To make your home more comfortable, many decide to install a warm floor. What features does each of the options for underfloor heating have? Which one is better to mount under the tile?
Pros and cons of different types of underfloor heating systems
There are several types of underfloor heating systems, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Water floor heating
The structure of this system consists of polymer pipes placed in a concrete or wood flooring. His job is to heat these pipes from a common heating system or individual heating, which creates heat.
ATTENTION! This option is not suitable for installing heating in apartments, as this is fraught with an accident due to improper connection or installation.
When installing, you must follow the basic rules:
- in your own house you can use any heating system to install a warm water floor, but in an apartment it is better to connect it to a gas boiler, since general heating may not withstand such a load;
- installation is best entrusted to professionals if they are not confident in their abilities;
- the whole structure requires a sufficiently thick screed;
- It is recommended to install a water floor heating in rooms with a large area;
- when choosing a system, you should not save on it, since with the slightest breakdown you will have to break the screed completely;
- the power of the gas boiler must withstand the load of all systems.
REFERENCE! During use, turning on and off the underfloor heating system takes place for the entire room, and not some part of it.
This type is durable and economical to use, but is suitable for those rooms in which it lives permanently. So that the water in the pipes does not freeze during low temperatures, antifreeze is poured into them.
Electrical cable
This type of insulation is very easy to assemble - on a thermally insulated surface with a reflector, lay an electric cable in the form of a snake and fix it.
IMPORTANT! The cable tie should be about 40 cm thick so that the cable is not damaged.
Then everything is covered with tiles, which are laid on the glue. This type is very convenient for installation, since you can get around all obstacles: pipes, toilet, etc.
Heating mats
Heating mats - an electrical system that, unlike the previous version, speeds up the installation process. The electric wire is already fixed to the grid and does not need to be mounted manually.
The advantage of this system is that this grid can cover the entire area of the room or partially. It is also very easy to install on your own, without having any skills.
Film system
This type of heating system works using the infrared spectrum and can be laid just under the carpet, linoleum or any other floor covering. Heat dissipation is uniform.
Its structure consists of a polymer heating film (0.4 mm high), a temperature device, and a temperature regulator. The advantage of such a heating system is that during its operation, you can set a specific mode of operation using the temperature controller. Also, during heating, it forms a magnetic field, which does not affect human health, which is very important.
Installation is easy. Difficulty can arise only with the adhesion quality of the adhesive and the underfloor heating, but this problem can be solved by first laying the fiberglass mesh or gypsum fiber sheet under the tile.
Electric heating
The electrically conductive system is a construction of polyethylene pipes, the diameter of each of them is about 20 mm, laid in a concrete screed. It also has a non-freezing fluid and a heating cable made of an alloy of nickel and chromium, coated with Teflon. If the pipeline is in a malfunctioning condition, then anti-freezing liquid will appear on the floor covering, at the place of damage. This is one of the advantages of this heating system.
As practice has shown, conductive floors consume little electricity. Using the temperature controller, you can set the desired temperature. Thanks to non-freezing fluid, energy consumption is negligible.
When heat reaches the non-freezing liquid, then within a short period of time it begins to boil. Then the floor heats up very quickly, the heat is kept for a very long time. This type of heating allows you to spend a minimum of electricity with maximum efficiency.
What type of underfloor heating is better to choose for tiles
Of course, each of the options is good in its own way, but the choice of type of heating depends on where it is planned to install underfloor heating.
If you are interested in economical options, then these include: a water floor and electrical systems. The advantage of the first is that it can be connected to individual heating, and the second heating system will save your energy costs.
As practice has shown, film floors are not the best heating option for laying under tiles.
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