Recommendations for choosing an electric floor heating

So, you decided to make this option in the house heating. The decision is right, you just need to know how to choose a warm electric floor and which one is better for laminate, tile, linoleum. In fact, there is nothing complicated in this event, you just need to understand the advantages and scope of each of the options. Next, we consider the comparative characteristics of the cable and infrared heater in relation to certain conditions.

Criterias of choice

Flooring material

So, the main condition, depending on which the choice of electric underfloor heating is carried out, is the surface finish material - tile or laminate.

Installation of underfloor heating under tile It is carried out using a heating cable or a thermomat. This is due to the fact that these materials are not afraid of humidity, which can not be said about the film infrared heater, which is laid only "on dry".Tile surface finish

If you decide to implement installation of electric underfloor heating under the laminate (or a parquet board), then you already need to choose a film, because cable heating will not provide sufficient heating of the laminate (the material has poor thermal conductivity). By the way, for linoleum it is also recommended to use this version of the heater.Laminate flooring

Ceiling height

If for your conditions of use it does not matter the tile will act as a coating or parquet board, then the next criterion for choosing a warm electric floor is the height of the ceiling. To create floor heating using a cable, a concrete screed with a thickness of at least 3 cm is required. Together with the insulation and finishing material, the room can be reduced to 8-10 cm in height, which is not always beneficial.Concrete screed

If you choose a thermomat, the presence of a concrete screed will not be necessary at all, which will reduce the height by about 5 cm.Laying tiles on top of the screed

In the case of a film coating, the height will change no more than 2 cm (taking into account the insulation), because the thickness of the infrared emitter is less than a millimeter. In this regard, it is better to choose an infrared film than other materials.Laminate Flooring

Room humidity

The next, important criterion for choosing an electric floor heating is the humidity of the room. Of course, today there are many waterproofing materials that will allow you to ignore this problem, but still the extra costs and safety concerns make you think about the right choice of an electric warm floor for a home.

So, by analogy with “wet” and “dry” laying, you need to choose the appropriate option. For a bathhouse, bathroom, toilet and other rooms with high humidity, it is customary to use a tiled coating, which allows the use of only a thermomat and a cable.If you decide to use a laminate, parquet or linoleum, then there are no special prohibitions on the installation of thermal film, the main thing is to have high-quality waterproofing and grounding.

We recommend once again not to risk your safety and choose thermomats. In addition, these products can be laid with a bend, creating heated walking paths.

Financial opportunities

Oddly enough, the cost of a warm floor is not considered the most important selection criterion. This is due to the fact that the prices are almost the same, taking into account not only the heaters themselves, but also the additional costs.

Now we will analyze in detail all 3 options:

  1. Cable. The cheapest of all candidates. At the same time, the additional costs of materials for concrete screed should be taken into account: cement, sand, plasticizer.Heating cable for underfloor heating system
  2. Thermomat. The cost is 25-30% higher, but the presence of a screed is optional.Electric mat
  3. Film. The most expensive of all these options, but at the same time, electricity consumption per 1 square meter. she has the most minimal. As a result, after some time, the film coating pays for itself, which knocks it out as a leader in this criterion.Film

We recommend that you immediately read the overview of all existing types of underfloor heating:

What types of systems are there?

Electricity costs

It's no secret that most of the buyers primarily pay attention to the power of the heater, which is the main indicator of efficiency. The more power, the more kilowatts per hour the heating system winds, which means you should choose the most economical one.

As we already said, infrared film floor is considered the least expensive. It should be noted that advantage of infrared heaters any type is precisely economical. If you have extra money and the conditions of use are appropriate, be sure to give preference to choosing an electric heated floor in the form of a film.

In second place is the cable. It is the best option for installation for reasons of energy saving. And the last step in the ranking is occupied by thermomats. They typically consume 30% more electricity than cable, not to mention film coating.

We also recommend viewing the most economical home heating system, Perhaps the information will be useful to you, and you decide to make a combined heating.

An alternative opinion on cost-effectiveness should also be provided. Cable heating of the screed allows you to heat the room for some time after turning off the system. A heated concrete layer will radiate heat for some time, while not consuming electricity. At the same time, when the film floor is turned off, the material instantly cools down.

Mounting Features

Another important factor in choosing a warm electric floor is how difficult the installation work is. In the case of film and mats, styling is quick, without much difficulty. In addition, as we have already said concrete screed, these products do not require (and it is not an easy task to interfere with the solution and fill in the level).

As for the cable, it is most difficult to lay, because it is necessary to fill the solution and place the turns at an equal distance from each other, and even the calculation of the material itself is much more complicated. That is why we recommend choosing one of the first two options.

Service and repair availability

Here the whole thing, again, is in the concrete screed. If, after a time after creating a warm floor, it stops heating (fails), repairs will be required, possibly with the need for access to heating elements.

If you choose a heating cable for heating, it will be necessary to break the floor, search according to the design for the connection sleeve (most often it fails), replace it, and then refill the screed.

In the case of infrared film and mats, it is enough to just remove the top finish, which opens up access to all the constituent elements that need repair.

To summarize

So, we have provided you with the most important information on how to choose a warm electric floor under a laminate, tile, parquet. As you can see, the criteria are very diverse and you will need to sacrifice something to buy the most suitable product. We recommend that you, if possible, give preference to the film version, as It is the most modern, economical and easy to install.Competitive systems

We recommend that you review the seminar, which details the features of using each of the options:

Video instructions for choosing an electric floor heating for the home

Finally, I would like to pay attention to what kind of electric underfloor heating is better to choose according to the company. Today, the leaders in the production of these heaters are AEG, Rehau, Valtec and Green Box. If you do not understand at all which manufacturer is best to trust, you should know that these 4 companies have many positive reviews from customers and a good reputation in the world market.

We advise you to read:

What types of systems are there?

Video instructions for choosing an electric floor heating for the home

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