How to put a warm floor?

According to the reviews of the installation team masters, almost all problems during the operation of water floors are associated with violations during installation. Moreover, the complexity is not only the installation process itself, but also the preparatory stage. In this article we will tell you how to properly install a warm floor, check the quality of the installation, as well as what are the most common mistakes made when assembling a heating system.

to contents ↑

Calculation of footage of a pipe for a warm floor

Before starting installation work, it is extremely important to make the correct calculation of the total amount of consumables. This is due to the fact that the water circuit that is inserted into the screed must be solid, without any connections.

The calculation of the length of the pipe for a warm water floor is as follows:

• The calculation of the pipe per 1 square meter is carried out depending on the step between the spirals. In the event that the distance between the turns of the circuit is 10 cm, then approximately 10 p. M of consumable will be required, for 30 cm - 3.5 p. M.

Important! The consumption of the pipe for the warm floor remains unchanged for any installation method. The difference in the number of meters is affected solely by the distance between the turns of the circuit.

• The greatest number of meters in one water circuit can be 70 m. With a minimum step of 10 cm, 70 meters of the circuit is enough to install a heating system of 7 square meters. On this basis, in order to warm a room of 20 square meters, it will be necessary to lay three square contours.
• In addition, the future layout of furniture also affects the calculation of the number of pipes. In the place where the furniture will stand, you do not need to lay the floors.

Important! The water circuit must not be placed close to partitions and walls. The minimum distance should be 20 cm. To calculate the pipe, the size of the indents should be taken from the total area. For example, for a room of 20 square meters, this would be approximately 3.6.

Given these three aspects: to calculate the maximum frequency of the step of installation of pipes of warm water floors (10 cm), the number of circuits and the area that is not heated, you can understand that a room of 20 square meters will require three heating circuits of 55 p.m. of pipe .

Important! The permissible distance between the pipes of the water floor is 10-30 cm. The choice of step will depend on the diameter of the pipe, the intensity of use of the heating system and climatic conditions. So, if the floor will be used as the main source of heat in the housing, then the minimum step distance is selected.

to contents ↑

Types of laying pipes for warm water floors

There are several ways to properly lay a warm floor:

• The simplest pipe laying scheme for a warm water floor is a “snail”, which allows you to perform independent installation without involving specialists. The low efficiency and heat transfer of this method somewhat reduces its popularity.
• There is also a kind of laying “snake”. It is quite difficult to make a proper installation with a snake - this method requires certain professional skills, but with its help it is possible to reduce heating costs.

Each of the options has the following advantages and disadvantages.

Shell or snail

Floor installation is carried out in a spiral. In this case, it turns out that between the pipes for supplying hot water there is a return, in which the temperature is much lower. Correctly laying a warm floor in this way is quite simple.

Important! The only drawback of this installation option is the appearance of cold areas with a large installation step, which should be considered if necessary to calculate the pipe. In this case, the optimal solution is to make a step of no more than 10 cm.

Snake

Laying can be performed both by conventional and double installation of the pipeline. Correct installation of pipes for water heated floors in this way makes it possible to avoid the appearance of cold sections or uneven heating of the air. In order to facilitate the installation process, there are special mats for fastening pipes. Provided that the installation instructions are followed, the heating system can be mounted independently.

Important! To decompose the pipe in the “snake” way, special fixing elements are used. It is extremely important that the contour is not fixed tightly. Under the influence of hot water, the pipe will expand and contract, and it is necessary to avoid deformation of the water circuit after installation.

When choosing the installation method, it is necessary to take into account the total heated area of ​​the room, the availability of the appropriate tool and professional skills. It is possible to correctly install a water heated floor under the screed only subject to the recommendations and installation steps specified by the manufacturer.

to contents ↑

Pipe laying sequence

To date, the most popular concrete installation system. In this installation option, the pipeline after installation is poured with cement mortar with special plasticizers.

Work should be performed as follows:

• First you need to prepare a rough floor. At the preliminary stage, the base should be cleaned of debris, eliminate the influx. Be sure to calculate and schematically divide the room into several separate sectors. A prerequisite is that the minimum area of ​​the sections should be at least 2 to 1. The length of the circuit should not exceed 70 m. When calculating, you should follow the instructions for laying the pipe, which, as a rule, is provided by the manufacturer.
• Thermal insulation - it is laid on top of the rough floor. For insulation, a Penoplex type system can be used. The joints of the slab should be blown with foam. Between pre-calculated sections, a damper tape is laid, which is mandatory in the installation of a warm floor. Its essence is to prevent cracking of the screed during heating. It also creates compensation zones. Be sure to separate the contours with a damper tape.

Important! The difference in temperature in the return and supply of hot water without using a compensation layer can lead to condensation and cracking of the screed.

• Installation of reinforcing mesh, on which the mats are laid out. If you plan not to use mats, then you can use a plastic mesh for fastening pipes. The reinforcing mesh is raised above the surface by about 2-3 cm.
• The pipes that are used for installation are laid out. At the preliminary stage, the ideal installation step should be calculated, as well as the layout method. The pipe is fastened to the fittings using harpoons.
• Concrete screed is poured.

to contents ↑

Underfloor heating system

Another effective installation method is “polystyrene”. In this case, the installation is carried out on heat-saving plates. In this case, the basis for properly laying the warm floor is special mats that have grooves and latches.

