Today, underfloor heating systems are used both as primary and as additional heating for housing. Recently, their popularity has increased significantly, since these devices can significantly reduce the cost of heating the room.
Traditional and most familiar to the consumer is a water heated floor. In the apartment it can be installed with the help of specialists or on your own. But about what difficulties may arise during its installation and how to properly perform such work, we will tell in this article.
Is installation of water floor systems in the apartment allowed
Before making a decision on the arrangement of such heating, you should find out if a warm water floor is allowed in the apartment. Since the device is connected to a common heating system, for such work it is necessary to obtain permission from the housing and communal company and the heating system, and, as practice shows, this is practically impossible to do.
Everything is explained by the fact that the water floor leads to a significant increase in energy consumption and creates an additional load on the heating system, which was not taken into account during the design. To eliminate this phenomenon, it is necessary to install devices that provide forced circulation of water (pump and mixing unit), and on the basis of central heating this is very difficult.
The only exceptions are rooms in which there is autonomous heating. In this case, having installed a water heated floor in the apartment, the owners just need to register the changes made to the BTI.
What threatens homeowners for illegal installation of a water circuit in the floors
Nevertheless, despite all the bans, many owners decide to independently connect the underfloor heating from the central heating (in the apartment), after which they face various troubles and sanctions. Namely:
1. If it becomes necessary to sell an apartment, it will be impossible to do so legally.
2. In case there is a breakthrough of the circuit and the apartment below is flooded with water, all expenses for its repair in full will be borne by the owner of the warm floors.
3. If an illegal redevelopment of the system is detected by representatives of the heating system or the housing office, the landlord cannot avoid legal proceedings, sanctions and fines.
That is why, deciding to connect the underfloor heating from central heating in the apartment, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons well. To do this, consider what other advantages and disadvantages this heating system has.
Advantages of underfloor heating
Homeowners who have installed a water heated floor in the apartment, note the following positive aspects of such a redevelopment of heating:
• the room becomes much more comfortable than when heated with stationary radiators;
• all rooms in the apartment are heated evenly;
• the humidity level in the room practically does not change, the air does not dry;
• heating costs are reduced to 40%;
• the system does not affect the appearance of the room (unlike bulky batteries and pipes).
If we compare the water circuit and film heating, the first option has an undeniable advantage due to the lack of electromagnetic radiation. The cost of energy during the operation of water heating is also less than when using electrical analogues.
The negative sides of the system
If we talk about the shortcomings that a water heated floor has (in the apartment), then the following facts can be attributed to them:
• due to a sufficiently large screed layer (about 10 cm), the height of the room decreases markedly;
• if low-quality materials were used during installation or mistakes were made, there is a high probability of a breakthrough, which entails a lot of problems;
• since the underfloor heating is laid in the screed, it can only be installed at the construction stage of the building or during major repairs;
• work on the arrangement of the system is very time-consuming, so not all owners can independently install it.
Water floor device
As it became clear, the underfloor heating is mounted in the screed. The device is presented in the form of tubes that are located under the floor covering and are filled with cement mortar. The design is connected to the heating system, from which hot water or special liquid enters the pipes.
By circulating through the pipes, the heat carrier heats the floor covering, due to which the room is heated.
If we examine the system of underfloor heating in layers, we can see that the elements are arranged in the following order:
1. Concrete slab (floor base).
2. Waterproofing material.
3. Insulation.
4. Heat reflector (foil sheets).
5. Reinforcing mesh.
6. Pipes.
7. Screed.
8. Finishing material.
Laminate and linoleum are used as flooring in living rooms, as these materials are less susceptible to deformation and perfectly transmit heat. In the bathroom and kitchen, warm floor is laid under the tile (water). Doing it yourself is quite simple to do with your own hands, in addition, ceramics has increased wear resistance and good heat dissipation.
What pipes and insulation can be used
We have already considered the advantages, disadvantages and elements of heating floors with a liquid coolant, it remains to understand what materials are used in the process of its installation and how to independently perform the necessary work.
