Electric floor heating: pros and cons. Water heated floor: pros, cons and what you need to know

The climate of our latitudes does not allow us to provide coziness and comfort in our homes during the cold season without a heat source.

Unfortunately, not always used heating system sufficiently warms the room over the entire area.

Because of this, with the onset of cold weather, discomfort begins due to the cold penetrating into the house.

One of the promising options for heating systems in houses and apartments is water heated floors.

Peculiarities

Water heated floor systems are a fairly new solution in the field of built-in heating systems. The peculiarity is that the coolant in in this case is heated water circulating through pipes laid in the floor, which transfers heat radiated through the decorative flooring into the room.

At the same time, the efficiency of water heated floors is high; this type of heating seems to be extremely economical, allowing one to reduce the cost of heating a home to a comfortable temperature by 20-30, or even 50%. It's all about the temperature of the circulating fluid, which, as a rule, does not exceed 50⁰C, and often 40⁰C is enough.

Why? It's simple. The floor in a room, in the case of a heated floor, is a continuous convective surface that radiates heat. At the same time, the floor covering remains pleasant and comfortable, without posing a risk of burns, and the air in the room is heated evenly over the entire area.

Unlike traditional heating radiators, a heated floor immediately warms the air to comfortable temperatures below (22-24⁰С), while at head level the temperature is already somewhat lower (18-20⁰С), and an overheating zone does not form under the ceiling, no overheating occurs. empty heat losses. This property is one of the advantages of water heated floors, as it provides optimal “healthy” heating that promotes comfort and health.

Pros and cons of water heated floors

Like any type of heating, water heated floors, of course, have their own advantages and disadvantages. And this must be taken into account when deciding whether to install this type of heating system.

The undoubted advantages of water heated floors include the following:

Economical– compared to radiator heating from 20-30% to 60%. When heating water to low (30-50⁰C) temperatures using gas in autonomous systems, especially with large heated areas, a water floor is even superior to an electric floor in terms of operating costs (up to 5-7 times more economical).
Safety, because the pipes with the coolant, firstly, have a low temperature, and secondly, they are completely hidden. This eliminates the risk of injury and burns.
Comfort, ensured by uniform heating of the air and pleasant tactile sensations when walking on the floor barefoot.
Aesthetics, because the built-in system solves the problem of hiding or camouflaging unaesthetic radiators and opens up wide horizons for implementation design ideas for remodeling and interior design.
Smooth and soft heating, safety for capricious floor coverings due to gradual heating and low temperatures, absence of thermal shock (in the case of installing a thermostat and the ability to control the temperature of the coolant).
No generation of harmless electromagnetic field and oversaturation of air with positive ions.
Water heated floor does not dry out the air in the room.

Before designing and installing a water heated floor, taking into account its low-temperature regime, it is necessary to ensure that heat loss in the room does not exceed 100 W/m2. To do this, you may have to insulate the walls or provide additional radiators. This will allow you to achieve comfortable conditions and will increase heating efficiency.

While listing the advantages of water heated floors, it is worth analyzing its disadvantages:

Labor intensity of installation– to lay a water floor you will have to start major renovation with leveling and thorough preparation of the subfloor surface. The system consists of several layers various materials, including waterproofing, cement- concrete screed and decorative flooring.
Significant initial costs for installing a hydronic floor option- approximately 5 times higher than electric or traditional radiator. However, with active use, water heated floors demonstrate high efficiency and pay for themselves.
It is impossible to install heated floors, for example, on stairs and in small corridors. In such areas, additional installation of radiators is required.
The likelihood of a leak and the difficulty of eliminating it– to find damage and repair the pipeline, you will need to completely dismantle the floor covering and remove the screed.

Due to the risk of leakage and, accordingly, flooding of neighbors below, water-heated floors are not recommended for installation in multi-storey buildings. Also, when connecting water-heated floor circuits to the central heating system, there is a high risk of pressure drop in the system throughout the house and a sharp decrease in heating efficiency.

