How to make a warm floor from a heated towel rail

In recent years, heating technology for the floor has become popular in ordinary urban apartments. The heated floor from the towel warmer is a budget option for the heating device, which is used in cases where the installation of the boiler is impossible for any reason.

The scheme of connecting the heated towel rail to the central heating system has a number of varieties, it is from the existing scheme that you need to repulse during installation. In some apartment buildings, the heated towel rails are powered from the "return" of the heating system. This option implies a fairly low temperature in the riser and heated towel rail, and in the summer, during periods of heating shutdown, the pipe cools completely. From the idea of ​​installation in such houses is better to refuse, the system will not function properly.

Another option is the power of the heated towel rail from the hot water in the bathroom. In this case, the heating circuit will work much more efficiently, but you need to correctly calculate the cross-section of the pipe, measure the area and connect the water floor correctly. Metal-plastic pipe should be smaller diameter than the riser, most often the best option is D16. The water floor requires special attention during installation, especially if the installation is self-made.

Ways to connect the warm floor with your own hands are fairly simple, an additional tie to the outline of the warm floor is made through the main hot water riser. The pipe goes to the floor and returns to the towel warmer. In the riser, an adjustment valve is cut in which it is possible to dose the hot water supply over the riser directly. The main flow is assumed through the floor contour in the room.

The floor pipe is mounted on the substrate, the bending radii should be minimal so that the flow resistance is not critical. Such a floor in the bathroom will only work with good pressure in the pipes.

To connect several circuits of the warm floor to the hot water supply system, a collector is used, through which it is possible to regulate the supply of hot water to each circuit separately, sometimes the system is supplemented with a pump for circulation, but such variants can be profitable only in large apartments and not in one room.

The main advantages of the system:

• economy in use;
• durability with proper installation.

Possible problems

   H2_2

To conduct in a similar way a water-heated floor is more an exception than a rule. The functionality of the heating system depends largely on the readings in the common network, if the pressure has dropped, then the circuit will also be broken, because the circulation of the coolant will slow down and the heating temperature will drop. If the house has frequent heating outages, then the floor covering in the bathroom will be cold. Another problem is the possibility of an emergency. If the pipe breaks as a result of a water hammer or other impact, then it will be possible to eliminate the leak by completely disassembling the whole pie, it will be necessary to remove the tile and dismantle the screed.

Preparing for installation

When assembling the structure with your own hands, you need to pay special attention to the materials, the installation in the apartment of metal-plastic implies the use of only a quality pipe that does not break at high pressure in the bathroom. Threaded tie-ins should be done with reinforced fittings. The shut-off valve must be of good quality, and each unit must be able to autonomously shut off and circulate water bypass. You can do the work yourself, having the skills and experience of similar works, otherwise it's better to seek qualified help.

Important! At the highest point of the coil of the heated towel rail, an air release valve (Maevsky crane) should be provided. His absence will blow up the system and the pipes in the bathroom will remain cold.

Installation Instructions

Installation of a hot water floor in the bathroom with your own hands in the apartment of a multi-storey building can solve many problems. According to the standard design, the bathroom is heated exclusively by the towel warmer, which is clearly not enough for comfortable water procedures.

Cold floors, insufficient heating of the room - all this is a consequence of an inadequate and ill-considered heating system. Not surprisingly, many owners are seriously thinking about improving the heating system of the bathroom.

Is it possible to make water-based floors in the bathroom

  Installation of the water floor in the bathroom is a personal matter only in the case of a private house. According to the housing code, any independent change in the design of the heating system is illegal.

Complaints by neighbors to reduce the intensity of heating are justification for initiating a lawsuit, the result of which will be an administrative penalty and an order to eliminate the changes in a short time.

Proceeding from this, the legality of installation of floors with water heating in a block of flats is at best doubtful. The Housing Code allows you to change the design and layout of the heating system, but after obtaining the necessary permits and coordination with the relevant authorities. In any case, the start of registration should be with a visit to the housing and communal services.