First of all, you need to choose high-quality pipes. Many people prefer foam products, as they are the cheapest. This saving is not justified, since plastic pipes are characterized by lower heat transfer.
In the case of water floors, it is preferable to use metal-plastic options with a diameter of 20 and 25 mm. They have the perfect value for money. If your budget allows, you can install more expensive options, such as corrugated stainless steel and copper.
Next, you need to decide on the choice of insulation, on top of which an autonomous heated floor (water) will be mounted. Foamed polyethylene (with a reflective coating) and thin polystyrene foam are most often used in an apartment. If the apartment is located above an unheated room, expanded clay can be used as thermal insulation.
Required Devices
The main components of the warm water floor system are:
• a boiler for heating the liquid (in the case of autonomous heating);
• a pump that provides pressure in the system;
• pipes for wiring;
• ball valves;
• a pair of collectors with a control and adjustment system;
• fittings;
• water circuit (pipes).
Pipe laying methods
Before proceeding with the arrangement of the system, it is necessary to determine the method of laying pipes. The scheme of a warm water floor in a house can be presented in two versions. In the first pipe laid snake, and in the second - a snail.
The “snake” laying method is considered to be the simplest, however, when it is used, the surface temperature in different parts of the room may differ.
A coiled arrangement eliminates overheating, but pipe installation and system design are much more complicated.
DIY installation tips
You can install the water circuit yourself, for this you only need to take into account several recommendations and clearly follow the instructions.
1. First of all, it is necessary to remove the old finish (if any) and clean the floor to concrete screed. The new coating will be 6-7 cm higher, which should be considered for owners of rooms with low ceilings.
2. If you equip the heating in the bathroom, then in order to lay the warm floor under the tile (water) with your own hands, you need to completely dismantle the screed.
3. If metal pipes are installed in the room, they must be replaced with plastic pipes so that no rust appears at the joints. If the circuit is mounted in a stationary heating system, the pipes do not need to be changed .
4. To protect the floor from leakage, a reliable waterproofing should be placed on it. For these purposes, a special mastic is used, which after hardening does not allow moisture to seep to the neighbors.
5. Next, the insulation is mounted. The material is located with a reflective coating to the outside, and the seams between the sheets are glued with tape. An additional layer of waterproofing can be laid on top of the insulation. This will reduce the risk of water leakage.
6. Damping tape should be glued around the entire perimeter of the room (along the edges of the insulation material) . After that, mats are laid for the installation of warm floors.
7. Pipes are mounted on top of the mats (in the selected way). The distance between the turns of the pipe should be at least 30 cm. At the base, the pipe is fixed using special clamps or brackets (made of durable wire) that are stuck into the insulation. If you purchased special mats with recesses for pipes, this procedure does not need to be done.
8. Both edges of the pipe are brought to the place where the collector for the floor will be located. With its help, the system is connected to the main heating or make an exit to the boiler.
9. After assembling the system, water is pumped into it and checked, creating maximum pressure. This is done to detect leaks and eliminate defects.
To reduce the cost of arranging the water circuit, in places where the furniture will be located, pipes can not be laid.
Important Nuances
If the underfloor heating is laid under ceramic tiles, the thickness of the screed should not exceed 5 cm. Also, pipes must be placed at a distance of 15 cm from each other so that they warm up the space to the right extent and cold sections do not form between them.
Under the linoleum and laminated panels, the screed is made even thinner, and for strength, a reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the heating system.
The first floor heating may take several days, but in the future the system will maintain the desired temperature. Some sections of the apartment can be heated year-round (where tiles are laid on the floors). In this case, a full warm-up in the cold season will take less time.
In conclusion, we will touch on the cost of warm water floors. In the apartment, taking into account the material and installation, specialists will make floors for 1300-2600 rubles per m². The price depends on the quality of the equipment purchased and the complexity of the project. If you calculate, then the total amount is quite high, but after 5 years of operation, the system is fully paid off. And if you take into account its long service life (about 50 years) and rising heating prices, then, probably, all the efforts to install a water circuit are justified.