How to make a warm floor in an apartment from central heating: Technology description

Even the coziest corners of our homes can get chilly during the relentless winter chill that seeps through floors. However, you can reverse the effects of the cold and experience warmth from the ground up with the correct technology. The warm floor system is one such invention—a marvel of contemporary heating that adds coziness and comfort to any living area.

Radiators have historically been used by central heating systems to provide warmth throughout a house. Although they work well, they frequently leave floors cold, which makes it uncomfortable to sit on the ground or go barefoot. This problem is resolved by warm floor technology, which warms the floor directly, creating a soft, even warmth throughout the space.

However, how does it operate? The idea is very basic, but it works amazingly well. Warm floor systems make use of an apartment or house’s existing central heating infrastructure rather than depending only on radiators. Underneath the flooring material, or directly in the subfloor, are installed pipes or electric heating elements.

These pipes or elements carry hot water or electricity that heats the floor surface when the central heating system is turned on. After that, the warmth from the ground level rises and warms the entire room. As a result, cold feet are a thing of the past in this comfortable setting.

Installing a warm floor system in your apartment has advantages for both comfort and energy economy. Warm floor technology ensures that the room is evenly heated and minimizes heat loss by heating the space from the bottom up. In the long term, this can result in lower energy usage and heating costs, making it a cost-effective solution.

Materials Needed	Step-by-Step Instructions
Insulating Underlay (foam or polystyrene sheets)	1. Clean the floor thoroughly. 2. Lay down the insulating underlay to prevent heat loss through the floor. 3. Ensure the underlay is smooth and free from any bumps or wrinkles.
PEX Tubing (cross-linked polyethylene)	4. Install the PEX tubing in a serpentine pattern across the floor. 5. Secure the tubing with clips or staples to keep it in place.
Heat Source (central heating system)	6. Connect the PEX tubing to the central heating system. 7. Adjust the temperature settings on the central heating system to provide warmth to the floor.

Central heating is a common way to warm homes, but what if you want to enjoy the cozy comfort of a warm floor? Fortunately, you can achieve this without extensive renovations. By installing a warm floor system in your apartment, you can harness the heat from your central heating system to keep your floors toasty. This technology involves laying down special pipes or electric heating elements beneath your flooring material, which then radiates heat upwards. With proper insulation and control systems, you can efficiently regulate the temperature throughout your home. Whether you prefer the luxurious warmth of heated tiles or the soft comfort of heated laminate, creating a warm floor from central heating is a practical and accessible solution for enhancing the comfort of your living space.

What is a water warm floor

The floor and exterior walls of panel houses typically don’t offer enough cozy living space during the winter. If the family has small children who enjoy playing on the floor, this issue is more serious.

Drafts won’t occur if you heat the floor covering from top to bottom. Even in the worst frosts, you won’t need warm slippers, woolen socks, or dusty carpets at home. In order to accomplish this, warm water will circulate through pipes that must be laid underneath the heated room’s entire surface.

What consists of

In terms of technology, TP’s design is more intricate than that of conventional radiator heating. Heating pipes are typically poured using a concrete monolith from above. Modern techniques exist for dry installation using standard blocks.

Foam polystyrene is laid on concrete slabs to minimize heat loss. Underneath it is a plastic film that has been waterproofed, with the edges sealed with tape.

A damper tape is installed around the room’s perimeter prior to the concrete screed being poured. It makes up for the expansion of concrete due to temperature.

A list of a monolithic warm circuit’s essential parts is as follows:

1. Waterproofing film of a concrete base.
2. Insulation – polystyrene foam 3-5 centimeters thick.
3. Dample ribbon around the perimeter of the room.
4. Heating pipe – metal -plastic or stitched polyethylene with a diameter of 16–20 mm with a wall thickness of 2 mm.
5. Concrete, layer thickness 80-100 mm.
6. Flooring: laminated board, linoleum, ceramic tiles.
7. A three -way valve of a mixing unit with a thermostat.
8. Circulation pump.
9. Collector with locking taps for the supply and reverse pipe.
10. Automatic air vents.
11. Heat exchanger.
12. Filter.
13. Expansion tank.
14. Manometer.

