One of the most complex autonomous heating systems is deservedly considered a water-heated floor, which requires both significant investments in materials and supplies, and special skills, knowledge to connect the installed circuit. At the same time, it provides a sufficiently high efficiency, can be used both as an additional and the main source of heat in the house or apartment.
How to make a water-heated floor with your own hands, without attracting professionals whose services today are too expensive? At first glance, there is nothing complicated in this, because you only need to properly prepare the floor covering and purchase all the necessary materials. In fact, everything is much more complicated.
Selection of equipment for heating systems "warm floor": boilers, pipes and the rest
The installation of a water-heated floor begins with the hands with the selection of individual elements of the system. These include:
- water heating boiler. Detailed information on the main varieties of this equipment, its technical characteristics, as well as the advantages and disadvantages you can find;
- pumping equipment, which will constantly pump up the pressure system necessary for the operation and automatically maintain it;
- pipes for wiring the system, as well as for laying under the floor covering;
- connecting elements - fittings intended for connecting pipes between themselves, and also for their connection to the boiler, collector and pump;
- collector, which provides effective management of the system, as well as the ability to customize its operation in accordance with your requirements;
- safety valves and shut-off valves.
Which pipes to use for a warm water floor? The modern market offers quite a lot of options, but the best solution will be either polyethylene or fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene products. They have proven themselves, because they provide good throughput and virtually silent operation of the system, can serve more than half a century, without requiring complicated maintenance.
The basic requirements for pipes for laying a warm water floor are resistance to high pressure, and also the ability to withstand temperatures of up to +95 degrees Celsius. The above mentioned materials allow to solve both these problems. The diameter of the products is better to choose from 16 to 20 millimeters, depending on the load on the heating system.
Installation of a water-heated floor: the most important thing is to properly prepare the surface
How to properly make a water-heated floor so that it does not create any problems in the process of operation? Your main task is to prepare the surface, which is carried out in several stages.
First, it is necessary to completely remove the screed, since the floor for laying pipes should be perfectly even, without the slightest difference in height. After leveling and cleaning the surface, it is also necessary to lay a waterproofing layer protecting the building structures in case of moisture leakage.
Secondly, the basis of the floor should be as warm as possible, for which the following materials are used:
- foamed polyethylene plates, the lower part of which is covered with foil to reflect thermal radiation;
- polystyrene, the thickness of which is determined depending on the characteristics of the room. For example, in urban apartments located above heated housing, the insulation sheets will fit 20-40 millimeters. In a private house or above basements and basement floors the thickness of expanded polystyrene should reach 70-100 millimeters.
Thirdly, the layer of insulation is covered with reinforcing mesh, which will ensure the convenience of fastening the pipes, and significantly increase the strength of the concrete screed poured over the warm water floor.
Sequence of installation of a warm water floor
After the surface meets all the requirements, a warm water floor is installed, which is better performed in several stages:
- calculation of the length of pipes, as well as the distance between them, based on information about the capacity of the boiler, the area of the room, the type of insulation used and the material of the walls and floor. For example, the water-heated floor under the laminate is laid with the minimum possible step between the pipes to improve the efficiency of the system;
- laying pipes on the prepared surface. Depending on their needs, they can be placed both as a snake and as a spiral in steps of 15-30 centimeters;
- selection and installation of the collector, which provides the possibility of connecting all water circuits, as well as the adjustment of the system operation;
- installation of a water-heating boiler. In the process of its connection to, it is necessary to provide for the presence of safety valves, which exclude emergency situations with a sudden increase in pressure in the system. Also they will allow at any time to perform works on repair or maintenance of equipment without its dismantling;
- connection of pipes to the collector and connection of the system with the boiler and the discharge pump.
Requirements for the screed under the warm water floor
The technology of the water-heated floor implies the pouring of the concrete screed already after the pipes have been installed and connected to the water-heating and distribution equipment. In doing so, it must meet the following requirements:
- under the laminate or linoleum, the thickness of the coating for the warm water floor should be small, since otherwise the system will heat up very long. This will create some problems with the strength of the floor, but they are easily solved by reinforcement with a special mesh, which increases resistance to loads;
- if you are installing a water-heated floor under the tile, it is desirable, on the contrary, to increase the thickness of the screed. In addition, in this case, the pipes are stacked at a distance of 10-15 centimeters from each other, which will ensure a good heating of the space between them.
