next heating.
Correct determination of the order of connection of the water supply system and the collector results in the simplest and most reliable way to connect a warm floor.
Important ! It is undesirable to use the gravitational principle of fluid advancement, since it leads to the fact that water cannot cope with the hydraulic resistance formed due to different diameters, as a result of which the operation of the system can be completely blocked.
About the elements of the floor heating connection scheme
Connecting a warm floor to an existing heating system requires the following standard elements:
- Pipes (preferably polymer).
- The site of displacement of the warm floor (its main task is to maintain the optimum value of the water temperature - about 50 degrees).
- Manifolds that distribute fluid along the contours.
- Thermostats - devices that allow you to control the system.
Mixing unit
A mixing unit for connecting a warm floor is necessary to solve the following problem: the heat carrier leaving the boiler has a temperature of about 90 degrees, and a warm floor requires no more than 55 degrees. It can be connected to both a new and an existing design.
The main function is to reduce the temperature of the coolant by mixing water from the return into the feed pipe.
The principle of operation and installation procedure of the mixing unit
The mixing unit includes a pump and a three-way valve. In stores, a kit including a manifold and an expansion tank can also be presented.
Installation of the mixing unit involves the selection of one of the following methods:
- Mounting to the collector, and it does not matter which side.
- The location of the mixing unit in the boiler room, and the collector somewhere else, for example, in a living room.
The second method allows you to get rid of the sound of a running pump.
Types of temperature regulators
Installing a thermostat for underfloor heating makes it possible to use any heating device, without fear that it may overheat or fail. That is why this unit can be found not only in this system, but also in an iron or kettle.
If we are talking about an electric warm field, then the thermostat will not only set the optimum temperature, but also significantly save electrical energy.
The liquid coolant involves a slightly different temperature control procedure - a three-way valve or a circulation pump.
Some important nuances
Despite the fact that the water heated floor does not have obvious shortcomings, there are several important nuances that cannot be ignored, nevertheless:
- First of all, you need to make sure that arranging a concrete screed does not cause difficulties. Alternatively, you can pay attention to aluminum panels, however, their cost is much higher, and compared to concrete floors, they quickly lose heat.
- The area of the room in which the equipment for the warm water floor is planned should be at least 20-25 m 2 . If you need to insulate a bathroom or a bathroom, then it is better to stop on an electric warm field.
- You need to determine the floor covering in advance. Tile is considered an ideal option, since porcelain tile has the highest thermal conductivity.
- The main characteristic feature of a warm water floor under a concrete screed is slow heating. It is recommended to use this type of heating in order to maintain the temperature, but do not turn it on and off constantly. So, for example, if you need to warm up a long empty space, then you need to turn on the warm floor in advance, since it takes a certain time to warm up.
In general, a water floor heating is the best option for heating a country house or cottage, among the indisputable advantages of which we can distinguish: simple installation, long service life and low energy consumption.