Operating principle

The floor is heated throughout, so the coolant (CO) in the heating system is typically kept between 25 and 35 degrees. This is more than sufficient to offset heat loss through windows, balcony doors, and exterior walls.

Heat-headed valves or manual controls are used to adjust the heating intensity. Here, the centralised coolant temperature is a determining factor.

Advantages

The name of this system reflects its primary benefit. The lack of drafts contributes to increased comfort because the air in the room warms up uniformly throughout.

Comparing this to the use of standard radiators, which heat the ceiling first, results in a 10-15% reduction in heating costs. The batteries’ hot air rises, falls, and travels in a cooled stream to the heating devices as it cools. The floor is still chilly.

TP offers additional benefits.

1. Creates and supports the perfect microclimate in the apartment. Children can play on the floor without risk.
2. The uniformity of heating eliminates the appearance of dampness and mold on the walls.
3. Service life – up to 50 years.
4. There is no harmful electromagnetic field that is inevitable for electric heating of the floor of the dwelling.

Flaws

For thin pipes to sustain the weight of large furniture, a concrete monolith should be a dependable means of protection from above. An apartment building’s stability may suffer from an additional load on the floor slabs.

The inertia of the entire system means that setting up all of the TP branches takes a long time. One pipe can be anywhere from 60 to 80 meters long. Furthermore, the floor surface’s temperature change won’t be apparent until a concrete monolith has warmed up.

There are additional drawbacks:

1. High cost of installation. Specific skills, knowledge, experience are required.
2. If the pipes were poor -quality, then the repair of the concrete system is almost impossible.
3. The difficulty of obtaining permission to change the design of the heating system.
4. The payback period of the costs incurred is ten years.

Is the installation legal

It is forbidden to make any unauthorized changes to the central heating system. Serious fines are imposed for such acts. You must work with the heat supply organization to coordinate the draft changes in order to obtain a permit for the installation of TP.

There are only three ways to legally connect the TP of a separate apartment to the central heating system without jeopardizing the thermal balance of the entire house:

1. The project was originally provided for a two -pipe circuit for connecting heating radiators in each apartment. Then a resolution can be obtained by a resident of any floor.
2. If the trunk pipeline is located in the basement, then for the first floor you can obtain permission to separately enter the feed and reverse pipe.
3. If the house has an upper wiring in the attic or technical floor, then residents of the last upper floor can receive permission for an individual connection.

There is only a slim chance that the heating systems of other apartments will deteriorate in these situations. Slop into a single pipe will undoubtedly cause the hydraulic balance to be out of balance. It will be cold in the house for other occupants. Following complaints, the offender will be found and penalized.

Obtaining legal permission to install underfloor heating is impossible if the intra-apartment heating system cannot be connected directly to the main pipeline.

The following steps make up the permission process:

1. Contact the heat supply organization with the relevant statement and receive a permit. Together with the document, technical conditions are issued for the installation and connection of floor heating contours.
2. Develop and coordinate the project.
3. Install, start the system and put into operation a special commission from a heat supply organization.

Types of connection circuits

The TP schemes available for connecting to a centralized with are numerous. At the same time, you must understand that TP cannot function steadily in the absence of forced fluid circulation.

The natural flow of water is not present because the contour beneath the floor is level. Additionally, a direct connection to the main pipeline is not feasible. Two times the maximum temperature that is allowed for TP in coolant circulation is possible.

There are just two ways to establish a connection with a shared CO:

• with a mixing node;
• With a heat exchanger.

With a mixing knot

The TP moves the coolant around in such a system from centralized. The water is progressively dumped into the reverse pipeline and a heated one as it cools. This process’s speed is controlled by a three-way valve that has a thermostatic head.

