Water heated floors are popular due to the low cost at the time of operation. This is especially important for large areas. The installation process itself is not cheap. It is important to observe some technical features. Including a pump for a warm floor should be provided. What types of them exist, as well as connection features, we will consider in more detail.
Device design
Any underfloor heating pump is sold with the following set of parts:
- Body. The material is metal of special strength. On the body, there are nozzles for entering and leaving the coolant.
- Rotor or motor. It is fixed to the body. Carries out the intake and discharge of fluid under pressure.
- Impeller. Sets the direction of movement of the coolant in the system.
- Air vent or nut. Serves for removal of an air stopper.
The design that the pump for a warm floor has is not very complicated. Depending on the type, the principle of operation may differ slightly.
Types of equipment for the rotor
There are two options for such a device. Consider each view separately:
- Dry rotor equipment. The motor and rotor do not come in contact with water, are in a separate chamber. Periodically, maintenance of such an engine will be required. The impeller is connected to the rotor through rubber gaskets or cuffs. The power of the equipment allows serving large areas with good pressure. As a result, high efficiency up to 80%, is indifferent to water quality. The disadvantage is increased power consumption, noise during operation, wear of seals. Three types of designs are produced: block, vertical, horizontal (cantilever).
- Wet rotor devices. In such equipment, the impeller and rotor are in a working medium, which is both a cooling means and a lubricant. A pump for a warm floor of such a plan works silently, does not require maintenance, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the heat carrier, low price, low power consumption. But there are also disadvantages: you will need to monitor the quality of the coolant (sensitive to hard water), low efficiency from 30 to 50%. Therefore, it is used for servicing areas of not more than 400 square meters. m
As you can see, the application depends on the selected unit.
Speed classification
There are two types of aggregate:
- Single speed. A simple type of equipment, works in one mode with a certain type of temperature.
- Adjustable. May be two-speed or more. Performance adjustment makes it possible to work in various modes and in a wider temperature range, which can significantly save on energy costs.
This is another characteristic that affects the choice of device.
Collector devices
These systems can be divided into a separate category. What is the collector with pump for? The heat-insulated floor can be mounted in one room or in several. With a serial connection at the time of operation there will be a significant difference in temperature. It is based on the laws of physics. When moving through pipes, the coolant will give off temperature and cool. In order to minimize such losses and achieve a similar microclimate in all rooms, a pump with a collector is provided. It enables the parallel connection of several circuits.
Marking
When choosing a circulation pump for a warm floor, you should pay attention to the characteristics displayed on its body. In the line "Type" you can see both letters and numbers:
- UPS - defines the control or the number of speeds (UP - single-speed, UPS - three-speed, UPE - electronic control).
- The first digit indicates the diameter of the inlet / outlet nozzles in mm.
- The second number indicates the height of the coolant. It can be 40, 60, 80, that is, at 4, 6, 8 m or 0.4; 0.6; 0.8 atmospheres
- A - the presence of an air vent or housing material. A - there is an air vent, B - the case is made of bronze, N - the case material is stainless steel.
- The third digit indicates the installation length.
The marking additionally contains data on power consumption and others. It all depends on the manufacturer. The main line for selecting equipment is the "Type" line with symbols.
Advantage of using
You can install a warm floor without a pump. But in this case, it should be understood that the return on such a device will be significantly lower. This is especially noticeable in large areas. The natural circulation of the coolant through the system does not allow the uniform distribution of the temperature regime. And the greater the length of the pipeline, the lower the temperature will reach remote areas.
To increase it in a remote room with a serial connection, you will have to increase the power of the entire heating system. And this will create an uncomfortable climate in the neighboring rooms and will significantly increase energy costs. The circulation pump for underfloor heating largely solves this problem.
Equipment selection basics
In order to correctly select a suitable device, one rule must be observed - the technical characteristics of the system must coincide with the technical properties of the pump. That is, the following factors influence the choice:
- Performance. It is designated in cubic meters / hour. This indicator gives an understanding of how much coolant is pumped per hour of operation. For normal operation, the entire volume should be pumped three times over this period of time. To perform a high-quality calculation, it will be necessary to take into account a number of factors: the length and complexity of the line; material of which the pipeline is made; pipe diameter; the volume of fluid in the system.