Health effects

Is it enough to analyze the information on the query “water heated floor advantages and disadvantages” to make a final decision, especially if people with poor health live in the home? On the one hand, if the difficulties do not frighten you, but the advantages captivate you, it is worthwhile to critically evaluate them again.

The point is that she main feature and the advantage of this type of heating, namely, a constant elevated floor temperature, which allows you to “keep your feet warm” all the time, can also have a downside.

Namely, to provide negative impact on the vascular system of the legs, because blood constantly flows to the “warm” legs, putting a constant load on the veins and expanding them.

Therefore, it is recommended to install a water or electric floor in rooms with periodic and short-term presence of people there, or to limit the time they walk on the floor or stay on it.

The question of whether heated water floors are harmful to the general physical condition and well-being cannot be answered unambiguously. The air in the room is not overdried, there is no improper mixing of layers, but in the case of heated floors it is difficult natural ventilation. In order to avoid air staleness, it is necessary to ventilate the room more often and take care of forced ventilation.

Conclusion

Water heated floor - an effective alternative radiator heating And a good option for first floors, private houses. However, making a decision about installation requires a scrupulous analysis of the pros and cons.

Comfort in a living space is created not only with the help of well-chosen furniture, but also by creating a comfortable temperature. It is unpleasant to be in an unheated room, and it is also fraught with colds.

Floor heating systems are used not only as an additional, but also as the main source of heat - they evenly heat the area and do not take up space, unlike radiators central heating. But heated floors have pros and cons just like all technical devices.

Water heating in the floor: pros and cons

The water circuit as heating has a lot of positive qualities:

Does not require constant supply expensive electricity, because it can work from gas boiler or a regular wood stove.
Uniform heating creates optimal temperature conditions (+22°C at the feet and +18°C at the top). In summer, water in the pipes helps to cool.
Disguised heating elements reduce to zero the possibility of children getting injured or burned.
Using a thermostat, you can independently set the temperature for each room separately.
Reduced heat losses through enclosing structures due to the absence of overheating zones.

The advantage of underfloor heating with a water circuit is also the cost savings. The owner only pays for installation; the system does not require further maintenance.

Despite the advantages, heated water floors from a gas boiler in the house also have disadvantages:

Complexity of installation and impossibility of installation on second floors wooden houses. In city apartments, permission from the BTI is required for work.
Possibility of pipeline leakage. To eliminate the problem, you will have to completely dismantle the filling.
The need for reinforcement of pipes or screeds.
In rooms where it is not planned year-round accommodation, pipes may freeze in cold weather.
Purchasing a bulky pump that forces the coolant to circulate.

Among the disadvantages of heated floors with water as heating is the fact that they are prohibited from being installed from central heating radiators in apartment buildings. In addition, it can act as the main source of heating only in well-insulated rooms with double-glazed windows without cracks and tight doors.

Warm electric floors: pros and cons

Electric heated floors also have pros and cons. The advantages include:

Among the disadvantages it should be noted:

High power consumption. In old buildings, wiring may be damaged;
Not suitable for installation under parquet or solid wood - the wood will dry out over time due to temperature;
Expensive consumables.

IN Lately You can increasingly hear the phrase “liquid” heating system. It is a two-centimeter pipe made of structured polyethylene with antifreeze inside. Inside the pipe along the entire length runs electrical cable. The system is mounted under the screed. The X-L Pipe and UNIMAT AQUA models are popular.

This type of heating has absorbed all the positive characteristics of electric and water, however, the electric-water floor also has disadvantages - from the unit the water is flowing hotter and therefore the floor warms up unevenly. In addition, this option is only suitable for small spaces.

There is an opinion that the disadvantages of heated floors for human health are electromagnetic radiation that provokes blood diseases. But this is all speculation, since heating elements are reliably insulated with a finishing coating. The only danger to health can only come from unscrupulous installation of heating systems and ignorance of technology. In this case, the air in the room dries out, which leads to the formation of dust that is harmful to allergy sufferers and asthmatics.