Hardness salts and suspended particles are a constant in central heating coolant. The filter placed at the TP system’s entrance is not impervious to gradual blockage of the heating circuit. Since hardness salts are initially in a solved state, they easily fall into pipes and deposit a thick layer on their walls.

It is best not to use the connection diagram with the mixing assembly in order to prolong the life of the TP by several decades. The circuit will eventually become clogged, increasing movement resistance and decreasing flow rate. The project temperature regime will no longer be guaranteed by the pump’s power.

With a heat exchanger

The complete autonomous circulation of a pre-prepared coolant ensures the TP’s long service life. Distilled water is the recommended option. Simply bring the water to a boil and allow it to settle.

Coolants from centralized COs are circulated from one another in isolation to facilitate heat transfer in the heat exchanger. Since this is typically an unattractive design, filters must be installed at the entrance.

The following benefits come with the TP system’s heat exchanger equipment:

1. Regulation of the heating of the floor relative to changing the temperature of the outdoor air automatically. The temperature of the coolant centralized with changes in the boiler room in accordance with current weather conditions.
2. Rust, suspended particles, hardness salts do not enter the TP, do not clog the contour, so the system will regularly serve for decades.
3. The plate heat exchangers are made of steel resistant to corrosion, therefore they have a long service life.
4. There is no risk of hydraulic boards.
5. Hydraulic resistance centralized C does not change.
6. The temperature of the heating circuit does not exceed 40 ºС, so you can use a relatively inexpensive pipeline made of stitched polyethylene.

Nuances of installation and choice

It takes more than just design work to get permission. The list of required materials, parts, and components that the customer will receive will be fairly accurate. Following a basic marketing campaign, the precise expense of adding more comfort will be determined.

How much the floor will become higher

In apartments with tall ceilings, a 10-15 cm rise in floor level will be barely perceptible. With the exception of balconies and loggias, this can pose a problem for the majority of the housing stock.

It will be necessary to apply a layer of polystyrene foam insulation with a minimum thickness of 30 mm on the floor slabs. It has a monolithic concrete layer that is 85 mm thick poured on top, which will house the heating circuit. At least 10 mm of height will be added by the laminated board or finished tile. Consequently, the mounting layer’s overall height will measure 125 mm.

The following methods can help you lessen the floor’s elevation:

1. Completely dismantle the old screed to the floor slabs.
2. For thermal insulation, instead of polystyrene foam, use multifolga up to 1 cm thick.
3. Reduce the height of the screed to 60 mm. At the same time, there should be at least 30 mm of concrete above the pipes, the strength of which will need to be increased by reinforcing with a steel grid.
4. Use flooring systems – "dry" warm floors with a thickness of 6–10 cm. They are mounted without concrete.

Thermal insulation mats

Potentially more heat loss through the ceiling to the lower floor increases as the floor temperature rises. Pipes should only be installed on thermal insulation as a result. Usually, this is polystyrene foil foam. When the foil is positioned at the top, the insulation’s capacity to reflect heat is greatly increased.

There are several kinds of thermal insulation materials:

1. Rolled. Made from foamed polyethylene 2–10 mm thick. On the one hand, there is a coating made of aluminum foil. On this basis it will not work to fix the pipes, so the reinforcing grid is laid on top.
2. Mats made of polystyrene foam. They have a tape with markings on the surface, which is easier to lay pipes according to design drawings, respectively. On mats it will also be necessary to lay a reinforcing grid for fastening pipes. Polistyle foam has high thermal insulation properties, the service life of up to 60 years in the conditions of temperature difference from -40 to +40 ºС, does not accumulate moisture. To increase fire safety to the insulation during production, antipypees are added, which makes it self -adjacent material.
3. Profile mounting plates EPPS (extruded polystyrene foam). The most technological and convenient for installation. Leads with a certain step for fixing pipes with a diameter of up to 20 mm are formed on their surface. The ends of the mats have castle protrusions for connecting with neighboring blocks. Thus, a continuous surface with minimal heat losses is obtained. Mats are produced with a thickness of 10 to 35 mm.

