Foil warm floor under the laminate. Infrared film floor heating: installation

The use of infrared radiators for heating residential premises is a fairly new type of heating. It has a number of advantages over traditional methods. Such systems are economical and easy to install and operate. Repair and installation of a warm flooring film does not require special knowledge and can be used for quite a long time.

Now, due to the constant increase in prices, as well as a limited limit on the energy carriers, an economical type of heating is becoming more popular. Not only residents of private houses and high-rise buildings, but also heads of organizations and large enterprises, where there are large rooms with high ceilings, for example, garages, production halls, gyms, etc., began to think about their expenses for heat. Therefore, film infrared warm floor, whose price is very affordable for most consumers, is becoming more popular and in demand.

Kinds

Now the market offers only two versions of such a heating system: carbon and bimetallic. The first is a resistive element. It includes two working layers. They consist of a lavsan film with thermal elements connected by sequential and parallel methods.

Bimetallic is composed of a thin polyurethane film, and inside it is laid a patented element, consisting of two layers: the first - an alloy of copper with special additives, and the second - of aluminum and also with an admixture.

Description and principle of operation

Lay the film warm floor under the laminate, tiles, parquet, linoleum and other types of flooring. As heating, such a system uses infrared radiation having a wavelength of 5 to 20 μm. Its source is a carbon paste, packaged in a sealed way in a polyethylene film. Voltage of 220 V passes through copper buses, where there is a small layer of silver in the contacts to prevent burning, while the thickness of the radiating element is 0.4 mm.

The heating film of the warm floor is connected to the mains through a special thermostat, which makes it possible to control its operation and select the required temperature regime.

The principle of operation of such a system differs from the already familiar types of heating. It consists in the fact that when the rooms are heated, the infrared floor heats the surrounding objects, not the air.

Advantages

The first thing to be said about the most important features, which has a film warm floor under the laminate. The first of them is the lack of the need to produce a preliminary cement screed, and the second - the increased economy in terms of electricity consumption.

The main advantages of film floors:

● possibility of laying even in rooms with high humidity;

● absolute safety, which guarantees complete absence of risk of short-circuit and then fire;

● high performance - 97%, which is today better than other types of modern heating systems;

● Ease of installation, allowing you to lay the material yourself without the help of professionals;

● Excellent compatibility with almost any type of flooring;

● The possibility of installing the system not only on the floor, but also on walls, ceiling and other surfaces, including carpets, paintings, mirrors, etc .;

● there is no electromagnetic radiation;

● good resistance to various mechanical damages; Even if the film breaks, you do not have to completely change the entire system - it will be enough to replace or repair only the damaged section;

● Simple and easy to dismantle when moving to another place of residence;

● Absolute noiselessness;

● Such a warm floor is made of environmentally friendly materials.

Operating instructions

Warm electrical film floors practically do not have any significant drawbacks. But for them to serve for a long time and to please their warmth, it is necessary to observe several very important recommendations given by the specialists themselves:

● You can not put too heavy furniture on the floor;

● it should be as open as possible, otherwise it will start to overheat, causing not only the covering to deteriorate, but also the furniture in the room;

● Do not cover the place where the sensor is installed, measuring the temperature of the floor and air, otherwise it will not work correctly.

Necessary materials

It must be said that the film warm floor is easy to assemble with your own hands . But it is worth remembering that the reliability and long-term operation of the entire heating system will depend on how competently it is installed.

Laying a film warm floor does not require a large number of tools. Suffice it will pliers, scissors, a dummy knife and a screwdriver with an indicator.

In addition, you will have to purchase some additional materials, such as:

● polyethylene film, necessary for installation under parquet or laminate;

● hardboard or similar to it;

● Heat-reflecting film ;

● The adhesive tape is double-sided or one-sided, depending on the conditions in which the styling is done.

Preparing for installation

When laying a heat-reflective layer, professionals are strongly advised not to use materials containing aluminum foil for this purpose.

The warm floor is well mounted either on a propylene or on a lavsan metal base. For this, soft heat-reflecting materials, such as infraflex, PLE-3003 isolet, penofol and others with a thickness of up to 5 mm are perfect.

First you need to prepare all the necessary materials for this:

● Temperature controller with a sensor that detects and sets the floor temperature;

● Thermal film of the required length;

● Electrical wiring kit;

● Insulation and terminal clamps.

During the laying of Caleo films it is recommended to use a stranded copper wire with a section of 2 sq. M. Mm at a current strength of 16-22 A.

Immediately before installation, it is necessary to plan a place for the placement of the thermostat, it is good to clean the space where the warm floor will be from garbage with a vacuum cleaner or a broom.

