Warm water floor wooden house- this is the most successful solution for insulating a room. Although it seems that this statement is not entirely true, because in the usual version of laying a heated water floor a concrete screed is used, with the help of special technologies it can also be equipped for wooden house.

Thanks to a large selection of building materials, it is now possible to install a water floor without increasing the load on the floors. Another advantage is that the height of the room when installing a warm water floor in a wooden house will not decrease by much.

Making a warm water floor in a wooden house with your own hands

If you insulate the floor using water heating, you will eliminate the danger associated with laying electrical wiring under the floor of a wooden house, and since the heated floor pipes are strong enough, the water floor will last you a long time.

Today, a water floor is the most convenient and completely realistic way to insulate a private wooden house.

It is also necessary to remember that the warm floor must be supported from the outside, using wall insulation. In a private house, heating a room with a heated floor will be much faster and more efficient if you use some kind of wall insulation. This is due to the fact that since the wood warms up over a long period of time, the entire room in general will warm up quite slowly.

How to install heated wood floors

So, you have decided to install warm wood flooring. But how to do this? There are several ways to install a heated floor on a wooden base, and each specialist does it in exactly the way that is convenient for him. But we will focus on one specific one.

Let's consider the procedure for performing the work necessary to install a heated floor:

• 1. First, let's calculate heat losses and hydraulics. This operation is carried out using a computer program; calculation instructions are not difficult to find on the Internet. At the exit, we must find out the pipe length, diameter and laying pitch.
• 2. Now you need to dismantle the old floor (if there is one). This is done to eliminate drafts underneath and to level it with an accuracy of 2 mm. Why align it this way? Yes, because the laminate (and it is under it that the floor will be laid) requires precisely such precision of the base.
• 3. After this, we will start insulating the floor. The surface of the insulation should be protected with a vapor barrier film. You should not protect the insulation with ordinary film, as condensation will form.
  
  
• 4. Now let's start laying the floorboard. To begin with, we cut out a 20 by 20 mm groove for the pipe from one edge of the boards. Also, curves need to be cut at the ends of the outer boards so that the pipe bends smoothly. As a result, after assembly, you get a floor with a “snake” cut along the entire surface for a pipe.
• 5. The next step is to prepare the reflective layer. This layer consists of foil, the thickness of which is from 50 microns and above (it is convenient to use). Why put in foil? To increase thermal conductivity. As already mentioned, wood conducts heat poorly, but foil will absorb it instantly. You can also use special metal sheets, but this is expensive and takes a long time to install.
• 6. Now you need to hang up. We place the cut foil over the grooves in the floorboard, after which a metal-plastic tube of the selected diameter is placed into the grooves. Next, the tube is wrapped in foil, which must be secured to the floor using a stapler. To prevent the pipe from jumping out of the grooves, it must be secured using small metal plates, which should be located at an angle of 90° to the grooves.
  
• 7. After this, you need to start connecting and crimping. Connect to heating system is the most important step. The simplest way— heated floor with manual adjustment. Although the choice will depend entirely on you, you can use both mixing units and manifold systems, that is, any system that allows you to control and regulate the temperature of heated floors. When everything is laid and connected, the system should be pressure tested, thereby checking it for leaks and damage to the pipeline. This action is mandatory, since otherwise you risk experiencing swelling of the floor.
  
• 8. And finally, laying the flooring. What material to choose is your personal choice; the simplest option is laminate, although any other will do. However, there is one “but”. All flooring materials have their own individual thermal conductivity coefficient. The thermal conductivity of wood is the worst, while the thermal conductivity ceramic tiles– the best.

That's all. If you don’t procrastinate and work hard, the whole process will take about two days. And the costs will be minimal.
And in addition to everything written above, a video is attached.

Warm floor on joists

If you want to make it warm along the joists, you will have to overcome some problems associated with the base - wood. Traditional wood joists cannot be laid on top of wooden joists. concrete screed, since this may be an excessive load for the lag. This means that the joists are deformed, the screed will crack, and, consequently, the entire floor covering will deteriorate.

So how to lay the floor along the joists? Let's look at the procedure required for this:

That's all. As a result, we received a base on wooden logs, on top of which almost any covering can be laid, not excluding tiles and porcelain stoneware.

Warm floors are an invention of the 20th century. Our great-grandfathers did not have electric heating cables or gas boilers. However, they came up with their own heating method. To do this they used the walls of buildings. When making masonry, they left channels in them for the movement of hot furnace gases.

