Space heating through underfloor heating is no longer an innovation. Now many people use this system, if not in the whole house, then at least in separate rooms, for example, in the bathroom or living room. The heat-insulated floor is the increased comfort and safety. However, these criteria can be achieved only if a competent calculation of the warm floor and its installation are made.
The warm floor is economical, it can automatically control the heating temperature, however, despite this, it needs thermal control. Actually, therefore, a mixing unit is needed . Water floor heating is connected, as a rule, to a system that has a temperature of + 60-80 ° C, while the optimum temperature should not exceed + 35-40 ° C. Otherwise, overheating of the surface of warm floors will lead to drying out of the floor covering, furniture, and even in the room itself will be stuffy and uncomfortable.
In the presence of certain knowledge, skills and free time, the calculation of the warm floor, as well as its installation, can be done independently.
Manifold for underfloor heating and its principle of operation
Externally, the collector resembles a thick metal pipe, which has outputs equipped with valves. The coolant under pressure enters this same pipe and is distributed along the branches, the throughput of which is regulated by valves. A pressure gauge or pressure relief valve is installed on the opposite side.
In addition, there is another scheme of operation in which the collector receives the coolant from the taps and moves it along the pipe in the opposite direction. In this case, the mixing unit should include two collectors - one collecting and one distributing.
The standard scheme of the mixing unit of the warm floor includes the following elements:
- thermostatic valve connected to the manifold;
- thermostatic head with remote sensor;
- control valve;
- temperature limiter;
- thermometer;
- check valve;
- filter;
- circulation pump.
Collectors come in two types: on two- and three-way valves.
Mixing unit on two-way valves
Many experts make a choice in favor of this collector, considering it more correct. In such a device, the hot coolant is constantly diluted with cold water from the return pipe, which prevents the warm floors from overheating. The two-way valve is endowed with low flow rate, this fact provides a smooth and constant temperature control. This mixing unit for a warm floor is the most common, however, it is pointless to install it in rooms with an area of more than 200 m2.
Mixing unit on three-way valves
This design uses three-way mixing valves in its work. The task of such a collector is to mix hot water from the boiler and cold water coming from the "return". Often, these valves are equipped with servos that allow you to control both dependent weather controllers and thermostats.
This mixing unit for a warm floor is the most versatile, although it has some of its inherent disadvantages:
- There is a possibility that the thermostat signal will provoke a complete opening of the valve, which will let the hot coolant into the system, which can lead to pipe rupture due to the established high pressure in them.
- In addition, three-way manifold valves have a large capacity, this can adversely affect warm floors. After all, even a slight shift in the valve adjustment can significantly affect the surface temperature.
However, despite these disadvantages, this type of mixing unit is indispensable in large-scale heating systems and structures with weather-dependent regulation.
Installation of the mixing unit for the "warm floor" system: instructions
The process of connecting the collector in a sequential breakdown has the following form:
- First of all, you need to determine the location of the manifold cabinet and prepare the installation point.
- After that, collectors should be connected to the pressure pipe and the “return”, providing them with control valves, automated drives and fuses.
- Next, you need to connect the bends of the heating circuits to the pipes of the tee pipe.
- And finally - set up the mixing unit by calibrating the control system, air bleeding and other commissioning works.
Of course, each of the above steps has numerous nuances, so it is worth considering the specified sequence in more detail.
Cabinet space
The location of the cabinet is agreed upon when the “warm floor” system is designed, since each circuit is composed of a single piece of a polymer pipe, the length of which does not exceed 120 meters. In this case, the difference in length between the chains cannot be more than 100-150 cm. Therefore, the location of the point at which the mixing unit for the warm floor is installed is determined based on the installation scheme of spiral-like circuits.
Connection of tees
The mixing unit for the warm floor is connected according to the following diagram:
- A shut-off valve is connected to the pressure pipe with a coolant heated to + 40-55 ° , a tee is mounted to it, the direct channel of which is equipped with an automatic temperature limiter or a ball valve with a socket for a thermometer.
- Shut-off valves, a tee and a ball valve with a socket for a thermometer are also installed on the return line through which the cooled coolant flows.
- The upper tee is connected to the lower by means of a bypass, into which a circulation pump is installed, which delivers water upward, directly to the pressure line.
- A tee pipe with flow meters above the bends is connected to the upper ball valve . Its end is drowned with a valve for venting.
- The bottom valve is connected to a tee pipe with thermostats above the bends. Its end is closed with valves for bleeding air.
Join circuits
The heating circuit pipe is connected in series to the branches of the pressure and return pipes, starting from the first from the edge, etc. Installation is carried out using press fittings, which provide reliable tightness even with linear deformations. Collet elements cannot give such a guarantee, however, this method allows for the further dismantling of the pipe.
Mixing unit setting
This stage is responsible for setting up the automated control system, which is based on the synchronous operation of the servos and the data read from the temperature sensors. In addition, thermostats, flow meters, ball valves and pressure relief valves are checked.
At the very end, the “warm floor” system is checked for leaks in the joints in the mixing unit. Although this work can be done at the beginning. Because it depends on the tightness of the connections how accurate the calibration of the entire control system is.
The cost of warm water floors
One of the common questions that many customers care about is: “What is the price of a warm water floor?” The cost depends not only on the brand you like. The prices are also affected by the material from which the pipe is made. Installation of the system also affects the cost.
The decisive criteria on which the price of a warm water floor depends are the number of rooms in which the work will be carried out, the number of storeys of the object, and, of course, the heating scheme. In Moscow, the cost of 1 m 2 of water floor heating starts at 1100 rubles (a pipe made of cross-linked polyethylene).
Advantages of underfloor heating with a mixing unit
The "warm water floor" system has a number of indisputable advantages in comparison with other types of heating:
- Comfort Due to the fact that thermal energy is transmitted by radiation, rather than convection. At the same time, the room heats up evenly, there are no cold corners and batteries that glow with heat.
- Healthy atmosphere due to lack of dust circulation. The floor surface is dry, there is no mold on it, the nutrient medium that promotes the growth of microbes and ticks is eliminated. The rooms maintain fresh air and an optimal level of humidity.
- Hygiene Due to the fact that it is convenient to wash and disinfect warm floors, they can heat rooms to which special requirements regarding cleanliness are advanced.
- Safety First of all, this concerns children: warm floors exclude the appearance of burns and scratches, i.e. all that can happen in contact with a convector or radiator.
- Convenience . The "warm floor" system allows you to freely plan the arrangement of furniture in the room due to the lack of heating appliances.
- Profitability . Warm floors can save up to 30% energy in residential buildings, up to 50% - in buildings with high ceilings.
- Modernity . This system is perfectly combined with the latest heating equipment, the production of which uses advanced energy-saving technologies.