What pipes to choose

More demands are made on the strength, dependability, durability, and corrosion resistance of every element that is buried beneath the floor. In the event of a hydraulic shock, the pipes should be seamless and able to sustain dynamic loads in addition to an 8 bar pressure.

Steel and polypropylene pipes are not compatible. Under the floor, the TP heating contour should be installed without any joints or connecting couplings.

The most often utilized pipe product types are as follows:

1. Sewing polyethylene products. Produced by extrusion under high pressure. Sewing occurs at the molecular level. The result is three -dimensional structures that increase the strength characteristics of the polymer. Such products differ in minimal hydraulic resistance to the movement of the coolant. Well tolerate pressure drops. Resistant to corrosion.
2. Metal -plastic. The walls of the pipes consist of several layers, so they combine the strength of the metal and the stability of polymers to corrosion.
3. Copper. Have a long history of application, durable and reliable in operation. Copper very well transfers heat to the surrounding space, but for the contour TP is rarely used due to a large cost.

How best to lay pipes (diagrams)

The accurate placement of the contour determines the consistency of heating throughout the floor. It is important to consider that spaces close to windows and exterior walls cool more intensely when designing. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that the coolant gradually cools as it flows along the contour.

The styling schemes listed below are differentiated:

• simple snake;
• double snake;
• corner snake;
• snail.

The most popular scheme is to locate the circuit using a simple snake. The ideal choice for a single-wall room. The colder section of the room contains the supply pipe that has a hotter coolant.

When uniform heating is needed throughout an interior space, the double snake and snail is utilized. A hotter pipe is situated next to the cooled in these schemes. There is less hydraulic resistance in the "Snail" version.

The ideal choice for a room with two external walls is the corner snake. Here, the room’s corner is where the circuit’s maximum heat transfer happens.

Pipe distribution rules

Lower steps (distances) between neighboring pipes are laid in order to increase the heating intensity in areas close to the exterior walls.

The following guidelines ought to be adhered to for optimal effectiveness:

1. Installation of the circuit starts from the cold outer wall.
2. The gradual decrease in the intensity of the heating of the floor is achieved by the method of laying the pipe according to the "simple snake" technology.
3. The uniformity of heating is obtained by spiral laying from the edges of the room to the center with a double step of the turns. Then the reverse contour will fall into the received intervals.
4. The more thermal losses in the room, the more often the pipes should be placed.
   The standard step is usually 10-30 cm. In this case, the foot of the leg should not feel the difference in floor temperature in different areas. For border zones, a minimum step of 100 mm is recommended.
5. The number of bends and turns should be minimal to reduce hydraulic resistance from.
6. It is forbidden to join the pipes under the floor.

The choice of a collector-mixing unit

The quantity of heating contours determines how the collector is laid out. Installing automated air vents, thermostats, and locking reinforcement is possible with each lash.

The following information ought to be installed on the collector-mixing node:

• Thermal head with a remote temperature sensor;
• pump;
• manometer;
• safety valve;
• expansion tank.

Which is better – warm floor or radiator

A dependable and reasonably priced heating option are radiators. Although warm floors are very cozy, installing them can be very expensive. For the majority of people without specialized training in heat engineering, it is challenging. It’s common to compare these heating systems incorrectly. Actually, they naturally enhance one another.

Since the entire floor of the room is heated, one benefit of TP is the absence of drafts. Inertia is a disadvantage, though. The TP contour will not have enough time to warm the apartment if there has been a significant drop in the outside temperature.

It frequently occurs in the winter. The thermometer showed a warm -5°C in the afternoon sun. The temperature can drop to -10 degrees very quickly at night, and the amount of frost will rise if there is a strong wind. The exterior walls will cool down fast.