Today there is no need to resort to such tricks. You can make heated floors in a wooden house with minimal effort and money.

Choosing a heating heating system is very simple:

• Electrical cable or mats with flat current-carrying conductors;
• Warm floor based on plastic pipes with liquid coolant.

Both heating options have earned positive reviews. They are equivalent in terms of comfort and heat transfer, but not the same in energy cost. Electricity is significantly more expensive than gas, so heating cables for heated floors are best used in small spaces: bathrooms, kitchens and hallways. A liquid system made of pipes, a gas or solid fuel boiler is optimal for bedrooms and living rooms.

A lot has been written and said about the fact that heated floors are better than radiators.

We will only note its most important advantages:

• Optimal heat distribution. The comfortable temperature zone coincides with the living space (from the floor surface to a height of 1.7 meters). When the batteries are running, the air near the ceiling warms up the most.
• A radiator heating system activates dust movement to a greater extent than a warm floor.
• From the point of view of interior aesthetics, heated floors are superior to radiators.

Features of installing heated floors (water and electric) in a wooden house

The technology for laying water-heated floors in a wooden house depends on the type of floor. If the first floor and basement are covered with reinforced concrete panels, then the heating system is made according to the “classical” scheme:

• leveling mortar screed;
• insulation (extruded polystyrene foam, perlite concrete);
• heating cable or plastic pipes;
• leveling screed covering the heated floor;
• finishing coating (tiles, parquet, laminate).

It is more difficult to make a warm floor when wooden beams are used to cover the basement and first floor. In this case, there is no solid base, so the structure is assembled according to one of two options:

Option #1

• a board is placed underneath the beams to support the insulation (mineral wool, polystyrene foam, ecowool, perlite);
• Having laid the thermal insulation, plastic pipes are attached to the side edges of the beams;
• cutouts are made in the beams to allow pipes to pass through;
• lay a finished wooden floor from tongue-and-groove boards or a rough floor for laying parquet or laminate flooring.

Option No. 2

• Thick plywood is laid over the beams or OSB board(15-20 mm);
• wooden blocks with a cross section of 50x50mm are attached to the coating;
• insulation is laid between the bars;
• lay a material that reflects heat (aluminum foil);
• pipes are placed on top of the thermal insulation, fixing them to the bars;
• install a subfloor from boards, gypsum fiber sheets (gypsum fiber sheets), particle boards or plywood;
• lay the finishing coating (ceramic tiles, parquet, laminate).

Two options for installing a warm water floor using “dry” technology

In advanced systems mounted on wooden floors, heat distributing metal plates. They perform two functions: they form channels for pipes and reflect heat.

Water Floor Heat Distribution Plates

To simplify installation, you can use ready-made factory chipboards with milled recesses for pipes. In addition, on the market you can find panels made of dense foam plastic with stamped channels (foam shield). In them, the pipework is fixed quickly and easily.

Installation plastic pipe into a foam board

A pipeline of any configuration is mounted in a profile plate (laminated mats with bosses)

If foam is used, there is no need to attach a board to the beams to support the insulation. In this case, rigid insulation is attached directly to the surface of the subfloor. After this, a substrate under the laminate is spread on it or an adhesive solution is applied, then a reinforcing mesh is applied and the tiles are laid.

Foam board with distribution plates and pipe

The main disadvantage of ready-made structures (foam panels and milled chipboard) is their high cost. Therefore, some home craftsmen use a cheaper method of forming channels. They stuff wooden strips onto the base, leaving gaps between them for laying pipes.

Using wooden planks and heat distribution plates to lay the heating pipe

Instead of expensive thermoplates, you can use affordable aluminum foil (this method is suitable for both water and electric heated floors).

The planks are made from planed boards or cut from moisture-resistant plywood. Their thickness should be greater than the diameter of the pipeline (pipe 17 mm - rail 30 mm). To improve heat transfer, the width of the channel is made 5-6 millimeters larger than the diameter of the pipe.

“Folk methods” of forming channels for pipes

The width of the planks is made 3 cm less than the selected pipe layout pitch (for example, pipe pitch 30 cm - board width 27 cm). For a smooth bend of the pipeline loops, semicircular grooves are cut out in the strips.

Another method of laying a warm water floor with your own hands is presented in the diagram below.

Option for using galvanized corrugated sheets for laying pipes

In this case, the profiled sheet serves as a heat-reflecting screen and forms channels for pipes. In the diagram we see an option for installing a heated floor not above the basement, but on the first floor. From below, along the beams, a finishing lining of the ceiling was made from lining. Therefore, the shield (10), which supports the insulation, is attached not to the lower edges of the beams, but to the cranial bars nailed to their sides.