Heating warm floors has pros and cons equal values, regardless of their type. Therefore, before installing them, you need to carefully study all the characteristics. The right decision will be an appeal to professional craftsmen who, from the height of their experience, will select suitable option for a specific room, based on its technical indicators, and will install it in short time without loss of declared quality.

To choose optimal solution and take into account all the nuances, it is better to contact our specialist for advice.

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The comfort of a home depends not only on the interior, but also on the temperature. It is not comfortable to be in a cold room, and it also risks catching colds. Also in winter you may encounter the problem of cold floors - if it can be solved in the rooms by placing a carpet on the surface, then floor surface It's not very pleasant to walk in the bathroom and kitchen. A heated floor system will also come in handy in a children's room. It would seem that there could be nothing better than such a heating system. But it is worth considering that heated floors have pros and cons. You can see what it looks like in the photo.

Advantages of heated floors

Heated floor has the following advantages:

comfortable temperature floor surfaces;
uniform heating of the room;
increase in air temperature in the room.

It must be said right away that a heated floor system cannot replace conventional heating. Traditional radiators provide the main heating of the air in the room. Warm floors can only be used as additional heating of the room. These are the disadvantages of a warm water floor. It is usually used to warm up the floor - after all, walking on warm surface much more comfortable than in cold weather. But at the same time, thanks to this system, the room will be heated better, since another heating source is added to the traditional radiators. On top of that, the heat will be distributed evenly, as the room will heat up over the entire area.

Features of underfloor heating systems

Optimal temperature floor surface - 25-28 degrees. When installing the system, it is worth considering that the highest temperature will be observed at the very beginning of the water heated floor - as it moves through the pipes, it will drop. This problem does not arise with electric floors.

But electric heated floors also have pros and cons. First of all, furniture and some floor coverings can interfere with heating. It is also not recommended to install electric heated floors under coverings that are susceptible to fire, such as parquet. In principle, wood will withstand heating up to 30 degrees, but if there is no main heating, and the room temperature sensor needs to reach 20 degrees, it is possible that this material will catch fire. Read also: “How to make a heated floor in the kitchen - installing an electric or water heating floor.”

As for whether heated floors are harmful, their surface temperature will be higher than the air. But this cannot contribute to the occurrence of a cold - on the contrary, you are more likely to get sick when moving on a cold surface. By installing a heated floor system in the bathroom, kitchen, or children's room, you don't have to worry about illnesses - as you know, colds often occur when the feet are hypothermic (read: " ").

Heated floors have disadvantages, including, for example, the inability to fully control the temperature. This mainly applies to water systems. The heating level of electric floors can be adjusted, if, of course, you purchase a good sensor that accurately measures the temperature. Experts advise installing programmable electronic devices - with their help you can set the desired level of air or floor surface temperature, and when this indicator is reached, the system will automatically turn off. Read also: "".

Pros and cons of heated floors, detailed in the video:

Heated floor installation

The heating element is placed on heat insulating material when, a screed is poured on top and the floor covering is laid. As for whether heated floors are harmful, this statement is absolutely false.

Specific heat release is the main parameter of a heated floor system. It ranges from 15-25 W/m. To lay the floor, you need to choose an insulating material that can withstand temperatures above 100 degrees. Otherwise, problems may arise during system operation. Read also: "".

As for the fact that heated floors are harmful to health, this is absolutely false - heating the floor surface can only affect health in a positive way. But for such a system to last for a long time, it must be installed correctly.

“I reasonably believe that batteries are last century in private housing construction. Why are they needed if you can make a warm floor and enjoy life,” says FORUMHOUSE member with nickname Maikl8. And indeed, different types Warm floors are being used more and more often in country houses. Why are they good, what kind of strengths and what to expect from them, we will consider in this article.

