Which heated floor to choose: which option is better + review of manufacturers

The advantages of heated floors are obvious.A modern underfloor heating system distributes heat evenly throughout the room, quickly warms up a large area, and ensures a comfortable temperature in the house.

To decide which heated floor to choose, you need to get acquainted with the characteristics and features of all types of this equipment and find out what manufacturers offer today.

Installation of floor heating systems

The heated floor system is far from a modern invention. It was first experienced by visitors to ancient Roman and Turkish baths many thousands of years ago. The source of heat in those days was heated air passing through channels made in the stone floor.

This system was used until the beginning of the 20th century, when the first pumps appeared and the air was replaced by heated water. Since the middle of the last century, cable structures began to be used. But heated floors became most widespread about fifteen years ago.

A modern heated floor is a built-in underfloor heating system. It is a kind of layer cake, the filling of which is a system of cables or pipes with thermal insulation, vapor and waterproofing layers.

The cake is laid mainly on a concrete base. A leveling layer and a facing floor covering are installed on top of the structure.

Warm floors can be laid on any base. The heating elements are located on a layer of thermal insulation and fixed on top with a cement screed

Most often placed underfloor heating under ceramic tiles in bathrooms, shower rooms, kitchens, where it serves for additional heating. It is also installed under laminate and linoleum, less often under carpet. The equipment is often used as the only heating system, replacing traditional radiators.

There are two main types of heated floors: water and electric. In the first case, water pipes are used for heating, through which hot water constantly circulates. In electric floors, the surface is heated using an electric cable, infrared film or carbon rods.

The diagram shows different types of heated floors. When choosing a particular system, you must proceed from the parameters of the room in which it will be installed (+)

In each system you can find both positive and negative aspects. The choice of design depends on the installation location, the individual characteristics and size of the room, the type of floor covering, the financial capabilities of the owners and other factors.

Advantages of an underfloor heating system

Warm floors are a worthy alternative radiator heating system. The main disadvantages of radiators: drying out the air and creating convection currents of warm air in the room, moving from floor to ceiling and back.

Such circulation does not allow the entire room to warm up evenly, since the heat goes to the ceiling, and a not entirely comfortable temperature is created on the floor.

Modern floor systems are completely devoid of these disadvantages; they distribute heat throughout the room evenly with a minimal temperature difference between the ceiling and floor of the room. In this case, the warmest air remains at the bottom, and the colder air rises up.

The efficiency of heat transfer depends to a large extent on the type of floor covering used.Thus, it is not recommended to install heated floors under carpeting, in particular under carpet, as well as floors made of natural wood, which have low thermal conductivity.

The distribution pattern of warm air flow for radiator and underfloor heating clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the heated floor system

Another undoubted advantage of an underfloor heating system is the ability to adjust the temperature. It can be increased or decreased to the required values ​​by just turning the thermostat knob.

This allows you not only to create the most comfortable environment in the room, but also to significantly save energy consumption. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of heated floor are given below.

Features of water design

A water heated floor is a pipeline system laid between the ceiling and the facing floor covering. The room is heated by warm water flowing through the pipes. The fluid is supplied either directly from the central heating system or from an electric or gas heating boiler.

To lay the pipeline, polymer pipes are used, which are connected to the collector. The layout of them depends on the size and individual characteristics of the room.

The effectiveness of a water floor is most obvious when used in cottages with a large area. A water system can significantly reduce energy costs.

Savings are achieved due to the low temperature of the coolant, which does not exceed 50 degrees. If a boiler operating on gas or solid fuel is used to heat water, the costs will be even lower.But this is far from its only advantage.

Other advantages of water floors include:

• compatible with different types of floor coverings, with the exception of wood;
• can be installed in very damp areas;
• non-volatile, can operate both from electricity and from gas or solid fuel boilers.

Water floors are mainly installed in private households and very rarely in multi-storey buildings. There is a simple explanation for this. On water floor a very thick layer of concrete mortar is applied, which puts pressure on the interfloor ceilings (up to 200 kg/1 m2). As a result, the load increases significantly, which is extremely dangerous.

There are also disadvantages to water underfloor heating:

• complexity in design and high cost of installation work;
• difficult temperature adjustment when connected to central heating;
• long time to warm up the room (up to 4 hours).

In addition, as a result of operation, pipes can become damaged and leak. If this unpleasant event occurs, the water will flow directly to the neighbors, and the entire floor covering will have to be completely dismantled.

Therefore, the use of a water system in multi-storey buildings is prohibited due to technical indicators. Its installation requires permission from the management company.