Please note that when laying thermal insulation (except for foam plastic), it is always protected from below and from above with a vapor barrier film. It protects the insulation from getting wet because it allows water vapor to escape freely.

Leaving a thermal gap between the edge of the flooring and the wall, you need to lay a damper tape in it. It seals the contact area and compensates for thermal deformations.

Useful advice!

To lay the finished floor, use a kiln-dried board. Do not rush to fix the finishing wood flooring to the base. Until this moment, the heated floor must work for at least 2 days.

Installing a “dry” electric heated floor in a wooden house is simpler than installing a water system. A thin current-carrying cable does not require deep channels. It is fixed to the base with plastic clamps or metal plates.

The installation sequence looks like this:

• A reflective layer of aluminum foil is laid on the thermal insulation (expanded polystyrene, mineral wool, ecowool, perlite);
• A galvanized steel mesh with a cell of 40x40 or 50x50 mm is laid on the foil.
• Slots are made in the joists to allow electrical cables to pass through;
• The cable is attached to the mesh with clamps;
• A temperature sensor is installed in a corrugated tube in the middle between the wires and connected to the thermostat;
• The power cable is routed to the electrical outlet along a fireproof base or in a metal hose;
• A subfloor made of plywood is laid;
• The finishing coating (laminate, parquet board) is installed.

If the electric heated floor is covered with ceramic tiles, the installation procedure changes. In this case, the insulation is covered with moisture-resistant plywood or OSB, fixing them to the beams. After this, a solution is applied to the coating with a spatula, a plastic reinforcing mesh is embedded in it and the tiles are glued. If the heating cable does not come in a coil, but glued to a mesh, then its installation is simplified. Having rolled out the roll, all you have to do is apply glue to the surface of the base and lay the tiles.

Installation of ceramic tiles on electric heated floors

Film heated floors are laid over wooden floors in the same way. It consists of thin mats with flexible current-carrying plates glued into them.

The minimum thickness allows infrared film floors to be installed not only under tiles and laminate, but also under linoleum and carpet.

Which floor in a wooden house is better?

The answer to this question is not clear-cut. If the cost of construction and work is at the forefront, then it is better to use electric floors. If you compare the price of energy, the water system is more profitable. To save room height, a thin film floor is used.

Regarding insulation, the following should be said: polystyrene foam for heated floors is not best material. Being in contact with a heated floor, the operating temperature of which can reach +70C, it ages, releasing toxic gas. Therefore, it is better to lay ecowool or perlite between the floor beams.

Having chosen mineral wool for insulation, it must be well insulated by wrapping it in a vapor barrier. Otherwise, warm air through gaps and leaks can carry its particles from the underground space into the room. It is better to use chemically neutral sheet material for laying tiles: cement-bonded particle board, glass-magnesite board or gypsum fiber sheet. OSB and plywood are inferior to them in terms of environmental safety.

The wooden flooring above the heated floor should not be thicker than 21 mm. Do not forget that wood is a good heat insulator, which reduces the efficiency of the heating system.

Few people can be surprised by warm floors. The time has passed when it was considered an attribute of ultra-comfortable housing. Today it is installed everywhere to make your home even warmer and more comfortable. Owners of wooden buildings could not install such a system because traditional technologies styling does not allow this.

With the advent of the flooring system, it is possible to lay warm water floors on a wooden floor without the slightest problem. We will tell you about all the popular options for installing an underfloor heating system based on lumber floors. Independent home craftsmen will find a lot of useful tips.

Water-type floors are a very practical way to heat a home. The system is a liquid heating circuit mounted under the floor covering.

Traditional technology assumes that the pipes lie in a concrete screed. A boiler is usually used to heat the coolant supplied to the circuit. Standard models heat the liquid up to 60-90ºС, which is unacceptable for heated floors.

If you put coolant at this temperature into the circuit, the floor will warm up to 45-60ºС. It will be impossible to walk on it. SNiPs regulate the permissible temperature for heated floors. This is no more than 30ºС.

To obtain this value, it will be enough to heat the liquid in the circuit to 35-45ºС. Therefore, they include in the water floor system. Here the hot liquid from the boiler heat exchanger and the cool liquid from the return pipe are mixed.

There is another simpler option. If you use a condensing type heating boiler mixing unit no need to install.

The design features of such boilers suggest the possibility of heating to relatively low temperatures. In some cases, the heated coolant is taken from centralized system, but this requires obtaining special permission, which is not always possible.