The last step is laying the floor covering and putting the system into operation. Considering the fact that a screed is installed between pipes, tiles or linoleum, heating the floor after the first start-up can take quite a long time. However, in the future, the comfort temperature will be maintained constantly.
One of the varieties of heating systems of the dwelling are water warm floors, heating of which is carried out by heating elements mounted in the space of the floor. The integrated coiled tubing coils, which are part of the equipment for the warm water floor, ensure a high level of comfortable microclimate and aesthetic perception of the room.
The principal difference in the efficiency of using radiator heating systems and heated floor panels is as follows:
- Radiators heat the air in the area of their placement to the maximum possible temperature exceeding 30 degrees. Then convective currents of heated air masses rise to the ceiling, where they cool down and descend down to the floor, so that the heat of the radiator reheats. The temperature of the cooled air, which descended from the ceiling and flowed on the legs, is only about 14 degrees. Such a temperature distribution does not correspond not only to sanitary standards, but also to elementary physiological requirements. Cold feet and a hot head - this is nonsense and utter discomfort.
- The heated floor panels evenly warm the entire floor surface, providing the feet at 22 degrees and at the head level within 18 degrees. This temperature distribution is ideal in terms of well-being and comfort. At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to heat the coolant in the heating system to high temperatures - the water in the tubes, heated to 30-50 degrees, creates a heat flux of 40-150 W / sq. meter, guaranteeing a comfortable microclimate in the room.
Functional scheme of the system of warm water floors
By analogy with any traditional heating system using a heated coolant, the following functional elements and units are required for the operation of warm water floors:
- External heat source, providing heating system with heating system. Such a heat source is a heating boiler. Water floors must not be connected to a central heating system.
- Heat exchanger distributing heat in the room. In this case, the role of the heat exchanger is assigned to the pipeline flexible contour and the floor covering.
- Shut-off and control valves, instrumentation, assembled into a collector distribution system.
- Mixing unit required for switching low-temperature floor heating with a high-temperature heat source. Actuality of the problem consists in the fact that often water warm floors act as an additional means of heating the dwelling and are used in conjunction with radiator heating when the hot coolant is supplied from the boiler. Since a heat carrier of a higher temperature is required to feed the radiator circuit than for warm floors, a mixing unit is included in the circuit.
Basic elements of water underfloor heating
The composition of equipment for warm water floors installed within a heated room includes the following main elements:
- Heat pipes;
- Distribution manifolds;
- Fitting;
- Mixing units.
The equipment does not include heating boilers, as they are part of the overall heating system of a home or building and can be located outside the building. 
Heat Pipes
For heat pipes used in a floor heating system, practically the entire assortment of flexible pipes with a diameter of 16-20 mm made of corrosion-resistant materials is used:
- Metalloplastikovye pipelines;
- Copper tubes;
- Stainless steel tubes;
- Polymer pipes, among which the most popular are reinforced polypropylene and five-layer pipes made of polyethylene with increased heat resistance pe-rt.
When laying pipelines, jointing of pipe pieces is not allowed, it must be integral. 
Distribution manifolds
The function of the distribution manifold is to efficiently distribute the heat carrier along the heating circuits. Structurally, the manifold is a metal pipe with several nozzles. Actually consists of two separate collectors - pressure head and return collector. The motivation for using the distribution manifold is the need to regulate the distribution of the coolant. The heating loops of the mounted water-floor system have different lengths, which affects the temperature of the coolant of each loop.
It is obvious that at the same flow rate of the coolant at the outlet of the longer loop, its temperature will be lower, which means a shortage of the required heat in the room. And the room with a short loop will be overheated. By equipping the collectors with thermostatic valves and flowmeters, the heat is uniformly distributed in proportion to the needs of the room.
Fitting
With the help of fittings, the heating main is laid from the heating boiler to the heating system and the pipelines of the warm floor are connected to the collector.
Mixing units
The mixing unit is designed to lower the temperature of the coolant coming from the hot water boiler to the optimum value required for the floor heating system. Usually it consists of several elements, which include:
- Circulating pump, circulating coolant in the system of the water floor;
- Regulating thermostatic valve, providing "warm water supply" of the warm floor with hot water from the boiler in the required operating temperature range;
- Balancing valve;
- Bypass.
