Electric heating
To control floor heating, mechanical and electronic thermostats are used, which, using a remote probe, take readings and maintain the temperature at a given level, regardless of the environment and time of day.
Programmable thermostats allow you to turn on the heating of the surface at a given time, days and weeks, and thanks to this you can get significant savings. They are equipped with such functions as morning rise, working day, evening, preparation for sleep. Some models are equipped with an anti-freeze function, maintaining a minimum positive temperature in the room, thereby preventing the room from freezing in the absence of people.
There are paired thermostat controllers that allow you to control electric underfloor heating in different rooms from one place. These devices allow you to save on the purchase of one controller, instead of several separate copies, which in monetary terms will be much more expensive.
Models of thermocontrollers with radio access allow you to work with four separate modules. The readings from the sensors are displayed on the remote control and it is possible to monitor the temperature of the floor and air in the rooms. Electronic multi-zone programmable microcontrollers with radio access are combined into executive modules consisting of underfloor heating elements and electric radiators. Such devices are connected to the smart home system and allow you to monitor the modes in each room separately, as well as set days, weeks, and hours of operation.
At the moment, MCS 300 built-in modules have appeared on the market. This device can be used to control electric heating via a wifi interface. In a home network through a Wi-Fi router, it allows you to connect to such devices through special programs from anywhere in the world. Using the program, you can simultaneously interact with 32 thermostats. Access devices from multiple locations, including the internet. Using a mobile phone, tablet or computer, the operating mode, time and degrees are set.
You can learn more about the remote control of electric underfloor heating by watching this video:
In addition to the MCS 300, devices are used to control via the GSM network, via SMS commands. This remote control is part of a smart home and allows you to receive operational information about the status of sensors through messages, such as penetration, temperature, lighting, resource consumption (for example, water and light). Also, through SMS commands, you can turn on floor heating, a boiler, and so on in advance.
Mounting the thermostat
If you approach the installation of a programmable thermostat with all responsibility, all the work can be done on your own, without the services of a specialist. Before installation, first of all, you need to read the attached instructions, where the manufacturer has indicated all the necessary information. Next, they determine the location of the thermostat, based on its power and the power of the warm floor. The installation site must also be protected from heat sources and direct sunlight. Having decided where the thermostat will be located, proceed to its installation, according to the following scheme:
In the chosen place, a niche is made according to the size of the device and its box is installed.
Carefully, without damaging the elements, install the device in the mounting box.
Wires are connected to the thermostat sockets, according to the color assignment.
Lastly, a temperature sensor is connected to the product and the lid is closed.
Characteristics of the programmable thermostat
All types of thermostats for underfloor heating are made to maintain the desired temperature in the room. Therefore, their functions include, as the microclimate changes, turn on and off the heat supply to the room. A programmable thermostat differs from its counterparts in that it is equipped with a digital processor that is able to memorize several values at once. Thanks to this, it can serve several rooms at the same time, with different preset temperature conditions. In addition, programmable thermostats have the following additional features:
Thermostats are supplied with a contact for grounding. Some models of thermostats, without grounding, do not turn on.
- Fixing the exact temperature of the floor. This feature allows you to combine heating systems with decorative floor coverings.
- Ease of use. Data control and mode setting is performed both on the product and via Wi-Fi or remote control.
- Safety. The ability to set the exact minimum temperature will not allow the heating system to freeze in the winter if the living space is left unattended.
- Saving. The thermostat automatically turns on and off the floor heating, which allows you to save up to 20% on electricity consumption.
Location of the device in the room
It is worth noting that programmable thermostats have a long service life. But not properly connected to a warm floor can adversely affect their functional characteristics.
water system
The ability of the water floor heating control system to respond in a timely manner to temperature changes not only of the coolant, but also to the state of the external environment, depends on the feeling of comfort from staying in the room. And to reduce the inertia of the system, controllers with weather-dependent regulators, room thermostats and damper servomotors are installed on each heating loop.
This unit is designed to maintain the set temperature and control the coolant flow in the heating circuit. It is equipped with the necessary control equipment and elements that ensure stable operation of the circuit, as well as prevent the pump from working on a closed plug.
The figure below shows an adaptive circuit of a temperature controller with a PID controller that regulates the state of the coolant depending on the outside temperature.
Due to the presence of a digital interface in these controllers, it is possible to connect to the smart home system for wireless control and parameter settings via the network and the Internet.
You can learn more about the modern version of controlling water-heated floors via radio in this video:
That's all I wanted to tell you about how to make automatic control of underfloor heating with your own hands. As you can see, there are a lot of ways and you can choose the appropriate option not only for the electric heating system, but also for the water one. We hope our instructions were clear and useful for you!
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