Modern consumers have known about warm floors for a long time. Over the years of its development, warm floors have become quite popular among all segments of the population.
A warm floor can be used both as the main heating and for additional heating of individual rooms. As a rule, the air is heated by floor heating to a fairly high height – 2-2.5 meters. This distribution of warm air provides the most favorable conditions for the residents of the apartment, because the main prevention of colds and the guarantee of health in the cold season is the provision of warmth to a person’s feet.
It should also be noted that the device of warm floors allows you to evenly heat the space of the room, thus preventing the appearance of drafts. This is another advantage of underfloor heating compared to conventional heaters and radiators. What are the pros and cons of installing a warm floor?
Types of Floor Heating
Given the horizontal location of the panel and the heat transfer material (concrete), the temperature of the coolant on the floor does not exceed 35-40 degrees Celsius. This type of heating surface refers to devices of the radiant type or radiant floor heating.
There are two main types of floor heating: with the help of special electric cables and with the help of pipes with hot water. And each type of heating has its pros and cons.
A warm floor, with the help of metal-plastic pipes through which hot water flows, is quite an economical purchase. Hot water enters metal-plastic pipes from the collector using a special pump. The advantages of this type of heating are, as already mentioned, the economy. Compared to electric heating, water allows you to save up to 60% of energy, especially such savings are valuable when heating large areas of country cottages. In addition to everything, well-proven materials from which the pipes are made increase the durability and reliability of such a heating system.
Unlike electric underfloor heating, water-based floors offer a wide range of floor coverings to choose from.
Among the disadvantages of water-based underfloor heating, the need to purchase and install a special circulation pump is emphasized, without which temperature regulation is impossible. In addition, the pressure in the general water supply system may drop. And the installation of a warm water floor in multi-apartment buildings threatens serious disturbances in the circulation of heating, due to which other residents may be left without heat. Therefore, this type of warm floor is used, first of all, in private country houses, where it is possible to use autonomous heating.
Advantages of water-based underfloor heating
– a visual absence of heating devices;
– uniform heating of the floor over the entire area;
– the possibility of heating large areas with small means;
– an absence of local overheating and the possibility of laying on the entire area;
– does not require a limit on electrical power;
– low operating costs (coolant temperature no more than 40°С)
Disadvantages of water-based underfloor heating
– structural difficulties during installation;
– the need for thick screeds up to 15 cm;
– little inertia in controlling the temperature of the floor;
– the probability of coolant leakage (when using low-quality materials) and the difficulty of finding it;
Heating with the help of an electric cable allows you to install a warm floor in any room, without installing additional equipment. Electric heated floors are equipped with a temperature regulator, which allows you to control the optimal temperature regime in the room, as well as save electricity, reducing the power depending on the heating temperature and turning off the electric heating in case of network failures.
Advantages of electric underfloor heating
– a visual absence of heating devices;
– the possibility of installation in typical apartments without the use of special equipment;
– the possibility of laying in thin screeds (up to 5 mm);
– easily controlled and physiologically optimal heating of the room;
– inertialess regulation of floor temperature;
Disadvantages of electric underfloor heating
– high operational costs, especially when heating large areas;
– the presence of electromagnetic radiation;
– stacking under objects leads to local overheating of the cable and reduction of its service life;
– requires a limit on electrical power.