Water heated floor: pros and cons of the system
Warm electric floor: types of cable electric floor, their disadvantages and advantages
Infrared heated floor: film and rod
How to choose a heated floor

Water heated floor

Water heated floor is the most common heating system individual house. Its important component is pipes made of polypropylene or metal-plastic. The system also includes circulation pump, manifold-mixer, and three way valves(according to the number of water circuits).

Here's how this system works: the heated liquid moves along the heating circuit and transfers its heat to the screed. The cooled water goes back, flows into the boiler, heats up again - the cycle repeats. Limiters built into the system prevent the floor from heating above the set temperature.

Pros and cons of a water heated floor system in a private house

Flaws	Advantages
Difficult installation. If using a concrete screed, you need to wait at least a month until it dries completely. Need a boiler room.	Compatible with different types of floor coverings.
The initial costs will be several times (3-5) more expensive than an electric floor.	Very efficient system. The temperature of the circulating fluid is 35-50 degrees, this greatly reduces heating costs.
When this is the only way to heat a house, complex calculations are needed.	May be the only SO at home.
In case of leakage, complete dismantling of the covering and removal of the screed will be required.	Does not generate an electromagnetic field.
A wide variety of floor coverings are compatible with hydronic heated floors, and you can lay a carpet on it.	Does not dry out the air in the room.

Water floors are divided according to the type of installation: usually the pipes are poured into a screed, but there are also flooring systems, wooden or polystyrene.

sly2k FORUMHOUSE Member

A 50 mm board is placed on top of the logs, recesses for laying tubes are milled into it, then foil is laid into the recesses (as waterproofing and for better heat distribution), and the metal-plastic pipes. All this is covered with boards (20 mm pine), we cover the boards polyurethane varnish on both sides.

Each type of water heated floor is good in certain conditions.

Lightweight and quickly warming up flooring system is considered ideal solution for panel houses.

The concrete system is chosen for capital, powerful buildings. It, as already mentioned, is more expensive, but it is an indispensable element of an energy-efficient home.

Installing a hot water system is an extremely important task: a leak will mean repairing the subfloor, covering and finishing.

Electric heated floor

Electric heated floors are divided into:

Cable. The heating element in them is a resistive heating cable with a conductive core protected by a sheath.
Heating mats – cable on a mesh backing.
Infrared film floors – film with carbon stripes.
Infrared rods. The heating element is a carbon rod.

Cable floor

Electric cable flooring is usually installed in city apartments and country houses, as part of combined system heating. He's good where he's supposed to be minimal screed, or tiles with glue (that’s why they are so often installed in the kitchen or bathrooms).

This heated floor in the house is not suitable for main heating, but it is good, for example, for heating in the off-season.

IN electric floor Resistive or self-regulating cable may be used. Resistive can be single-core or two-core (the method of laying a heated floor depends on this; two-core is much more convenient), self-regulating - only two-core.

Variety	Advantages	Flaws
Single-core resistive cable. The unheated end is connected to the temperature regulator, the main cable is placed in a “snake” under the floor, the second unheated end is pulled into the initial connection and also connected to the thermostat.	The maximum heating temperature is several times higher than that of a two-wire one. Consumes little electricity. It's inexpensive.	A resistive cable has uniform heat transfer in all areas; overheating of the floor covering under the furniture is possible and the system may fail. It is better that there is no heating cable under large furniture - this will have to be taken into account during the design.
Two-core resistive cable. It is enough to connect it to the thermostat at one end. This is convenient for large area And complex layout Houses.	Easy to install, you can lay a highly complex heating channel. The voltage that passes through the wire does not affect the electromagnetic pulses.
Self-regulating cable (two conductive cores are in contact with a matrix made of a special polymer material).	Depending on the temperature in the room, it independently changes the heating power. Well protected from mechanical impact. It cannot overheat due to the design features. It lasts a long time and almost never needs repairs. Compatible with any surface and under any furniture. You can make contours of different sizes (and less than 1 sq.m). Easy installation warm floor.	Expensive. Special ballasts are required. Provides a comfortable temperature only on the floor surface and is not able to quickly warm up the room.

