We prepare the sleigh in the summer, and the heated floor in the spring. If you have not yet planned the entire budget for repairs, urgently add the item “heated floor” to it. You can rely on batteries and radiators, but they are not so effective. In this material, we will analyze the topic of floor heating and help you choose the best solution. And there is plenty to choose from.
Cable floor
The most standard version of a warm floor. The heating element in this case is a cable that is built into the concrete screed near the surface. This option is inexpensive in itself, but will increase your rent, especially with frequent use.
There are also more expensive options, but the increased price is usually related to the functionality of the thermostat. They range from the simplest ones, measuring only the temperature of the floor itself, to thermostats that connect to the Smart Home system.
Thermal mats
The essence is approximately the same – a cable that is located not deep under the surface. The differences, however, are significant. The power of the heating mats is much lower than that of the cable warm floor. You should not count on heating the entire room. One of the advantages is that such devices are much easier to install.
Heating mats come in single-core and double-core varieties. Briefly about their features:
- Convenience . Two-wire heating mats are more convenient to connect due to the close location of both contacts to the network.
- Safety . Electromagnetic radiation of single-core heating mats is significantly lower
- Price . Single-core solutions are significantly cheaper than two-core ones.
This type of underfloor heating is an excellent compromise for those who want to do the repairs themselves, all thanks to the low price and ease of installation.
Infrared panels
The best solution for an apartment that does not require rough repairs. If heating mats are easily installed during repairs, then film warm floors are easily installed right before laying the floor covering.
The versatility of IR panels is appealing: they can be used as the main source of heat, and with their help you can arrange heating of walls or ceilings, among other things. As a result, we get an incredibly convenient solution that does not require special skills from the installer and can cope with the task better than alternatives.
Water floor
The main idea of this solution is a regular pipe, no matter how simple it sounds. The essence is the same as with a cable floor – the heating element is carried out under the floor, only in this case it is filled with hot water.
Unfortunately, this option is not suitable for many – it is prohibited to use it in apartments. This is due to the fact that the water is not as hot at the outlet, and it would flow further to the neighbors, causing them discomfort. Some new houses have special heat exchange pipes, but this is rather an exception to the rule.
Based on all this, we make recommendations:
- In private homes, we recommend using a water floor. This will significantly save you on electricity.
- In apartments without rough repairs, use heating mats or cable heated floors.
- In apartments where rough repairs have already been completed, infrared panels will be the best choice.