The polystyrene system has the following advantages:

• The principle of pipe installation is simple.It is possible to independently lay the water circuit in any of the ways. On the mats there is a special bracket for fastening the pipe with a latch using a lock, which provides the necessary reliable fixation.
• No need for any additional concrete work. Mats have metal heat-reflecting plates, in which they lay the blue pipe on the return and the red pipe on the feed. Top make a special mortar. It takes two days to completely dry the surface.

Important! It is possible to lay linoleum, laminate or any other type of flooring on the floors immediately, which reduces the time for installation work.

• Speed ​​of installation. This method is considered the most effective technology for fixing pipes of a warm water floor. There is no need to tie and fix the contour with the help of harpoons or mounting tape. Fastening brackets are located so as to fully meet the technical requirements. Thus, it is impossible to break the minimum bending diameter of the pipe, which is a common mistake when laying without mats.
• Maximum heat dissipation. Heat distribution plates made of aluminum are placed on top of the water circuit, inserted into the mats. This device makes it possible to evenly distribute the received heat throughout the room. Alternatively, galvanized or metal heat distribution plates can be used.

Important! Compliance with the installation rules by any of the options to lay a water heated floor under the screed makes independent installation problematic. To facilitate the installation process will enable the use of special mats.

to contents ↑

How are floor water pipes strengthened?

Using a polystyrene pipe, the issue of fastening is solved by the existing grooves. The problem remains as to what pipes should be fastened, which are laid on a reinforced mesh.

There are several options here:

• Clamps are the cheapest method that allows you to lay the water circuit on a metal or plastic mesh. Most often, clamps are used for fixing, which in a normal situation are used in an electrician to bind a wire.
• Clips - able to effectively protect the latches that are used for the polystyrene installation method. Fixing clips give enough space to expand the pipe during heating.

Important! When installing, remember that the desired bending diameter of the pipe is equal to its thickness multiplied by eight.

• Fixing strips or panels for laying pipes. The advantage of the panel mounting method is the ability to quickly perform installation work. Guides for pipe fasteners are installed according to a pre-compiled scheme. Fixing is carried out using latches, which greatly facilitates the complexity of work and speeds up the installation process.

Important! In order to decide what to fix the pipes to, it is necessary to take into account the installation method of the heating system, as well as the size of the total area of ​​the heated room:

• for large rooms it is recommended to use panels for laying and ready-made clips;
• for small rooms, you can resort to the use of clamps.

to contents ↑

Pressure testing of warm floors

As practice shows, it is simply necessary to do pressure testing. This should be done, if only for the reason that it is not always that laying a warm water floor under a screed occurs in compliance with all norms and rules. So, often wanting to save money, the owners can allow the installation of not a single circuit, but twisting from several parts of the pipe. And already after the finish coating has been done and the heating system is turned on, it turns out that there are leaks.

In the process of pouring pipes with concrete mixture, crimping is very important.Pipes that are under working pressure expand slightly, and filled in such a state with a screed, do not exert pressure on the surrounding screed with temperature differences of the coolant.

Important! Pressure testing of water floors can be performed independently. The relatively small difficulties that are associated with the verification will fully pay off.

How to test a warm floor?

Today, crimping equipment is no longer in short supply. Moreover, if earlier only industrial plants were used for this purpose, now you can buy a mechanical manual crimping machine.

This procedure is carried out as follows:

1. The hot water supply pipe is connected to the pressure tester. The return line is left attached to the water collector, on which the shut-off valve is closed.
2. Pressure testing is carried out with water or air. By means of the installation, the pressure in the water circuit rises. Practice shows that enough pressure of 5-6 atm.
3. A closed water circuit is left for a day with a connected device. This will make it possible to increase the pressure during crimping if necessary.
4. After a day, the pressure in the system is checked with the indicators taken the day before. During this time, there should be no change in pressure.

The crimping procedure during the installation of an underfloor heating water floor under the screed includes checking each circuit that is connected to the collector. If there are fistulas, then localization can be found using a conventional stethoscope, or visually during pressure testing with water.

Important! The main tool for crimping pipes is an electric or mechanical pump, which creates the necessary pressure in the system and monitors the performance using a pressure gauge.

to contents ↑

Pipe laying errors

There are a number of the most common mistakes that both professional builders and beginner installers can make. These include:

• Exceeding the maximum pipe length. Excess length of the circuit creates difficulties in the circulation of the coolant, which entails an increase in energy consumption, the appearance of cold zones.
• Installation of damper tape substitutes or flooring without using it. Often this leads to condensation on the floor from above, as well as cracks in the screed.
• Choosing the wrong installation method. Laying a warm floor with a snail is optimal for self-installation, especially if the work will be carried out with pouring screed.
• The presence of twists in the concrete floor. It is necessary to calculate in advance the pipe consumption per square meter. It is advisable to give a stock of approximately 10% of the total number of p.m.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

In the process of performing work, the main thing is not to rush and strictly follow the instructions. Only then will you be able to properly lay a warm floor. The term for using the water circuit is at least 50 years, but this will be possible only if all the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the installation of warm water floors are observed.