Here’s where radiators will be useful. Experts refer to them as "draft delays." They have the potential to have coolant that is twice as hot as the TP circuit. As a result, radiators can handle a cold air flow that runs down the outside wall with ease.

The only thing left to decide is if the TP system will serve as the primary heat source or as a backup. In the first scenario, it should make up roughly 70% of the room’s total heat losses, and in the second, roughly 30%. The conventional radiators will provide warmth for the remainder.

Do -it -yourself installation

The TP system’s design, installation, launch, and regulation are all technological processes that call for a high degree of expertise. Therefore, hiring a qualified consultant is advised even during the permission-seeking process. Since a concrete monolith will be placed on top of the TP, any modifications will be costly.

Calculation of materials

The size of the space, the type of finish flooring, the material and design of the outer walls, the size of the windows and input doors, and other factors all need to be considered when implementing the TP system project in order to maintain the room’s thermal balance.

The following formula is used to determine the length of the pipes within the TP’s contours:

S is the heated room’s area;

The stock coefficient for bends, denoted by k, is commonly set to 1.1.

The capacity of one linear meter of pipes is roughly 11 watts. We can find the overall heat capacity of the planned heating system by multiplying the computed pipeline length by this number.

The right pressure needs to be generated in order to overcome the hydraulic resistance of the pump, and this pressure can be computed using the following formula:

Q is the coolant flow rate, which is typically between 0.3 and 0.4 l/s;

K is the system’s hydraulic resistance, which can be found in the literature of reference.

Water should not move faster than 0.8 m/s, so keep that in mind when selecting a circulation pump. Should that be the case, you will need to add more soundproofing. This will result in an increase in the project’s cost as well as the floor level’s size.

The following specifications apply to a 15 m2 room:

1. Metal -plastic pipe 16 x 2 – 100 m.
2. Demopter tape 10/0.1-25-20 m.
3. Thermal insulation TP-25/1.0-5-18 m2.
4. Three -way mixing valve 3/4 ″.
5. Circulation pump 25-40.
6. Nipple-adapter 1 ″ x 3/4 ″-2 pcs.
7. Nipple 3/4 ″.
8. Tower 3/4 ″.
9. Collector 4. 3/4 ″ x 1/2 ″.
10. Cutting valve 3/8 ″.
11. Adapter of the v. 1/2 ″ x 3/8 ″.
12. Adapter 1 ″ x 1/2 ″.
13. Ball valve 1/2 ″ – 2 pcs.
14. Direct connector with transition to an internal thread 16 x 1/2 ″ – 2 pcs.
15. Tower 1/2 ″.
16. Barrel 1/2 ″ x 60.
17. Adapter N-B 3/4 ″ x 1/2 ″.
18. Automatic air vent 1/2 ″ – 2 pcs.
19. Drainage crane 1/2 ″ – 2 pcs.
20. Bracket for the collector.

Preparatory work

It is advisable to clean the floor all the way down to the floor slabs before beginning installation. Then, it won’t be as obvious when his level rises. It will be necessary to disassemble the old screed. This is not the place where a regular punch with a nozzle will work. Use of a jack or hammer is required.

A grinder is required to cut off the installation brackets. Cracks, irregularities, and joints in the floor slabs should be thrown. A horizontal plane should be the level of the surface.

Installation of the collector

The TP system’s control unit is housed in a typical metal box that is raised above the heating contour’s level. The equipment’s dimensions determine the case’s size. The installation location is chosen in close proximity to the centralized input.

System installation

The circuit needs to be stacked one piece at a time, without any compounds underneath the flooring. One whip should have a maximum length of 60 meters. Two segments are mounted equally in length if one of these segments is insufficient to cover the entire area of the room.