Mixing unit is considered as a separate stand-alone device.
Limitations on temperature in the system of warm floors are caused not only by the emerging discomfort from the high temperature in the room, but also by possible warps and swellings of the floor covering material.
One of the main stages of the development of the construction of a warm floor for a particular room is a well-designed calculation of the main parameters of the system. Only mathematical formulas and calculations will help to obtain the necessary coefficients, starting from which a decision will be made about the immediate technical organization of the warm floor and its economic efficiency.
Preliminary it is necessary to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using a system with a warm floor in the room. To do this, you need to study all the links of the heating circuit - where the first link will be a boiler for the warm floor. I just want to note that the system is extremely inefficient and not cost effective.
Considering the time spent on the initial heating of a 7-centimeter concrete screed to the required temperature, it can be concluded that the boiler will need to be, periodically loading fuel, for several hours, which is practically unacceptable. Conclusion - it is necessary to use a gas boiler for a warm water floor. The exception is pellet automatic boilers, working well on warm floors.
If the room where the possibility of installing a floor heating is not located on the first floor, it is necessary to study the state of the floors between the floors.
In the case of a poor log condition or a lack of adequate strength of the floors as a whole, installing the system under such conditions can be extremely difficult or even impossible. Here it is necessary to measure the economic component - what will be the price of materials for the warm water floor, given the need to strengthen the partitions.
When installing a system of warm floors in a room located on the first floor, it is necessary to really assess the possibility of organizing a quality thermal insulation with a basement. There can be such a situation that the price of insulation for can make up a significant part of the budget of the warm floor. In general, all materials for the warm floor, which are planned to be used for assembly and installation, are best used by well-known brands in order to avoid unpleasant surprises afterwards.
Components of the system of water-heated floors
Basically, a standard set of components is used, with some minor differences, depending on the specific features of the premises and the firm producing the floor equipment. Provided that to heat the coolant used electric or for a warm water floor, the set of other components in the general case looks like this:
Subsequently, the pipes are poured with a concrete screed, so that the thickness of the screed is at least seven centimeters. It should be noted that after filling with a screed, the pipes will not be replaced any more and in a literal sense, their life will begin to count down. Therefore, it is necessary to remember that the cost of a pipe for a warm floor is proportional to its quality and durability. This is the case when you do not need to save money.
Mixing unit (water admixture unit)
Analyzing the equipment for a warm water floor, I want to draw attention to the main element that maintains the temperature of the warm floor in a given range. The principle of its operation is quite simple and universal for practically all variants of the layout of the water warm floor.
In its composition, the mixing unit contains the following components:
Mixing valve
On the handle of the thermal head of the mixing valve, a graduated scale is applied to manually set the desired temperature in the circuit after mixing. The thermosensitive element is installed in the head itself, it is pressed by the axis of the adjusting handle, which in response to heating changes its geometric dimensions, thus opening or closing the supply of the "return", which is mixed with the supplied heat carrier. In a number of cases, upon reaching the set temperature, the supply of the main heat carrier (from the boiler) is completely closed and the circuit closes, cyclically pumping the circulating liquid in it until it cools down partially.
Quite often, the control element of the mixing valve, instead of the mechanical one, uses a servo on the thermal head. Without overpaying, buy for a warm floor with a servo, unfortunately not work. Such a technical solution is not always justified in view of the increase in the number of strapping elements and a significant rise in the cost of the system.
Together with the servo drive, it becomes necessary to use temperature sensors that remove the indicators from the supply, the "return flow" and the finished mixture.
These parameters are processed by the automation for the water-heated floor with the central controller (brains) of the system, giving the control voltage to the mixer servo system, which regulates the process of mixing of heat carriers. Therefore, the price of a three-way valve for a warm floor depends on the availability of the servo in the delivery set - this must be paid attention when buying.
Circulation pump
It is necessary for pumping the coolant inside the contour of the warm floor with a certain speed, the value of which is set by the regulating unit included in the pump set. The speed of pumping affects the optimization of heat transfer in the system as a whole: if the circulation speed is too high, the heat from the carrier does not have time to be absorbed by the concrete screed, and if the circulation speed is insufficient, the coolant is cooled too much, which negatively affects the heating efficiency.