Connection of a heated heated floor in the bathroom from the heated towel rail is one of the most frequently used solutions for heating a bathroom in a multi-storey building. In this case, it is extremely important to take care that neighbors do not reduce the temperature of heating. A two-way valve can be used for this.

How to lay heated floors in the bathroom

It is not so difficult to make a water-heated floor in the bathroom, especially after obtaining all the necessary permits for changing the heating system. It is enough to follow the basic stages of installation.

In the shower and bathroom in the apartment house in most cases set the water circuit without a collector. A small distance of the heated area allows you to power the circuit from the towel warmer and get enough thermal energy.

How to fill the floor in the bathroom

Self-assembly of warm floors is much easier to implement with the use of special leveling, leveling mixtures. At the same time, in order to make the water heating of the floor in the bathroom and shower, it is necessary to take care of the quality of the screed, which must meet the requirements:

1. To withstand temperature changes - it's almost impossible to make the cement composition itself, which can not crack after several years of operation, so it's best to choose the ready-made mixtures.
2. Keep strength - heated floors are subject to constant stresses from temperature and humidity changes. To reduce the negative impact it will be necessary to lay a layer of reinforcing mesh. Especially armature is necessary if it is planned to install a ladder in the shower.

The composition of the "pie" of the floor consists of: waterproofing, reinforcing mesh, foil insulation and thermal insulation. Quality screed allows you to connect all four types of layer and make a virtually monolith.

How to connect the water floor in the bathroom

There are several solutions to how to make and energize a water floor in a shower room or a bathroom. Everyone has advantages and disadvantages.

• From the towel warmer, the temperature of the coolant will remain unchanged. Since in most multi-storey houses towel warmers are connected from the return of hot water, the intensity of heating depends largely on how cool the coolant manages to cool.
• From the boiler - the solution has certain advantages, consisting in the possibility of adjusting the water heating of the bathroom floor. It will be necessary to install a thermostat.
• From the central heating system - a bath with a warm water floor can be connected to the heating system of the apartment. Before carrying out the work, you will need to obtain permits and make a technical project.

Common errors during installation and connection

For laying the warm floors in the bathroom you need to do everything in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Judging by the feedback from customers and the reports of the teams that have to remodel and repair the heating systems, the main violations in the installation are:

1. Absence of waterproofing of the bathroom with water heated floors. During the installation work, the prevention of leaks is neglected. Waterproofing is a layer that prevents moisture from entering the neighbors in the event of a water circuit breakout. It is also necessary to waterproof the floor before laying the floor water heating system of the bathroom in a warm floor in polypropylene.
2. Absence of work plan and layout scheme. Preliminary calculations help to perform the installation quickly and accurately, avoid over-expenditure of material.
3. Execution of installation work without permission. After laying, it is much more problematic to get an agreement.
4. Pour the screed with ordinary cement mortar. The technology of the installation of water heated floors in the bathroom of a private house or apartment, requires the use of adhesive compositions with the addition of plasticizers and additives. Without additives, cement will eventually crumble, crack and become unusable.

Warm floors in the bathroom - electric or water

It remains unresolved only one question, what kind of warm floor in the bath is better, electric or water. Each option has its own advantages.

So, the electric floor is best laid in a block of flats. The solution does not require permission for installation. Stacking requires less material costs and is faster.

The water floors are completely safe. Excludes fire and short circuit. In an apartment house, their use does not carry an additional material load.

Bathroom - this is a room in which the humidity level is almost constant. That's why it uses a material for facing, like ceramic tiles. However, its drawback is that it is cold. That is, barefoot on it becomes very unpleasant. That's why a warm floor in the bathroom is just necessary.

Before you can insulate the floor with floor heating systems with your own hands, you need to understand their varieties.