Execute the installation tasks in the subsequent sequence:

1. Treat the purified surface with a polymer primer.
2. Glue the damping tape around the perimeter of the room to the height of the future concrete screed with a small margin.
3. Spread waterproofing – plastic film with an overlap of the edges of paintings in 100-150 mm. Along the perimeter, make the wall on the walls along the height of the damping tape. Fix the joints and edges of the film with tape.
4. Place the heat -insulating plates tightly.
5. Laid out and fix the reinforcing mesh.
6. Roll the bay, straightening the pipe. Lay the outline according to the design drawing. Fix the loops with braplings and mounting rails.
7. Connect the ends of the contour to the collector.
8. Fill in the circuit with water and do a testing (checking the system for tightness) with a pressure of 4-6 bar. Do not drain the water so that the pipe does not come up in liquid concrete then.
9. Prepare the concrete mixture and pour the screed.
10. Do the finish of the floor surface after 28 days.

Launch

Use the highest pressure possible to completely rinse the pipes with water once the installation is complete. After that, empty this water completely. Blow out the compressor’s outline.

At this point, boiled or distilled water can be used as a working coolant to fill the pipeline. Fill the contours in succession if there are multiple of them. Via the air vents, all of the lost air should be replaced.

In order to build pressure in the system, you must now momentarily turn on the pump. Air traffic jams will be replaced as a result of the coolant circulating. Re-add water, then run the pump. Continue doing this until the entire system is filled.

The minimum heat regime is followed by the start of TP in the work. The coolant’s temperature is calibrated to be between 20 and 25 °C. After that, 5 degrees are added daily until the maximum mark of +40 º is reached. Next, the design mode is selected for the thermostat.

Recommendations for operation

It’s critical to keep in mind that the TP uses inertial heating. As a result, after adjustment, noticeable changes in the room’s air temperature take place a few hours later.

1. Heating the surface of the floor of residential premises should be maintained within 25-30 ºС. In the hallway, bathroom, along the outer walls, the temperature can be increased to 35 degrees.
2. To reduce the shrinkage of the concrete screed to the solution add fiberglass, as well as other fillers. Dosage is indicated on the package.
3. It is necessary to add the liquid in a timely manner, as well as periodically monitor the heating temperature. In addition to maintenance, water TP practically does not need.

The temperature regime of heating contours is typically adjusted by hand. However, a programmable controller that manages the pump and the servo drives of thermal controllers can be used to install automation. Such sophisticated work should only be carried out by qualified experts. The apartment’s warm floor can be found by clicking this link. You can get an answer from the link on the square of the loggia floor.

Warm floor system costs

warm floor

Keeping your apartment warm on the floor with central heating is a useful and affordable way to keep your home comfortable. You can upgrade your heating system in an efficient manner if you comprehend the technology that is involved.

First and foremost, you should think about the kind of flooring you have. Although this technique can be applied to a variety of flooring types, including tile, laminate, and even carpet, it is essential to confirm compatibility and appropriate insulation in order to optimize effectiveness.

The installation procedure then entails installing a system of pipes underneath the flooring to carry hot water from the central heating system. The room as a whole gradually warms up as a result of the warm water’s heat-radiating properties.

For your warm floor system to work effectively, proper insulation is essential. Heat loss can happen in the absence of sufficient insulation, which lowers system efficiency and raises energy usage. Consequently, making an investment in superior insulation materials is a prudent move.

Although relatively simple, warm floor system maintenance is crucial to the system’s longevity and effectiveness. Frequent leak checks, good hot water circulation, and quick problem solving can save expensive repairs and guarantee even heating throughout your house.

In conclusion, installing a warm floor system with central heating in your apartment has many advantages, such as increased comfort, cost effectiveness, and energy efficiency. You can have a comfortable living area all year long if you comprehend the technology involved and adhere to the right installation and maintenance procedures.

Video on the topic

Water warm floor in the apartment from central heating.

Water warm floor through heat exchanger. Binding and connection overview.

Water warm floor from central heating