Thermometer
To optimize the process of correct heat transfer, the readings of the thermometer set entered in the diagram are needed. The difference (delta) between the temperature of the liquid floor entering the contour of the pipes and the "return" should not be more than 5 degrees. If the delta is greater, we accelerate the circulation of the carrier, not allowing it to cool excessively, by switching the speed of the circular pump. Also in the mixing unit are several cut off ball valves.
If the mixing assembly of thermometers is properly assembled, there should be four:
Saving on reluctance to install separate valves, by installing and connecting a warm floor to the boiler, in consequence, can significantly complicate the process of replacing certain elements of the system if they fail, or when upgrading the warm floor system. The cranes themselves are recommended to be used exclusively reliable from world famous manufacturers.
The collector unit (collector)
A very important node of the warm floor, the basis of which is the distribution comb, which is a pipe with the required number of inputs and outputs, corresponding to the number of loops. Directly the comb for the warm floor assembly contains the already screwed control valves that regulate the flow of the coolant into the loop of the warm floor circuit.
In the same way, when it is decided to buy accessories for a warm water floor, it is reasonable to take care of purchasing a safety group that will be an important element of the collector unit and will protect against serious emergency situations. In its composition, this group contains a bypass, a safety (explosive) valve and an air vent to remove excess air from the system. If the pressure is significantly exceeded, the safety valve will open (work) and the part of the coolant will dissolve, preventing the system from exploding or depressurizing.
Directly when setting the optimal operation of the system, the valves on the comb must be adjusted accordingly with the design table of balancing.
It contains adjustment recommendations indicating the number of revolutions from the fully closed state, the corresponding control valve must be rotated. This adjustment is necessary to equalize the pressures and the amount of circulating coolant, according to the actual design requirements of this room.
Features of installation and styling
From the quality of preparation of the surface of the rough floor in many respects will depend on the efficiency and safety of the entire system. An important role in the durability and reliability of floor elements is assigned to the quality of connecting pipes and hoses. Quality components always cost not cheap and in this case, for example, the price for a hose for a warm floor is quite substantial, and the maximum length of a pipe for a warm floor can be measured by hundreds of meters, which is quite sensitive to the budget.
To disassemble the main stages of installation of a warm floor is best on points:
Later on, the screed is fitted with a finishing floor, which ideally is ceramic tile or flooring, and as the worst option in terms of heat transfer and heating efficiency is a wooden floor. With the modern development of technology and the availability of certain skills and an appropriate tool, the installation of the water floor can be done on its own.
Of course, many repair construction work in the house you can do with your own hands. A little wit, acquaintance with the theory, consulting with experts, studying the market - often this is quite enough to fulfill the plan without recourse to specialists.
But there are also tasks for which one should not undertake independently, in no case - the price of error is too high. One of such tasks is the construction of a warm water floor. One thing is that you can not do without specialists, you will understand, only by looking through the list and photo of the necessary equipment.
When already only a photo makes a decision
This does not mean that floor heating should be abandoned. This only indicates that this venture should be approached with all seriousness, carefully considering the entire algorithm of work, to begin by drawing up a scheme for the future system.
Simple scheme
One of the simplest schemes is the following:
- A - concrete covering as a rough floor, but water heating is never installed directly on the concrete;
- B - heat insulation, which is better to use natural cotton;
- C - gasket in the waterproofing, this element can not be forgotten in any case, and below, on the floor, and along the sides, along vertical walls;
- D - dowel as fasteners;
- E - pipe of the heating system, its main element;
- F - the pipe sleeve, as a means of protecting the pipe, may be redundant if the protection is already one of the components of the pipe design itself;
- G - profile rail, as a means of fixation and direction.
Note, the diagram shows the minimum dimensions of the thickness of the waterproofing - 10 mm and its height relative to the insulation - 100 mm.
Another scheme
Some schemes of the system assume the use of special devices, primarily for fastening:
- A - all the same waterproofing in the form of a polyethylene film;
- B - a wood plate, as the most simple variant - a basis of fastening of system;
- C - aluminum plates with grooves, and the plate itself - an excellent temperature reflective screen;
- D - pipe with a minimum diameter of 16 mm;
- E - damper tape, which helps cope with the expansion of materials when heated, hence the conclusion - it is necessary to leave a small gap between the wall and the heated elements;
- F - the so-called stenophone, a material that promotes better distribution of heat across the floor of the entire room, and not only at local pipe locations;
- G - the layer of the upper one, on which the main wooden floor will already be placed.