Characteristics of electrical systems

Electric heated floors are universal. They can be installed in both private and multi-storey buildings without any approval. Their installation is simple and much faster than water ones. Electric floors easy to adjust, you can set the required temperature with an accuracy of one degree.

The main types of modern electric floor heating systems with various types of heating elements presented on the Russian market (+)

There are two types of underfloor heating that require electricity to function. These are convection and infrared. Their main difference lies in the heating principle. In the first, the heating element is a heating cable, which is produced either in coils or in thermomats.

Although infrared floors belong to electrical systems, they represent a separate group. The heating elements in them are thermal film or special carbon rods.

Electric cable floor

Warm cable flooring was one of the first to appear, but today it is as relevant as before. It has a simple design, low cost of materials and installation, and can be installed in any room as the main or additional heating. The service life of the system reaches twenty years.

The heating cable is laid between the concrete base and the floor covering on a layer of thermal insulation. Its main function is to convert electrical energy into thermal energy, due to which the surface is heated (+)

However, despite the relatively low cost of installation, electrical cable systems require considerable financial costs for their maintenance. Cable calculation and installation require special care. Incorrect calculations and careless installation can lead to electrical injuries, which is especially dangerous in wet rooms.

It is also impossible not to note such a disadvantage as the presence of electromagnetic radiation, which is created in the room due to the use of a heating cable.

A more modern and improved electric floor covering is thermomats, which are a fiberglass mesh on which a heating cable is attached. The cost of the material is more expensive than the price of a heating cable in a coil, but due to the accurate calculation of the required quantity and ease of installation, the final price of the floor is not much higher than the previous option.

The standard width of the mats is 0.5 m, length - from 20 to 24 m. One roll is enough to cover a floor area of ​​up to 12 m2. The power of the products, depending on the model and manufacturer, ranges from 100 to 200 W/m2

Laying mats is not particularly difficult; even a non-professional can do it. If necessary, the mesh can be easily cut into pieces of the desired size and given any shape. The mats do not require the application of a thick layer of screed, and when installed under tiles, they can be laid directly under the tile adhesive.

Infrared heated floor

Infrared systems are the most advanced type of heated floors.They appeared relatively recently, but have already become quite popular. They use innovative technologies.

Heat dissipation infrared floors up to 97%, they are safe for humans and do not create electromagnetic radiation. Failure of the entire system is eliminated, since parallel connection of blocks is used.

The operating principle of an underfloor heating system is as follows: an electric current passes through the built-in heating elements, which causes infrared radiation to transmit energy. Infrared flooring is available in two types: heating film and carbon rods.

In a film floor, the heating element is carbon or bimetallic fiber, enclosed in two layers of polymer film, which has good dielectric properties. The roll is laid using the dry method without screed; film-type warm floors are usually laid under laminate, linoleum and parquet

Film infrared flooring is sold in rolls with a width of 500, 800 and 1000 mm. The film can be cut in strictly defined places, indicated by a line

The most advanced underfloor heating system is the infrared floor with carbon rods. The rod floor has a self-regulating ability, which prevents overheating of the system.

Thanks to this, it can be installed under a wide variety of floor coverings. It can be installed in rooms with very high humidity levels. The innovative material has a high cost, but requires minimal costs during operation.

Rolls of carbon rods have a standard width of 83 cm, heating rods are located at a distance of 9 or 10 cm from each other. The roll length does not exceed 20 m.The product can be cut between conductive rods

Key points in choosing a heating design

To decide on the choice of underfloor heating system and understand which heated floor is best suited for installation in a particular case, you need to consider the following factors:

1. The area and height of the floor in the room where the structure will be installed.
2. For what purpose is the floor heating system supposed to be used: will it be the only or additional source of heating.

For heating a country house, the best option is water heated floors. They can be installed both at the construction stage and in the finished house. The complexity of the installation will be compensated by small energy costs during system operation.

A water floor is a cost-effective option for private housing construction. It allows you to organize an effective autonomous heating system for your home without using electricity.

However, here you need to take into account such factors as climate, temperature indicators of the area, and the degree of thermal insulation of the house. Warm water-type floors can be used as the main heating equipment only in well-insulated buildings. In other cases, it is better to use them as an additional way to heat individual rooms of the house.

To install additional floor heating in an apartment, it is better to choose cable or film electrical design. An infrared floor is well suited as the only source of heat in any room.