A floor-type water-heated floor is a relatively lightweight design made of wooden or plastic elements, inside of which heating pipes are located

Thus, the liquid entering the heating circuit, and this can be an antifreeze solution or water, heats the floor. This, in turn, heats the air. The result is fast and at the same time very uniform heating of the room.

A significant plus is the temperature distribution in the room that is most favorable for humans. Cool air accumulates in the upper part, warmer air accumulates in the lower part. It is precisely this microclimate that living organisms regard as comfortable. At the same time, convective flows, inevitable in the presence of point heat sources, are not observed.

Thanks to this, there is no transfer of dust and microorganisms. The advantages include minimal operating costs. All this makes water floors popular among users. Comparative analysis water and electric underfloor heating systems, which we recommend familiarizing yourself with.

Features of the flooring system

The traditional version of a water-type floor involves installing pipes in a screed. It is filled with a solution of concrete with special additives that increase its thermal conductivity.

As a result, the concrete pad becomes a kind of heat accumulator, which makes it possible to use such heating as efficiently as possible. However, the traditional arrangement method has disadvantages.

The wooden base has low thermal inertia, which prevents the system from functioning normally. To correct this drawback, heat-reflecting plates are installed from metal with high thermal conductivity.

The most obvious one is too heavy weight concrete screed. With a solution density of about 2000 kg/sq. m it gives a significant additional load on the base and load-bearing structures.

For reinforced concrete slabs Such a load is quite manageable. For wooden floors - prohibitive. For this reason, the traditional installation method is prohibited in such cases. The so-called flooring system is used here.

It is made in the form of a low flooring, inside of which pipes are located. Wood is most often used for its arrangement, but industrially produced polystyrene flooring has appeared relatively recently.

The pipes are placed in grooves where they are secured. It is known that wood conducts heat very poorly. For this reason wooden systems cannot be an effective source of heat.

To correct this deficiency, metal heat-conducting elements are inserted into each groove. They also strengthen the structure. There are similar details in polystyrene flooring with metal inserts, the material of which is also a poor heat conductor. In this way, a reliable and durable heating system is assembled.

Its advantages over its traditional analogue can be considered:

• Light weight of the flooring, which even wooden floors can withstand.
• Relatively easy assembly, especially if we're talking about about industrial flooring models.
• There is no need to wait for the concrete screed to harden. Finishing work can be done immediately after installation.
• Full maintainability. To carry out repair work, it is enough to lift a fragment of the flooring to provide access to the area with the fault.

Another undeniable advantage of the flooring system is its versatility, which makes it possible to implement a variety of modifications. Most of which are homemade. The main disadvantage of the flooring scheme is rapid cooling. The floor heats up in a short time and gives off heat just as quickly.

A big plus of a water-based floor is the possibility of relatively simple repairs. To get to the damaged fragment, it is enough to remove a section of the floor covering and remove the flooring underneath it

Actually, the heat supply is limited to that which is in the coolant liquid in the pipes. Therefore, when the boiler is stopped, the room will soon cool down. For this reason, decking systems are more often used as an addition to, especially in cold regions.

Installation of a floor heating system

When laying a flooring system, you get a kind of multi-layer cake; let’s look at each layer in more detail.

Requirements for the foundation for the structure

The first layer of the cake is a properly prepared base. This can be any overlap that is pre-leveled. SNiPs regulate the absence of significant differences in heights, protrusions and roughness. The wooden floor must be level, without protruding boards.

Each board should be well secured and should not bend. The maximum permissible limit of deviation from the horizontal is 2 mm, distributed over 2 m of area in any of the existing directions.

Construction of the insulating layer

To prevent heat loss, it is necessary to install an insulating layer. The material for its implementation is selected individually, based on operating conditions. It must be moisture-resistant, fire-resistant and compatible with other building materials.

It is desirable that additional sound insulation be provided. If possible, the thinnest but most effective material is selected.

Pipe fixation option

The actual flooring under the pipes is laid on top of the insulation. There are many options here. These can be polystyrene mats with special bosses for pipes. Such mats are produced single and doubled with insulation.

In the latter case, the insulating layer may be superfluous. Sheets of lumber with cut grooves for pipes can be used as flooring. They are also produced industrially. There are also homemade floorings made from slats, bars, etc.

Pipe for moving coolant

If there is none, you can make similar elements from galvanized steel or wrap each part in thick foil. It is optimal to lay an additional layer of foil on top of the mounted pipes.