Equipment list
Based on the above schemes, we can already conclude that the list of necessary equipment depends largely on the method of wiring pipes under the floor. But there is also a set of already more serious and professional equipment, without which one can not do in any case.
In this set:
- A - pumping group of equipment, which includes:
- B - the valve of tap of air;
- C - thermometer;
- D - the pump, as one of the most necessary, but also whimsical elements of the system;
- E - servo;
- F - the control center of the system;
- G - pump control module;
- H - set for temperature adjustment;
- I - collector, as the center of the connection of pipelines of all contours;
- J - thermostats contours, you can use one, providing the same temperature in all circuits;
- K is also.
Equipment for the warm floor is always a mass of taps and fittings, but even this mass should look decent. Such designs, as in the photo, the English call BS-designs - "a dish of spaghetti" - and this is not an example for imitation
Helpful advice!
It is necessary to understand that the system of floor water heating must, firstly, enter the general house heating system, where each element complements each other and, secondly, the system is an integral part of the general heating system, the main element of which is a boiler for heating water .
The general system assumes the presence of bypasses - bypass circuits first of all of the pump in case of its inoperability.
Helpful advice!
The maximum length of any contour should not exceed 100 meters of the length of the pipe.
Violation of this limitation leads to the loss of the system of its functionality - the pump simply will not be able to cope with the pumping of water, and it will never reach its optimal temperature values.
But we advise you to follow another, already everyday, rule from experience - one contour should not cover an area of more than 40 squares, or 5 by 8 meters.
If it is supposed to heat 60 sq.m, it is better to create two circuits of 30 sq.m.
conclusions
Selection of equipment for a water-heated floor is a very important task, so entrust it and future installation only to experienced professionals. Moreover, try to solve the problem of heating in the complex - in addition to the complete heating system from the boiler to the control sensors, do not forget to include in the heating and conventional means of insulation of floors and windows.
Only then it will be possible to say that the heat generated under the floor will not fly out into the pipe and through the windows, as, indeed, your means.
All the proposed equipment is important not only to know, it's important to see it personally. This will help you make additional video in this article.
The best heaters for water systems are expanded polystyrene (PPS), including extruded (EPS). Other things being equal, they are cheaper than cork and polyurethane foam. In basalt cotton wool, PPPs are won by performance characteristics: there is no hygroscopicity and vapor permeability.
A pressure gauge is installed on the supply manifold, which monitors the pressure in the system. The pump is also connected here if it only serves the warm floor.
Pump
Provides circulation of the coolant in the system. Powered by electricity. It is recommended to provide in the house an autonomous source of energy in case of interruptions in the network, tk. without a pump, the floor will not function ().
Pumps for heating systems - centrifugal type. In private buildings, the units with a wet rotor are used: when the coolant is pushed through the housing, it flushes the engine along the way, thus fulfilling the lubrication function.
"Wet" pumps have low power, are reliable and durable in comparison with dry ones.
Temperature adjustment
The most common method is a tap with a thermal head. In its structure there is a substance sensitive to temperatures: when heated, it expands and blocks the inlet through which hot water enters the circuit. When cooled, it compresses and unlocks the access of the coolant.
Often the ends of the combs distant from the boiler are connected by bypass and installed on it by a three-way valve that performs the function of a mixer: as necessary adds hot coolant to the cold, after which the liquid again diverges along the contours.
To automate the process, a servomotor with a thermostat is used. It is connected to air sensors located in the room.
The system reacts not only to the temperature of the water in the circuits, but also to the temperature in the house: when the sensor signals a cooling, the heating intensifies.
Automatic equipment for the water system, underfloor heating allows temperature adjustment depending on the season and weather on the street, on / off heating by time, etc.
Conclusion
A few words about the finish coat. Ideal for warm floors tiles: not afraid of water and high temperatures, well conducts heat ().
When using laminate, parquet, linoleum, you should choose the modifications suitable for warm floors.
Marking Warm Wasser on the laminate means that the thermal conductivity of this material is maximum for its category, and the thermal stability is high: it will not dry out and will not swell when heated.
The same applies to other coatings.
Video about the equipment of a warm water floor.