Paving area

First of all, determine the area of the base, on which the installation of a warm film floor will be carried out. The most economical way of laying strips is their location along the wall along the length of the room. This arrangement will help reduce the number of not only the connection points, but also the wires. In this case, one should take into account the fact that some professionals advise the floor to warm Caleo film only in places where there is no provision for any furniture at all. Also, in no case can not place on it household appliances.

Calculations

Before installation, you need to calculate the power that the warm floor will consume. Caleo film has a maximum power consumption of 0.22 kW per 1 sq. Km. M, and the thermostat UTH-200 - 4 kW.

In addition, it is necessary to check the highest current figure in the network flowing through the automatic electrical switch. It is also necessary to calculate the energy consumption of the room where the infrared heating system will be installed.

Prevention of experts: the consumption of each of the pieces of thermo film should not exceed the mark of 10 A.

Installation

The film is laid on the heat-reflecting material. But before that, it must be cut into strips of the desired length. I must say that the complete set of floor Caleo film comes in a roll. It is marked with special cut lines every 17.4 cm. The length of one strip should be smaller than the parameters of the room, since on each side of the wall it is necessary to leave a gap of about 10 cm.

Lay the film on top of the heat-reflecting substrate in rows in such a way that it covers the entire surface allocated for heating. And so that it does not leave, it is attached to the material placed under it with the help of an adhesive tape.

Installing the thermostat and connecting it

It is best to do this next to the existing wiring. But this option is suitable only if it was not planned to build a separate one specifically to connect the infrared film warm floor. Installation of the thermostat can be made either permanently or connected to an ordinary outlet using an electric plug. The optimal place for its placement is a distance of 20 cm from the level of the floor itself.

The thermostat is necessary to set the desired temperature level, programming the heating periodicity, and also to automate the on and off times of the underfloor heating system.

First, a well-insulated temperature sensor is connected to the underside of the heating film somewhere near the middle of the second section . It consists of a small thermometer with a head made of a polymer element soldered to the wire.

Next, for the wiring with the sensor, cut out the holes. In the event that the wire needs to be bent, a smooth turn is made in the film so that the cable does not break during operation.

When the entire process of installing the sensor and connecting the wires is complete, proceed to mounting the regulator itself. Experts advise the main parts of the wiring to be placed under the baseboard.

To connect the film warm floor under the laminate, use the same principle of connecting the thermostat as for other types of electrical heating. Namely: on one side the wires from the film are attached, on the opposite side - two contacts connected to the sensor, and the power supply wiring is inserted into the two elements located in the center. The system ground is connected to the terminal, not to the terminal.

Testing

Before the film warm floor under the laminate is put into operation, it is necessary to check its operation. This must be done before you begin to lay on it the final decorative floor covering. The quality of the thermal film is determined by the absence of sparking and overheating of some of its individual sections.

If defects were not found, then before covering the laminate on top of the warm floor, its surface is covered with a thick polyethylene film not less than 80 microns. It protects against accidental liquid ingress on the heating system. It is lapped over lanes of infrared film.

Cost

It should be noted that recently the demand for film warm floor, the price of which may differ significantly depending on the manufacturer, has increased significantly. Every year new offers from different manufacturers appear on the market. And among such variety to the consumer it is difficult enough to make the choice in favor of one of them.

Let's start with the brand Caleo, which exists on the Russian market the longest. It offers a fairly wide range of its products, namely film infrared warm floor, the price of which is calculated for customers with different incomes. Caleo - is not only the simplest and economically profitable, but also innovative and self-regulating heating systems: from the second generation to the fifth exclusive. In addition, for ease of installation, the film is produced in different widths.

The cost of the kit, which includes thermal film, contact clamps, wiring, bitumen insulation and installation instructions, can vary significantly, depending on the width, specific power and length of the film. So, the price of 1 running meter of warm floor Caleo in width of 50 sm makes from 1085 to 2320 rubles.

The American company Calorique, whose specialists were the first to develop this technology, has the highest production culture. It makes the film with reliable electromagnetic shielding. The company has a rather complex control system, completely excluding the appearance of any defective products on sale. Therefore, buying such a film warm floor, the price of which varies from 800 to 2030 rubles per 1 running meter, you can be sure of its safety and durability. It comes complete with a shield, grounding and waterproofing.

The principle of the heating system with infrared radiation is almost the same for all manufacturers, so there is no need to describe each company that produces such products. It is enough to know that the main criteria for choosing such heating are quality and price. Therefore, before deciding to buy an infrared warm floor, it is worthwhile to find out the prices for it at all points of its sale, since the cost of the same goods in different stores can vary significantly.