When installing a resistive cable floor, it is important:

calculate cable length
pay attention to the material (brass, nichrome or copper). They have different properties and indicators electrical resistance
strictly observe the permissible distance between heating elements specified by the manufacturer (usually no more than 12 cm)
perform the calculations correctly - it is impossible to remove or add part of the wire at the installation stage

When making calculations, they are usually guided by the following data (on square meter premises):

Bedroom – 100-150 W/sq.m;
Kitchen, hallway, corridor - 150 W/sq.m;
Bathroom - 150 W/sq.m
Balcony -200 W/sq.m

Warm floors under tiles: heating cable mats

Heating cable mats are the best heated floor for laying under tiles, because they can be laid directly into a layer (up to 1 cm) of tile adhesive. Thin cables can also cope with this task, but their range on sale is usually limited.

kjr11 Member FORUMHOUSE

Manufacturers prefer to glue thin cables onto mats and sell them at a higher price.

The mats are suitable for all finishing coatings. Compared to a simple cable floor, they are much faster and easier to install - the cable is already fixed to polymer mesh, and you just need to roll it out on the floor. The mats use both single-core and double-core cables, and with the same power, single-core cables are about 15% cheaper. So the difference is only in price and the magnitude of the electromagnetic field - for single-core ones it is much stronger. If this factor is important, it is better to overpay and buy heating mats made from a two-core cable.

Another big plus is that if any part of this system breaks, the rest will work.

There is only one minus, but a big one - quite high cost.

Infrared carbon floors

Infrared floors consist of heating elements, filled with a carbon mixture and secured to a polypropylene base. When exposed to current, carbon emits heat waves with a length of 8–14 microns; the waves pass through the floor covering and warm up the objects in the room (the air only slightly). A room heated by an infrared carbon floor is always very comfortable - there is no dry air, which is why we suffer so much in winter.

Rava Member FORUMHOUSE

It heats up objects: tables, stairs, walls, that’s the whole point. You open the windows wide, ventilate, and when you close everything, it’s warm again. Because not only the air is warm, but everything around it.

Infrared floors are not afraid of frost: you can come to a cold place in winter Vacation home on the weekend after a week of hellish minuses, turn on the system and it will work normally, and a comfortable temperature will be established very quickly (the system enters operating mode in 5-7 minutes, but such a floor cools down immediately).

Film and rod floors have their own characteristics.

Film floor	Rod floor
Mounted without wet processes, on a dry, flat surface under finishing coat. Installation is quick, with the ability to dismantle the system and use it again.	Laying is carried out in a screed or a layer of tile adhesive (2 cm) with mandatory thermal insulation of the rough base. Foil materials are not allowed for the coating substrate.
It is not recommended under carpet, carpet tiles, linoleum on felt - these coatings reduce the heating efficiency several times. Parquet and massive board possible if the operating temperature of the system is not higher than 28 degrees.	Self-regulating system: if the floor temperature rises in the area under the furniture, the power consumption of the heating elements decreases. And vice versa.
It can be cut into pieces and placed arbitrarily - this allows you to heat only some local areas of the room: passages, places where children play, etc.	A core floor can be installed in any room; large furniture and equipment can be placed on top.
If any section breaks, the floor will work as before - you won’t even notice it.	Thanks to the scheme parallel connection the system will operate stably even if several heating elements fail.

Heating coatings of this type are used to heat stairs and porches in private homes, to prevent the formation of ice.

conclusions

Each type of heated floor is good for its own purposes. If the house is built on USHP, then a warm floor may be the only heating method, and a very effective one. To do this, choose a water heated floor, and if the house is not connected to gas, and there are problems with solid fuel– cable electric. Film flooring is chosen for heating some comfort zones, stairs, passages.