Construction of the foundation for finishing

A base must be laid on top of the pipes under the floor covering. It is selected depending on what kind of finishing coating will be laid.

If you plan to install tiles, ceramic or PVC, as well as linoleum or carpet, moisture-resistant plasterboard is laid on the metal elements of the wooden flooring. If polystyrene mats were used to construct the flooring, GVL is laid in two layers.

The decking structure is usually covered with a base for the finishing coating. It is selected depending on the material that is preferred as a coating. For example, a moisture-absorbing substrate is placed under the laminate; moisture-resistant plasterboard or chipboard is placed under the tiles.

Drywall is not laid under laminate on wooden flooring. Instead, foamed polyethylene or a cardboard backing absorbs excess moisture is placed on aluminum plates.

Instead of GVL, you can use moisture-resistant types of chipboard or plywood. Good decision– glass-magnesium sheets, which also conduct heat well, which is absolutely not superfluous when arranging a heated floor.

Options for arranging a water floor

Flooring under a water floor can be made by the most in different ways, which is especially popular with home craftsmen. Let's consider several options for such designs.

Option #1. Implementation of a ready-made solution

This is the easiest method to implement. You can purchase a decking kit from a hardware store. There may be two types of such a solution. The first is polystyrene mats equipped with pipe fastenings.

They can be duplicated with a layer of insulation. In this case, they can be laid directly on the base. The main advantage of such mats is their extremely simple installation. However, they are not strong enough to install flooring directly onto mats.

Under soft coverings, as well as under tiles, you will have to lay two layers of gypsum board. The flooring can also be assembled from modules made of chipboard. They are factory-made with recesses for pipes with a certain system pitch. The modules are equipped with fasteners, metal heat-distributing plates and pipes.

Polystyrene mats – great solution for arranging a water floor. This option allows you to install a super-thin water floor that eats up a minimum of room height

To connect the parts together, a locking connection is provided, which greatly facilitates assembly. Such structures are quite durable and do not require additional reinforcement. Their main disadvantage is their high cost.

Any of the ready-made solutions requires careful preparation of the base. If it is an old floor, a thorough inspection is carried out. Damaged areas are discarded and repaired. The boards are securely fixed, height differences are eliminated. Then all debris and dust are removed and the base is primed.

After it has dried, insulation is laid and secured, if required. The next stage is laying the mats. A suitable adhesive, usually liquid nails, is applied to the outside of each of them, and the plate is glued to the base. It is important that the glue sets well and holds the mat securely in place.

If it is intended to lay chipboard flooring, it is assembled in strict accordance with the instructions issued by the manufacturer. After the pipe channels are ready, installation begins. can be produced by a “snake”, “snail” or any other suitable method.

The elements are combined into a single system and connected to the heating system. Next, pressure testing and testing of the functionality of the water floor is carried out, after which the installation of the floor covering begins.

Option #2. Flooring on joists

Work begins with preparing the wooden base. If it is an old floor, all necessary renovation work. Then you need to lay the logs on which the warm water floor will lie under the wooden floor. The prepared logs are set strictly according to the level with a distance between elements of about 0.6 m.

This best option, you can place parts at a greater distance. But in this case, thicker boards will be required to form the flooring.

Preparing the base is very important point. It is advisable to lay a new subfloor under the structure, but you can also use the old one if it is in good condition. All damaged areas must be repaired

If you want to save money, instead of a base, you can nail corners or slats to the joists, on which the insulating coating will rest. But you need to understand that in this case it should be hard and not friable. Insulation is laid on the prepared base. This can be polystyrene foam, high-density stone wool, polystyrene, etc.

After forming the heat-insulating carpet, they begin to manufacture the flooring. To do this, take boards with a thickness of at least 0.03 m. They begin to screw them to the beams. The first one is fixed at a distance of 0.02 m from the wall surface; a similar gap is made when fixing all other parts.

An important point is the choice of the width of the boards attached to the floor. It must correspond to the width of the metal heat distribution plates, which will subsequently be inserted into the resulting grooves.

The pipe will be laid in a “snake” pattern, which requires making grooves for its turns. To do this, leave special gaps about 0.15 m wide at equal distances from each other.

To form a bend in the pipe through which the coolant circulates, part of the boards is fixed at a certain distance from the wall

In practice, it looks like this: Two boards are screwed at a distance of 0.5 cm from the wall, the next two - at a distance of 5 - 7 cm. And so on until the end of the row.

