Warm floor: mats for tiles. Underfloor Heating Technology

Installation of a warm floor allows you to make living in a country house or even a city apartment much more comfortable. Modern systems of this type are distinguished by reliability, not too high cost and, most importantly, relative simplicity in installation. If you wish, you can mount them yourself. Install the system "warm floor" is allowed for almost any coatings, including ceramic tiles.

Heating mats

By design, there are several types of systems "warm floor". Mats are one of the most popular types of this equipment. The heating cable in them has a small cross-section and is fixed with the necessary step on the fiberglass mesh. The latter, if desired, can easily be rolled up. When installing the system, such a mat should simply be rolled out on the floor in the required place. The advantages of the warm floors of this variety are considered to be an insignificant thickness with high efficiency.

In choosing this type of equipment, among other things, it is worth paying attention to its design. If desired, you can choose a single-core or double-core mat "warm floor". In the first case, only one cable of a certain diameter is used, with insulation in two or three layers. Two-wire systems have a slightly different design. In this case, two cables are used, which significantly increases the heating capacity of the system. In such mats, the circuit is closed at the end of the cable. In this case, the contacts are connected together.

Of course, there are today on sale, including mats for laying the water-heated floor. They represent a thermal insulation material with grooves in it, into which plastic pipes are inserted during installation.

Mats of which manufacturer to choose

They produce this type of warm floors, convenient for laying, many manufacturers today. Most of the brands of such plates and nets, which are available in the modern market, are of very good quality. The most popular at the moment are the mats-thermostats belonging to the "warm floor" system , produced by two companies: Devi and "Foam". The first manufacturer delivers on the market qualitative electric systems. Their main advantages are reliability, long service life and not too high cost. If desired, you can pick up mats Devi, intended for installation under a laminate, parquet board or carpeting.

Firm "Penoshit" produces high-quality slabs of water floor. The thickness of the substrate in mats of this manufacturer is usually 30 mm, which is quite enough for high-quality insulation. Another popular brand of this type of system are mats "Format" for the warm floor. The material of this manufacturer is valued, among other things, for fire safety. For the manufacture of mats, the company uses a special expanded polystyrene, which incorporates fire retardants. Plates of the "Format" brand correspond not only to Russian, but also to European quality standards.

Preparatory work

So, let's see how the modern warm floor electric is mounted. Mats for tiles are installed quite simply. But, of course, before the start of their installation, it is necessary to prepare a foundation. This operation includes such stages:

1. The location of the thermostat on the wall is determined. The groove is hollowed out in the selected area. Place the thermostat at a height of no more than 30 cm from the floor. From the groove down a wide shroud is made. In the following, the wire for the cable and sensor wiring will be placed in it. After all these operations, the floors should be swept out using a brush.

2. The base itself is carefully leveled. If the floors under the mats have significant differences, it is worth pouring them with a cement screed. The thickness of the latter should not be less than 3 cm, otherwise in the process of using the floor in the future it can crumble.

Mounting of mats

Next, let's look at how the "warm floor" system is actually installed. Mats are laid on the foundation only after it is marked according to the project. Mount the mesh to the floor with any additional devices do not need. The rolls are simply rolled neatly over its surface. Open them with a sharp construction knife. Fold parts of mats should not overlap, but butt. In the future, they are connected by a loop. When installing mats, you must follow the following rules:

1. Laying the grid in several layers according to fire safety standards is strictly prohibited.

2. The gap between the heating elements of the mats and the walls should be at least 5 cm. Before radiators leave at least 10 cm of free space.

3. When cutting mats, the main cable must not be cut. This must be taken into account when designing the project.

4. Under stationary furniture and household appliances, the cable is not mounted.

After the warm floor of the Devi (mats) is laid, it is necessary to continue in the base of the groove to the groove leading to the groove for the thermostat and lay the main wire in it. Continue with the installation of the "warm floor" system further only after the cable resistance has been measured. It must be as specified in the technical data sheet.

The next stage of installation should be a gasket groove for the tube in which the sensor and wires will be located. It is also fed to a thermoregulator.

Connecting the system

Actually, the assembly of the "warm floor" system itself looks like this:

• A thermoregulator is inserted into the slotted groove;

• The ends of the wires of the heating wire, the sensor and the power supply cable are peeled;

• The twisting is performed according to the scheme specified in the passport to the sensor.

Features of assembly of water structures

In country houses, very often not an electric but a warm water floor is mounted. Mats made of expanded polystyrene, having a significant thickness, in this case are not always used. Usually they are used when it is planned to install a "warm floor" system as the main source of space heating. The preparation of the base for this type of system is carried out in exactly the same way as for the thermometers. But in this case, before laying the plates on the leveled and cleaned floor, a waterproofing foil also drips, and a special damper tape is laid along the perimeter of the room . The mats for the water-heated floor "Penoshit" ("Format" or any others) are mounted tightly butt-end to the entire area of the room.

Today, if you want, you can pick up mats of any required size. Most often on sale material meets dimensions of 1x1 m or 0.8x0.6 m.

Fasten the mats when stacked with special locks, available in their design. In some cases, the expanded polystyrene elements can be fixed directly to the floor on the glue. Thus, usually install thin mats.

After the plates have been mounted, the tubes are neatly laid in their grooves. Attach them to special clamps-clamps. The installed lines of the warm floor are connected to the collector and check the assembled system for operability. When performing the last operation, it is recommended to start the equipment under pressure, which is somewhat higher than the operating one.

The system assembled in this way is poured with a concrete screed. Approximately two to three weeks after this, you can proceed with the installation of a finishing coat.

When installing a water system, the floor level usually rises strongly. Therefore, at the final stage, the owners of the house usually have, among other things, to change doors and sills.

Features of pouring screed for finishing

For thermometers, tile mounting can be done in two ways: directly on the mesh with a cable or through a leveling screed. In the first case, the installation should be carried out with the utmost care. Walk on the floor and lay the tile carefully, trying not to damage the cable. The base must be primed before laying the mats in this case.

The screed is carried out in the usual way. The only thing in this case is allowed to make it not too thick (just to close the cable). Above the polystyrene plates with pipes, a standard concrete screed 3 cm thick is installed when installing the water floor.

Tile installation

So, now you know how the "warm floor" system is going. Mats are stacked according to a certain technology. Tiles after their installation are laid in the usual way. I.e:

1. Special tile glue for systems "warm floor" is raised.
2. Then they use a notched trowel to coat the floor with an area of 1 m ² .
3. Apply glue to the tile and press it firmly on the floor.

Grout

The thickness of the adhesive layer for the installation of tiles to thermometers should not exceed 2 cm. In order for the coating to be even, plastic crosses should be used. Grout grout is done the day after laying the tiles. The warm floor itself can be turned on not earlier than three weeks after finishing the finishing works.