Underfloor heating in apartments today has become commonplace. The device helps to solve several problems at once: eliminates the unpleasant coldness of the tiles, complements the main heating system, maintains a comfortable temperature in the room even after the end of the heating season. Owners who want to install such a system in their apartments are faced with the problem of choice: what kind of electric underfloor heating to put under the tiles? Let's find out which system in terms of price-quality ratio is best suited in each case and how much it will cost to purchase and install.
Benefits of underfloor heating
Before determining which underfloor heating is better suitable for a particular room, we will understand its purpose.
Underfloor heating can complement or even replace the main heating system. It is clear that the second option is more complicated, more expensive and suitable mainly for private houses. It is calculated at the design stage of housing. The choice of such a heating scheme is due to the fact that the warm floor warms the room more evenly compared to traditional radiators. And if gas is not supplied to the house, then underfloor heating also becomes the simplest and most economical heating option.
In apartments with regular heating, laying a warm floor brings the following advantages:
- Creates a comfortable temperature on the floor. This is especially true for tiles. If only radiators are installed in the apartment, then the tile surface often remains cold for bare feet even at a suitable room temperature.
- Residents of houses with central heating often suffer from discomfort in autumn and spring, when the heating season has not yet begun or has just ended. The underfloor heating system heats the room all year round, and it will also become a salvation in case of an accident on the heating main.
Why not water heated floors?
Underfloor heating under tiles can be water or electric.
Water floor heating suitable for private houses and of little use in city apartments. There are a number of reasons for this:
- Tubes filled with water, and the concrete screed in which they are placed, increase the load on the floors.
- It is forbidden to connect to centralized heating, and it is too expensive to purchase a boiler specifically for underfloor heating.
- Damage to the heating circuit is fraught with flooding of neighbors, which will lead to serious financial losses.
Types of electric underfloor heating
Warm floors with electric heating according to the nature of the heating elements are divided into:
- cable;
- in the form of mats;
- film.
Electrical systems are more reliable and durable than water systems, but lose to them in terms of cost and complexity of installation.
Before choosing which electric underfloor heating is best suited for tiles in an apartment - infrared, matte or cable - you should familiarize yourself with all the types, advantages and disadvantages.
Cable electric floors
Cable systems are formed by elements in the form of a single-core or two-core heating cable sold in coils. A single-core one is cheaper, but it is also more difficult to lay it: the cable always returns to the thermostat.
Heating elements are not placed under plumbing fixtures or heavy stationary furniture: this causes the cable to overheat, and heating is not required there.
The main advantage of the cable type of underfloor heating is the possibility of forming an arbitrary heating zone.
But there are also serious drawbacks:
- Before laying, complex calculations are carried out to draw up the correct cable layout.
- Under the tiles, a thick layer of screed (3 to 5 cm) is required to cover the elements of the system. This design increases the load on the floors and reduces the height of the room.
- If the heating element is damaged, the underfloor heating system will fail. It will require extensive and costly repairs.
The following conclusion can be drawn: cable electric floors are the best option for new buildings, where in any case it is required to level the floor with a screed.
The cost of laying a cable underfloor heating is approximately 1 thousand rubles / sq. m. m, cable price - from 1.5 thousand rubles / sq. m.
Electric heating systems in the form of thermomats
Their calculation and installation are simpler: the heating elements are already fixed on the fiberglass mesh. Therefore, calculations are greatly facilitated, and it is much easier to mount heating mats. It is enough to buy the required number of elements and roll them out over a heated area. If necessary, the mats can be cut without affecting the heating cable.
Just like the previous version of the electric floor heating, heating mats usually occupy no more than 70% of the room area. They have undeniable advantages over cable underfloor heating, including:
- Easy to calculate and lay mats.
- The thickness of the screed is much smaller, you can do without it at all by placing the material in a layer of tile adhesive.
- The time required for the drying of the screed is significantly reduced: after the adhesive has hardened, the tiles can be walked freely within a few hours.
- If the mats are connected in parallel, then if one of them breaks, the system will continue to work.
The only thing in which such warm floors lose to cable ones is the cost of heating elements. With the same power and area, heating mats will cost at least 30% more.
Conclusion: underfloor heating with mats is most suitable for most apartments where the initial finishing has already been completed. It is not surprising that such tile floors are most common in modern apartments.
The cost of installing mats is about 750 rubles / sq. m., the price of 1 set - from 2-2.5 thousand rubles / sq. m.
Film infrared floors
The heating elements are a very thin film. No screed is required, it is enough to fix the material on a heat insulator with a foil heat-reflecting coating, so the height of the room will decrease slightly. Heating is carried out by infrared radiation.
Film system considered the most efficient and economical, but professionals do not recommend laying such floors under tiles.
Their disadvantages include:
- The high cost of the film.
- Pretty complicated installation under the tiled floor.
For laying under a tile, you cannot use material with bimetallic elements, only with carbon ones. To protect the heaters from the aggressive effects of tile adhesive, polyethylene is used, and for better adhesion to the tile, a fine fiberglass mounting mesh is laid. A large number of contacts requires careful isolation. All work must be carried out very carefully and carefully.
It is worth resorting to laying such a floor under the tiles only if it is really impossible to slightly reduce the height of the room. In all other cases, using heating mats will be easier, more efficient and cheaper.
When choosing a specific model of electric underfloor heating, you should read reviews about it or ask the opinion of friends and acquaintances. Sellers often go to all sorts of tricks, overestimating the characteristics of an existing product.
The cost of laying a film underfloor heating - from 500 rubles / sq. m, the price of the infrared film itself is from 450 rubles / sq. m.
Top Producers
Among the companies producing underfloor heating, the following companies deserve the most trust:
- Devi (Denmark). The heating cable and thermomats offered by this manufacturer have a 20-year warranty and, judging by customer reviews, are reliable and efficient.A large number of service centers of the company operate in Russia, repairing systems free of charge throughout the entire warranty period. Prices start from 2500 rubles/sq. m.
- Caleo (South Korea). Produces thermal film using its patented technology. Warranty period - 15 years. The thickness of the film is only 0.4 mm, so it requires very careful installation. Cost - from 1300 rubles / sq. m.
- "Teplolux" (Russia). It produces all types of electric underfloor heating, which, due to their reliability, are popular not only among Russians. The cost of production starts from 1800 rubles / sq. m.
- Energy (UK). Heating mats and cable systems of this company are considered the most economical in terms of energy consumption. In addition, they are positioned as environmentally friendly. The minimum cost of products from a rich assortment is 1900 rubles per sq. m.
- Esto (Finland). The peculiarity of the warm floors of this company is increased moisture resistance, uninterrupted operation in any conditions. The cost of cable systems and thermostats varies over a wide range - from 3,000 to 11,000 rubles per sq. m. m.
- Rehau (Germany). Introduces on the market cable systems and heating mats based on a two-core shielded cable that is compatible with all coatings. The cost starts from 1600 rubles/sq. m.
- "National Comfort" (Russia). It produces single-core, two-core cables and single-core mats. Cost - from 1650 rubles / sq. m.
- Raychem (USA). It specializes in various types of electric heating systems, which are characterized by efficiency, heating uniformity. Prices for mats start from 2200 rubles/sq. m.
- Unimat (South Korea). Produces mats, cable systems and infrared rod floors with a guarantee of 20 years. Cost - from 2200 rubles / sq. m. When choosing a system for laying under tiles, Unimat products are the most popular in the CIS countries.