What do you think is better, warm floors or radiators?

Pros and cons of heated floors

Everything you need to know before choosing a heated floor...

“With the arrival of cold weather, we put on warm slippers at home, and forbid children to play on the floor. We wrap ourselves in blankets and sleep in flannelette pajamas. But the “weather” in the house can be corrected with the help of warm floors - they not only warm the soles of bare feet, but also warm air in the apartment."

What types of underfloor heating exist today? Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Electric

It consists of a heating cable that transfers heat to the floor covering, which, in turn, heats the air. The operation of the heating system is controlled electronic thermostat. You can install a heated floor in a screed or under any covering.

Advantages: electrical systems do not require maintenance during operation, it is very easy to control the heating process.

Disadvantages: Electricity consumption at constant maximum use can be very high. True, you can install a so-called accumulating warm floor, which due to large thickness The screed will gain heat at night. But will the stored heat be enough for the whole day? The question is...

Laying features: underfloor heating cables require careful handling when pouring to avoid the appearance of air bubbles in concrete - this can lead to overheating of the cable and its failure.

Application: Most often used for heating tile floors in the kitchen and bathroom. It is rarely used as an independent source of heat in Russia, since electricity prices rise from year to year.

Price: varies widely, as there are several types of electric underfloor heating: with single-core and double-core cable, with thick and thin fill, for full heating and for minor heating.

By the way, it has been found that floors with a two-core cable emit less electromagnetic radiation.

Heats up due to warm water, going through the tubes.

Advantages: cheapest to use - none extra expenses(except for increased consumption hot water). As well as durability and the absence of electromagnetic radiation.

Disadvantages: a water pipe that bursts or leaks in the thickness of a concrete screed means not only a leak several floors down, but also the need to break into the floor covering.

Installation features: there are two ways to install a water floor - either in a concrete screed or on aluminum guides, which ensure uniform heat distribution. The tubes through which water flows are made of metal-plastic, copper or polypropylene. Copper ones are the most durable, but also the most expensive.

Metal-plastic is cheaper and combines durability with high flexibility and thermal conductivity. Polypropylene pipe the cheapest and shortest-lived. Not all polypropylene is suitable for underfloor heating, but manufacturers sometimes “forget” about this. Installation required highly qualified workers.

Application: due to the sudden increase in pressure in the pipes at the beginning heating season Tube rupture may occur. Therefore, installing a water floor is allowed only in owned apartments. The blame for your neighbors' bay will be entirely yours.

Price: high, since it consists of the cost of a full floor screed or installation of guides and pipes through which water will flow.

Infrared

A film interspersed with a carbon polymer that heats up using electricity and warms objects in the room. And they, in turn, give off heat environment. This type of heating uses the most suitable range for a person infrared radiation, literally creating a comfortable environment.

Advantages: cost-effectiveness and mobility, floor installation does not require repair interventions. The film can be cut into any number of individual strips and heat those areas where it is necessary. The thermal film is very thin, so installing the system will not take up a single centimeter of height, which is especially important for rooms with low ceilings.

Installation features: installation is accessible even to a non-specialist. The film is simply placed under floor covering, connects and closes the top with any material - from linoleum to tiles. If necessary, heated film-type floors can be easily dismantled and moved to another room.

Application: in bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens, as well as children's rooms.

Price: low, since there is no need to make a screed and carry out labor-intensive installation work.

Thermomat

It consists of carbon rods mounted on a fiberglass mesh.

Advantages: does not require any special floor preparation, does not “eat up” the height of the room.

Disadvantages: a warm floor of this type can provide additional heat, but it will not allow you to fully warm up.

Laying features: mats can be poured using technology cement-sand mortar 1.5-2 cm thick, after which lay the finishing floor covering. But you don’t have to do this - in this case, the tiles or carpet are placed directly on the mat.

Application: suitable for any residential premises, especially with low ceilings.

Price: low, since there is no need to make a major screed.