- Pressure. For small contours, this value is not as important as for large pipelines with a significant number of bends. Having decided on the performance of the device, it is necessary to clarify the working pressure - whether it will correspond to the technical task.
- Power usage. It is better to choose a model with a shutdown and power adjustment module. This will significantly reduce the cost of this article during operation.
- Additional characteristics. It is important to pay attention to the operational features of the device. Due to this, further unnecessary repair costs can be avoided.
As a result, you can make high-quality and low-cost heating floor heating .
A pump can significantly increase the efficiency of such a device. But for this it is important to calculate and choose the right equipment. Better to trust the professionals. Or use the calculator on the Internet.
Pump group
The floor assembly is completed:
- The pump. Responsible for the circulation of fluid through the system.
- Shutoff valves. When the set temperature is set, the coolant supply to the system is shut off.
- Bypass valve. Designed to equalize the pressure between supply and return.
- Thermostatic and check valves. Provide support for the constancy of the temperature regime of the system.
- Collector. May or may not be present depending on the connection scheme (parallel or serial).
If you connect the water floor with a heat pump correctly, you can get a separate high-quality heating source.
Mounting Features
A floor heating pump can be connected in two ways:
- For the supply of coolant. In this embodiment, there is a big drawback, especially characteristic of floor boilers. Air can accumulate at the top of the heating system, which will suck the pump. As a result, a vacuum appears and in this part the boiler can boil. This is the biggest minus of such a connection. Some professionals offer this method of connection, but they recommend periodically releasing an air plug.
- To the return. In such connection schemes, the coolant will be at a lower temperature. This will contribute to a longer pump life. And while the pump is pushing water into the boiler, an air lock will not form.
There are a number of important points that should be observed:
- Install the pump shaft horizontally. If mounted in a different position, the performance loss will be about 30%.
- It is better to install the pump on the bypass line of the system. This will help to solve the heating problem with minimal losses if the pump breaks or the power supply is cut off.
- At the time of the first start-up of air jams, one cannot avoid when filling the system with liquid. Do not be scared. Release the plug through a valve or air vent.
When connecting, special difficulties will not arise, the main thing is to assemble the set of pumping equipment correctly.
Faults and repairs
In the thermal system, especially in areas with hard water, salts accumulate which can settle on the pump parts. The rotor can jam. And if after a summer vacation the pump stops working, then you should carefully disassemble the device and push the impeller with a screwdriver. Succumbed and scrolled several times - you can install the system back. This failure is characteristic of wet rotor systems. This should be done especially carefully with pumps that have ceramic bearings. The material is fragile, and in the event of a breakdown, you will have to look for a suitable spare part, carry out major repairs.
The pump for the "dry rotor underfloor heating" system must undergo maintenance, lubrication of parts, and replacement of gaskets. The life of such devices with proper care is long.
Fault Prevention
The best repair is to prevent damage. To do this, perform a series of actions:
- Flush the system before starting the system. This will reduce the amount of debris and scale that can settle on the pump parts.
- Fill the line with softened water. Or during installation, provide water softeners or filters in the heating circuit.
- For the summer period, do not drain the water from the system.
- During the non-working season, 3-4 times run the pump for a while.
All of these measures will significantly reduce the risk of a pump malfunction.
Connecting the pump to the heated floor can be done by yourself.
The complexity is competent calculation and selection of equipment. It is better to provide a parallel connection scheme with the collector device. This will allow the most even heating of all rooms. Installation should be carried out according to the instructions. The quality of work of a warm floor depends on this stage. Another important point is the prevention of malfunctions and proper operation. Given all these nuances, the quality of the additional heating will ensure the most comfortable microclimate in the house with minimal energy consumption.
So, we found out what constitutes a circulation pump for the floor.