Water

  The heating system of the water-heated floor is laid in the contours of the pipes, which are filled with a screed

This warm floor is heated from hot water (from central or autonomous heating), which passes through the pipes of the system. it is rather difficult to produce. Most often for its arrangement, pipes made of metal-plastic are used. After laying the structure it is poured. After complete hardening of the solution can be. To control the temperature, a thermostat is used in this case. The warm floor in the bathroom, which operates on the basis of hot water, is safe for human health, cheap in terms of operation. But if it depends on the overall heating system, the heating will be carried out only during the cold season. In addition, this option is almost impossible to do in an apartment (with some exceptions).

Electric

Such a warm floor can be quickly mounted by yourself, without the involvement of other masters. To equip the electrical structure you will need:

• Special cable,
• Reflecting thermal insulation material,
• Thermoregulator.

  Heating cable, heat-reflecting substrate foam and thermoregulator

Please note that this structure will have to be filled with a screed. A warm floor on the base has some disadvantages: there is a risk of electric shock if the installation technology is broken. And the system produces electromagnetic radiation. However, you can mount it yourself, and it fits perfectly with the tile.

Infrared

This electric warm floor differs from the previous one in that the heating elements are surrounded by carbon. They are located in parallel. This warm floor in the bathroom quickly settles by hand. It is enough simply to spread the film on the substrate, the screed is not required, the installation takes place in the layer of tile adhesive. It has a small thickness, so it does not take away useful space. In addition, radiation emanating from the film does not harm living organisms.

  Cake infrared warm floor in the bathroom

Substrate preparation

Before making any warm floor, it is necessary to prepare the ground in advance. To do this, you need to dismantle the old tile. Try to remove all adhesive residues, seal any possible cracks and cracks. If necessary, make a rough screed. Further, it is necessary to equip the layer of protection from penetration of moisture: roofing material, polyethylene film or apply lubricating.

  Lining waterproofing, as well as roll-up is made with the launch on the walls

After that, the base is insulated. This can be done with expanded polystyrene. If it has a layer of foil, then it should be at the top. If not, the reflector moves separately.

Next, you need to mount a reinforcing mesh. It will not only help strengthen the cement screed, but will also become the basis for fixing the pipes (cable). The thickness of this material is 3-4 mm, and the cell size is 10x10 cm.

Features of the installation of the water system

If you still decided to install a warm floor, running from hot water, then this process has this sequence of actions:

As you can see, you can make a water floor with your own hands, but this work is troublesome, and it requires accurate calculations.

Features of the arrangement of electric and infrared floors

Electric warm floor is also often used in the bathroom, if there is a need to lay tiles. So, in this case, the process provides such a sequence of works:

• Filling the rough screed, by means of which the base is leveled.
• Laying of heat-insulating material with a reflective layer.
• Mounting reinforcing mesh. The cable will be attached to it.
• Installation of heating cable. Note that to fix it, do not use metal clamps. The cable should be laid out exactly according to the scheme drawn earlier.

• Mounting the thermostat. In this case, note that it should be located at an altitude of about 0.8-1 m from the floor.
• Verifying system startup. At this stage, the resistance of the structure is checked. If possible, it is necessary to find the foci in which the closure occurs. If they are not, you can continue to work.
• Pour the screed. In this case, its thickness is not less than 5 cm.
• Additional validation. That is, you again need to measure the resistance in the system.

Should not have voids. In addition, it should be reinforced with fiber. Only in this case you can avoid its subsequent destruction under the influence of temperature difference.

Mounts the fastest. Its distinctive feature is the lack of the need to arrange screed. That is, the tile can be laid directly on the film. Such a warm floor you just need to spread according to the scheme. It should be borne in mind that the heating elements should not eventually be under heavy furniture. Otherwise, there will be a local overheating, and the warm floor will fail.

Infrared system is important to properly connect and insulate. Also, care should be taken to ensure correct installation of the sensor and thermostat. After checking the operability of the structure, you can lay the tile.

That's all the features of arranging warm floors in the bathroom. Be careful when installing. Leave your comments to the article and finally, a video on the technology of laying heating mats: