Water heated floor pie. Thickness of water heated floor

Underfloor heating systems are increasingly used in modern construction and home heating. With its help, you can effectively heat a room of any size. To achieve the desired effect, it is necessary that the installation diagram of one or another type of heating meets certain requirements. The thickness of a heated floor depends on many parameters; for each type of heating, the underfloor heating cake will be different in composition and size.

Water-heated floors are installed both on a concrete slab and on joists. In each case, the layers of the pie will be slightly different. Since water underfloor heating is produced in several ways, the final height of the base and the cost of installing the system may vary.

Layers when installed along logs are placed in the following sequence:

• The insulation is installed on the floor slab. For this purpose, foam plastic, mineral wool, etc. are used;
• Reflective foil insulation;
• Installation of pipes between joists;
• Covering made of plywood, which is characterized by increased thermal conductivity;
• Finishing.

Advice! During final finishing, you should not use layers of foam backing, as they impair thermal conductivity.

The assembly diagram of the heating system on a monolithic slab is somewhat different. The layers are placed in the following sequence:

• Installation of film waterproofing material on the floor slab with an overlap;
• Insulation, usually extruded polystyrene foam or polystyrene is used for this;
• Foil or foil-coated heat insulator as a reflective screen;
• Water floor pipes;
• Laying reinforcing mesh;
• Floor screed and decorative finishing.

Water floor on dry screed

The structure can also be mounted on a loose base, and not on floor slabs. In this case, there are layers of fine expanded clay or sand.

The system structure in this way is done as follows:

1. Waterproofing flooring;
2. A substrate of expanded clay or sand, a layer of 3–7 cm depending on the rough coating;
3. Aluminum heat distribution plates up to 1 cm thick, into the recesses of which pipes are laid;
4. Pipe laying;
5. Distribution of porous tape around the perimeter of the room;
6. Laying drywall and installing final coating.

The height of the water floor cake is from 5 to 15 cm. It all depends on how thick the layers of expanded clay or sand will be. It is important to consider the diameter of the pipes; it is often 1.6 cm.

Pie of electric cable floors

The height of an electric heated floor depends on the characteristics of the materials used and the requirements for thermal insulation; the rough base is also important. The layers of the heating cable system are installed in the following sequence:

• Foamed polyethylene with a foil layer is fixed to the concrete slab;
• Screed device;
• A film waterproofing material is laid over the electrical cable;
• Screed;
• Flooring.

If an electric floor is installed on slabs, the height of the final base will be different. The thickness of foamed polyethylene ranges from 3 to 8 cm, depending on the condition of the rough base and the requirements for thermal insulation. A screed 3 cm thick is made on top. The thickness of the cable is not taken into account, as it is placed in a screed 5 cm high. Without taking into account the decorative coating, the electric heated floor has a thickness of 11 cm to 13 cm.

Pie of infrared and core floors

Elements of film IR heating are attached under the finishing coating, which greatly simplifies installation work. The layers of the heating system are arranged as follows:

• Rough screed;
• Substrate;
• Installation of IR film material;
• Vapor barrier substrate;
• Screed and decorative finishing.

Depending on the condition of the floor slabs, the thickness of the rough screed can be from 3 cm to 5 cm. A substrate consisting of thermal and waterproofing, about 4 mm thick, is attached on top of it.

The height of the infrared film material is insignificant, as is the vapor barrier that is laid on top of it. Depending on the type of finishing, screed or tile adhesive is poured over the heating element, their thickness respectively ranges from 2 cm to 5 cm.

Important! The installation of the film IR element must be done so that the paths along which the current passes are on top.

The installation diagram for a heating rod kit involves installing the heating elements on a flat surface, which is previously cleaned of dirt. If necessary, a screed is poured to protect the rods from mechanical damage.

To ensure high-quality heating of the room and reduce heat loss, thermal insulation is placed before installing the finishing coating.

The thickness of the core heating system depends on the condition of the rough foundation. The heating elements are hidden in screed or tile adhesive.

Date of publication: February 10, 2017 at 13:00

In this article we will look at the necessary parameters in order to understand what a heated floor cake should be, what ceiling height needs to be prepared and what level we can reach.

Let us immediately stipulate that there is no ready-made solution for everyone and we will try to give you possible options for the outcome of events and their solution.

For clarity, let’s take a classic house made of aerated concrete on reinforced concrete. slab 300 mm thick.

WHAT IS A WARM FLOOR PIE CONSISTED OF.

A classic underfloor heating pie, which can be found on construction sites in St. Petersburg and Leningrad. area consists of extruded polystyrene foam, waterproofing film, reinforcing mesh, underfloor heating pipes, finishing screed and floor covering.
We will look at each of these elements and at the end of each paragraph we will find the height to which the cake will rise.

But we’ll go backwards and start with the flooring, and leave the most difficult part for the end.

Flooring.

As a rule, either tiles or laminate are used for a warm water floor.

Both coatings have a thickness of about 10 mm. including tile adhesive or backing.

Pie = 0+10 mm.

Clean screed.

The minimum permissible thickness of the finishing screed using the machine method with the addition of fiber and plasticizer is 30 mm. The ideal thickness is considered to be 50 mm.

The main thing is not to exceed the total thickness of the screed of 70mm.

This means that the thickness of the screed in the plane of the pipe + the thickness above the pipes should not exceed 70 mm (i.e. 50 mm above the pipe is the maximum allowable height).