On the opposite side of the base, those boards that were fixed to the wall are screwed at a distance, and those with a gap are screwed closely. This creates a groove for the bend of the pipe. After the entire flooring has been laid, the installation of heat distribution plates begins.

They are inserted into the grooves formed by the boards and securely secured with staples or regular nails. It is optimal for the sides of adjacent plates to meet.

Then a continuous heat transfer screen will be formed. Now you can start laying the pipes. It's easier to do it together. One worker will unwind the coil, and the second will do the actual laying.

With a little force, the part is pressed into the groove of the heat distribution plate. It is best to run the return pipe of the contour loop along the wall under the decking boards.

After the entire circuit has been laid, check once again for correct installation and connect it to the heating system. The water floor must be pressure tested. Then you can begin preparing for laying the flooring.

Option #3. Guide design

They start by preparing the base. As in previous options, it must be leveled and strengthened. Then any suitable insulation is laid on the base.

The simplest method of laying a water floor is the “snake” method, which is why it is used most often. For a structure made of guides this will be best option. To determine the dimensions of the parts, an accurate floor plan is drawn.

There are several options for laying a warm water floor. The simplest of all options is a snake; the figure shows its diagram

It marks the areas where the equipment serving the water floor will be installed and the places where the pipes will be connected. Then, with strict adherence to the selected laying step, guides are drawn. The number of required parts is calculated and their sizes are determined.

Now you need to prepare the guides. They are cut from any suitable and available material. After which you can begin installation. The parts must be laid on the base in strict accordance with the developed plan.

Each guide is placed on a rough base and securely attached to it with self-tapping screws. Between the parts there should be channels necessary for installing pipes. In areas where the pipeline turns, the sharp corners of the guides must be rounded so as not to accidentally damage the pipes.

After all the slats are secured to the base, begin laying the foil. To do this, take material with a thickness of at least 50 microns. The sheets are pressed into the channels, carefully going around each recess. Literally “laying out” foil on each channel.

To prevent the sheets from moving out of place, they are fixed to the slats using a stapler. For better heat transfer, it is advisable to wrap the pipes with the same foil before laying, but this is not necessary.

In order to make a smooth turn of the pipe and not accidentally damage it, the guides in the bending areas must be rounded. Their sharp corners are removed

Then the pipe is laid inside the prepared channels. To hold it in place, in some areas it is attached to slats or to the floor with metal plates. Upon completion of installation, the water floor is connected to the heating system and mandatory pressure testing is carried out. If it does not reveal any leakage problems, begin preparing for the installation of the finishing coating.

These are only three options for installing floor heating. In practice there are many more of them. Home craftsmen adapt them to their conditions, selecting available materials and suitable technologies.

You will be introduced to the rules, formulas and an example of calculating an underfloor heating system, which we highly recommend reading.

They can be purchased at any store. The only drawback of this solution is the high cost, but installation is simple and very quick. Lovers independent work They can simply assemble the flooring from scrap materials. It will turn out cheap and quite functional.

Please write comments in the block below. Tell us about how you built an underfloor heating system in your or a neighboring house with a wooden floor. Share useful information, ask questions, post photographs related to the topic of the article.

The modern world has given us many unique inventions designed to ensure comfortable living in the house. One of these innovations is underfloor heating, which has recently been used everywhere; it can also be found in country houses, and in apartments. And this is no coincidence; such a heat source carries a lot of advantages compared to classic heating equipment. Warm floors in a wooden house can also be used as additional system heating, and as an alternative to traditional heating equipment. In the article we will review all types of structures, consider how they differ from each other, and analyze which heated floor is best to use in a wooden house.

A warm floor is a built-in underfloor heating system, which consists of several layers. Electrical cables or pipes are laid inside the structure, enclosed in a pie of heat, steam and waterproofing. The warm floor is laid on a solid base, a leveling layer is poured on top and a decorative floor covering is installed.

As a rule, the system is used for heating in the bathroom, kitchen, toilet, shower rooms, where it is laid under the tiles and serves as an additional heat source. Heating floors are often installed in bathhouses and saunas; they can be installed under laminate and linoleum in living rooms.

As for log and timber houses with wooden floors, pouring concrete base usually not produced, because under heavy load wooden frame may become deformed. In houses made of wood, a dry, warm floor is made without screed on plywood or a subfloor made of boards. Some skeptics believe that it is generally impossible to install heated floors in a house made of timber and logs, since this is fraught with fire and deformation of the surface.