However, you need to take into account that an electric floor, especially a cable floor, consumes a lot of electricity during operation, so you need to first calculate how profitable its installation will be.

An equally important parameter for determining the type of underfloor heating is the situation in the room itself. All systems, except the rod one, cannot withstand overheating.

Furniture and heavy household appliances create pressure on the structure and increase the temperature in the system. Therefore, heated floors should be installed in places free from heavy objects.

When designing the floor, it is necessary to bypass the areas where furniture will be placed, otherwise the system may fail

It should be noted that all floor heating structures to one degree or another affect the height of the ceilings. The thickest layer of screed is required when installing water floors - up to 15 cm; a cable floor reduces the ceiling height by an average of 5 cm. In infrared film floors, this figure is minimized, since they are the only ones laid without a screed.

Such a characteristic as the maintainability of the system is the same for all heated floors. In case of breakdown, all of them require complete dismantling of the floor covering. It is also not easy to determine the location of the damaged area, because... the screed does not allow access to the system elements. The exception is dry-installed film floors.

If we focus on the speed of work, then the top three will be thermomats, infrared film and rod floors. Installation of these systems is completed in one day. However, the floor can be connected only after the screed has completely dried.

The electrical structure can be connected after seven days, but for stud floors, manufacturers set a limit of 28 days. Here, too, the best performance is achieved by film flooring, which can be used within a day after installation.

In addition to the above indicators, there are many more factors that need to be taken into account when choosing a heated floor: compatibility with the finishing floor covering, installation location, cost of materials, cost-effectiveness of use.

The best equipment manufacturers

An essential criterion for choosing an underfloor heating system is its manufacturer. Deciding which company to choose a heated floor is not easy, since there are many worthy models from both domestic and foreign companies on the Russian market. Let's meet the best of them.

The Finnish company Devi is considered a recognized leader in the production of heated floors. Electric floor systems, made with impeccable Scandinavian quality, are also affordable. They are equipped with a thermostat with an intelligent timer, thanks to which the system operates with significant savings.

The product range is represented by two varieties: heating cables and electric mats, for which the manufacturer provides a twenty-year guarantee

Finnish manufacturer Ensto produces equally high-quality and reliable products. Electric cable flooring and Ensto thermomats have proven themselves in the most unfavorable operating conditions. Among the company's assortment you can find models of different price ranges, the cost of which depends on the power of the equipment.

Warm floors from a Finnish company are suitable for dry and damp rooms, as well as unheated buildings. They can be installed under tiles, in places with poor thermal insulation and even in stone floors

The products of the English company Energy are very popular among Russian consumers. The model line includes six models of heating mats with single- and double-core cables. The innovative development of the manufacturer was water floors, which are a system of pipes with built-in electrical heating.

Energy thermomats have a reduced power, which allows them to be installed under tiles and wooden floors, and also used to heat the soil in greenhouses

Warm floors produced under the Rehau brand are produced with true German quality. The company specializes in the production of water floors and electric heating mats with a two-core cable.The manufacturer offers a complete set of necessary equipment and consumables for installing the system.

Rehau thermomats are equipped with a durable cable with Kevlar braiding and a double degree of protection, which makes it resistant to any temperature changes and deformation

The list of foreign manufacturers would be incomplete without mentioning the South Korean company Unimat, which has captivated buyers all over the world with its infrared thermomats. Along with high quality indicators, efficiency and reliability, the heated floor of this brand has an affordable cost and a long service life.

Infrared flooring with Unimat carbon rods can be installed in any room, including baths, saunas and even outdoors

Among the domestic manufacturers of warm floor systems, one can highlight the Special Systems and Technologies plant, which produces heated floors under two brands: Teplolux and National Comfort.

The company's products are exported to forty countries, which speaks for itself. Warm floors are distinguished by their reliability, high quality workmanship and low cost.

An incredibly wide range of products is produced under the Teplolux brand: two-core pipelines, heating mats, warm water floors, suitable for a wide variety of operating conditions

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video #1. You can learn about the features of different electrical floor systems in the following video:

Video #2. The video tells how to install a water floor:

Video #3. How to choose an infrared film floor, watch the video:

Warm floors will help create a comfortable environment in the house, but only when the system is correctly selected, the correct calculations are made and the equipment is installed professionally. Therefore, you should not rely on your sometimes superficial knowledge; it is better to consult with a professional and entrust all work to specialists.

Please write comments, ask questions, post photos in the block below. Tell us how you chose an underfloor heating system for your own country house or cottage. Perhaps you have useful information that you would like to share with site visitors and us?