There are a lot of nuances when arranging a heating system in a wooden house, but if you approach the issue wisely, taking into account the subtleties of operating wooden buildings, installing a heated floor is a possible and reasonable solution. Today, in log houses, heated floors are often used as the main heating system.

Warm floors come in two main types:

1. Mermen.
2. Electrical.

The first ones consist of a pipeline network through which the hot water. The latter heat the room using a heating cable, rods or film.

Traditional heating devices are not able to provide uniform heating of the air in the room; they create convection heat flows in the room that rush from the floor to the ceiling and back. In this case, the main heat goes to the ceiling, where it remains. Already cooled air comes down, and when it reaches the floor, its temperature is far from comfortable.

The main advantage of heated floors is that they distribute warm air evenly throughout the entire area of ​​the room. The temperature difference between the ceiling and the floor is minimized, and the warmest air settles below.

Another important advantage of underfloor heating is the ability to adjust the temperature. For this purpose, the system has a thermostat; one turn of its handle allows you to set the desired temperature. Thanks to this function, the user, in addition to convenience, receives significant energy savings.

The pros and cons of each heating system will be discussed in more detail in the review. This will help you decide on the choice of heated floors for your home.

Distinctive features of each type

Water floor

The water floor is a network of polymer pipes laid between the base and the front covering. Warm water flows continuously through the pipeline, supplied from an electric or gas boiler.

This heating system demonstrates maximum efficiency when used in private homes. large area. Coolant temperature in brick houses is no more than 50 degrees; in wooden buildings, according to technical standards, it cannot exceed 30 degrees. Due to the low temperature, energy costs are reduced. Savings reach even greater levels if water is heated by a solid fuel or gas boiler.

Typically, a water heating system is installed under a thick concrete screed; laying water circuits on a wooden floor is usually done using a dry method, with pipes running along joists. The first option is also not excluded, and in both cases the services of specialists who can correctly draw up wiring diagram, which will eliminate possible unforeseen nuances during work.

When deciding to install a water floor in a house made of timber, you need to take into account some of the disadvantages of this system:

• complex system design and installation;
• the room is heated for at least four hours;
• During operation, pipe leakage cannot be ruled out.

Electric heating systems

Electric heated floor

Electric underfloor heating can be called a universal system, since it is suitable for installation in any room. It is easy and quick to install, is highly adjustable, and allows you to set the temperature with an accuracy of a degree.

There are two main groups of electric underfloor heating on the market:

• convection;
• infrared.

They use different heating principles. In the first case, heating occurs using a cable. It is produced in coils or thermomats. In the second, thermal film or carbon rods act as heaters.

Cable electrical systems appeared among the first and have been used for quite a long time. To organize heating, single- or double-core cables of different lengths and power are used. They are distinguished by their low price and long service life, which is about twenty years.

However, despite the low cost of the material, maintaining the system will be quite expensive. When arranging the structure, special attention must be paid to calculations; incorrect installation can lead to serious problems in the future. Another disadvantage is the electromagnetic radiation that is present in the room when using an electric floor.

Not long ago, a new type of heating cable appeared on sale - self-regulating, in which the conductors are made of semiconductors. Systems equipped with such a cable are more economical; the elements do not burn out or overheat, but their service life is significantly shorter than that of conventional wires.

A more advanced version of cable systems are thermomats, which also use a two-core heating cable for heating. The heating element is mounted on a fiberglass mesh, which simplifies calculation and installation. The thermomat is simply spread on the base; if necessary, the sheet is cut to the right size. Despite the higher cost, in the end the price of a heated floor is on the same level as the previous option.

The infrared system is the most advanced heating technology, its efficiency is close to 97%. Such floors are completely safe for humans; they do not create electromagnetic radiation.

There are two types of underfloor heating that use infrared technology:

1. Film heated floor
2. Carbon heating rods.

Infrared film has a multilayer structure. As heating element it uses bimetallic or carbon fiber embedded in a two-layer polymer film that has good dielectric characteristics.

The film is very thin, its thickness is about 0.4 mm. The heating temperature of the surface does not exceed 50 degrees, which allows it to be used not only under tiles in the bathroom and bathroom, but also under linoleum, laminated flooring and carpet.

Infrared flooring is sold in rolls of different widths; if necessary, it can be cut into pieces along special red lines.

Another type of underfloor heating that uses infrared technology is carbon heating rods. They have self-regulating ability and can be laid under any floor covering. Breakage and overheating during operation are eliminated. They are placed in rooms with high humidity, as well as in open areas.

The equipment does not belong to the underfloor heating system; it can be used both as the main source of heating and as additional heating.

Convectors are built-in heating devices installed under the floor. From above they are closed with a decorative grille with blinds. The equipment can heat large areas and is usually used in rooms with panoramic windows, where it is impossible to install a conventional heating system and install a heated floor.

The heating element in the convector are pipes with hot water connected to the heating system of the house or electric heater- Heater.

There are two varieties:

• models powered by natural circulation air;
• appliances with forced convection with built-in fan.

The second type has higher performance and has a good air heating rate.

Key points in choosing underfloor heating

When deciding to install heated floors in a bathhouse, or when choosing a floor heating system for a log house, you need to consider the following points:

1. Configuration, area and height of the room where installation is intended.
2. The system will be used as main or additional heating; in both cases, the power of the structure is calculated differently.
3. Loading of the room with furniture. All types of heating floors except infrared cannot withstand overheating; furniture puts pressure on the structure, which causes an increase in temperature.

We have given only the main guidelines by which it is necessary to choose heated floors; in fact, there are much more criteria.

When arranging a floor system in a log house, it is necessary to take into account the operating features of a wooden house. All this can only be done by professionals. Warm floors are a complex design, with improper installation it will not be able to function effectively and can cause many problems for the owners of the house.

The Master Srubov company is your assistant in home insulation. Our specialists will select the optimal design based on the characteristics of your structure, make the correct calculations and carry out competent installation of the underfloor heating system. The installation will be carried out in full accordance with the technology and taking into account the behavior of the wooden structure.

You will find all the information on how to contact us in the section.

Although most professional builders recommend using water heating systems for a private wooden house, modern technologies make it possible to safely use heating cables and mats for this purpose.

When laying, the fire safety of the building is taken into account, a wire layout scheme with maximum performance is designed and developed, and other nuances related to the work and safe operation of the system are also taken into account. Only in this case will an electric heated floor in a wooden house create the most comfortable microclimate in the room.

Is it possible to install cable floors on wood?

There are specially developed rules and fundamentals safe operation, taking into account the characteristics of building materials with a high probability of fire.

You should not carry out installation in a wooden house yourself. Only a professional team will be able to take into account all the nuances of installation and ensure compliance with safety standards.

The correct choice of consumables and compliance with certain restrictions during operation make it possible to use electric floors in a house made of natural wood, timber or rounded logs.

Warm electric floor under wooden floor

• The maximum layer of board mounted on top of the cable varies depending on the type of wood. For coniferous species the thickness will be 22 mm, for hard species 24 mm.
• It is optimal to use a heating cable on the ground floor of the room. If necessary, installation on the second floor of a private wooden house is allowed, but this will require the use of additional insulation.
• The power density limit for laid out mats or cables on wooden joists should not exceed 130 W/m². Exceeding the indicators leads to an increased risk of fire and is a gross violation of the rules of safe operation.
• It is prohibited to install furniture, carpet, etc. on top of the floor covering where the wire passes. Low thermal conductivity wooden covering leads to rapid overheating of the cable, which leads to a reduction in the service life of the wire.
• The cake of a warm cable floor for wooden floors should consist of: waterproofing and vapor barrier, foil insulation. Top layer The substrate is lined for more convenient installation of the wire.

1. Laying the wire in a concrete screed.
2. Installation of cables or heating mats between joists.

Maximum temperature regime to avoid fire, no more than 40°C. At the same time, to ensure safety, care should be taken to protect the wood from fire against fire.

Electric heated floor on a wooden base

There are several ways to perform this operation.

A heating cable laying diagram must be prepared. Detailed plan The location of the wire will help to avoid mechanical damage to the cable during further repairs in the room.

Basics of safe operation on fire hazardous surfaces

In the design of an electric heated floor under wooden surface it is necessary to take these features into account, which will affect the choice of cable and the safe operation of the heating system.

1. Heating is considered the safest wooden floor self-regulating heating cable. The thermal matrix included in the internal structure of the wire automatically changes the heating intensity as the air in the room warms up.
   The use of self-regulating cable heated floors in wooden base justified, since situations associated with overheating due to furniture placed on top are almost completely eliminated.
2. Heating mats are also popular. The simple and convenient design allows for quick installation of floors on an existing base.
   Installation of electric mat-heated floors in wooden country house does not require additional material costs and global construction work.
3. Security measures. A cable with a double degree of protection must be used. The floors are connected directly to the machine, and an RCD is installed. At the points where the cable passes through the support beams, cuts are made with the walls insulated with foil material.