Pie = 0+10 mm. + 50 mm.

Warm floor pipe.

In 90% of cases, the thickness of a standard PERT or PEXa pipe for underfloor heating is 16 mm.

If you are using a 17mm pipe. or 20 mm. then consider the appropriate thickness.

Pie = 0+10 mm. + 50 mm.+ 16 mm.

Reinforcement mesh.

The thickness of the reinforcing mesh is 4 mm. and folds very nicely with a pipe thickness of 16mm. and a total of 20 mm.

Of course, there is a mesh of different thicknesses starting from 3 mm. and higher, but in practice the most popular and rational is 4 mm.

Pie = 0+10 mm. + 50 mm. + 16 mm. + 4 mm.

Waterproofing film.

It has an insignificant thickness and may not be taken into account.

Except for cases when you are laying insulation such as folgoizol or stenofon with a thickness of more than 5 mm.

Pie = 0+10 mm. + 50 mm. + 16 mm. + 4 mm. + 0 mm. = 80 mm.

At this stage, the height of the heated floor cake without insulation is 80 mm.

Well, the most basic and interesting thing is insulation, we have devoted most of this article to it, and it is this question that haunts our customers.

Extruded polystyrene foam.
It is a material created by mixing polystyrene granules at elevated temperature and pressure with the introduction of a foaming agent and subsequent extrusion from an extruder and, depending on the manufacturer and purpose, has its own density.

This density parameter is important for us because... This parameter determines what thickness of polystyrene foam we choose.

And we must also understand the importance of the fact that up to 20% of the heat from the house escapes through the floor and a poorly insulated foundation can greatly affect future heating bills.

How much insulation do you need?

In accordance with the requirements of SNiP 23-02-2003 “Thermal protection of buildings” and knowing the heat transfer coefficient (R) in St. Petersburg and Leningrad. area with our slab thickness of 300 mm, we need insulation with expanded polystyrene type Penoplex Foundation (35 kg/m3) thick 98mm.

Those. in simple terms, we need to fence off the rooms where we will live and walk from the street (cold ground) with a thickness of insulation of 10 cm.

If the foundation is insulated outside (in the ground) 100 mm. layer of expanded polystyrene, then from the inside, according to the standards, you can not insulate the foundation and immediately lay waterproofing, mesh and pipe, but this is only according to the standards.

You and I understand that if we do not make an insulating circuit between the finishing screed in which there will be underfloor heating pipes and the main foundation, then we will have to heat the entire slab. And the rationality of this event remains a big question.

Therefore, the practice of many builders has led us to the fact that the outer insulation contour is 50mm. and the internal contour is also 50 mm. Thus, we have a total barrier against cold of 100mm. and isolate the finishing screed from the main slab.

What are the pitfalls?

1. When buying a ready-made house or townhouse, you are likely to end up with poor-quality insulation and during operation you will spend 10% more money on heating the house than you could. Instead of the required insulation, the most inexpensive foam plastic with minimal density is placed, and often insulation along the outer contour is not carried out at all. If you are building a house yourself, you can easily control the thickness and density of the insulation along the outer contour.

2. The height of the openings of the entrance and interior doors does not allow for proper insulation, and even if it does, it is impossible to do without lifting the doors and partially repairing the facade, and these are extra costs.

3. The height of the ceilings turns out to be 5-10 cm lower than it could be. After all, when building your own house and living outside the city, you want to live in space and feel free, and not when the ceiling hangs over you and puts pressure on your psyche with its entire appearance.

If you build your house yourself, then you have a unique opportunity to do everything with high quality.

What possible outcomes are there?

1. Outer layer 50mm, inner layer 50mm.

In our opinion, the most correct and rational option. The necessary standards are met, the insulating layer is present, the minimum required financial costs.

80+50=130 mm.

2. There is no outer layer, the inner layer is 100 mm.

The most problematic option is if during construction the ceiling height was not set for a full pie of heated floors.

With this option, it is necessary to understand whether the ceiling height is sufficient to raise the floor level by 170 mm.

During design and construction, this problem is often identified and customers are faced with a choice.

Here you need to make a decision for yourself: live with ceilings lower than they could be and increase doorways or be prepared to pay 10% more for heating bills.

In this option, the full pie of a heated floor from the rough screed to the final coating will be 80+100=180 mm.

3. The outer layer is of poor quality, the inner layer is 70 mm.

This option occurs quite often when a ready-made house or townhouse is purchased and upon examination it is found out that the external insulation is cheap foam plastic 50 mm thick. intended for packaging household appliances.

One way or another, this insulating material takes on the function of insulation and a decision is made to insulate from the inside with a thickness of 70 mm. (50+20)

In this option, the full pie of a heated floor from the rough screed to the final coating will be 80+70=150 mm.

4. Outer layer 100 mm. internal 50 mm.

This option turns out to be as warm as possible, but also as expensive and irrational as possible.

The external insulation is powerful and of super-quality, the internal insulating layer is present, the price is high.

In this option, the full pie of a heated floor from the rough screed to the final coating will be 80+50=130 mm.

Conclusions.

As you understand, there is not and cannot be a universal answer. It all depends on the situation you find yourself in and you need an individual approach to everything, but a solution can always be found.

But it is always worth remembering that smart people tried and calculated for us the necessary parameters and standards for insulation, and these parameters should not be neglected.

We always encourage you to approach the issue of insulating the foundation and calculating the height of the heated floor pie rationally.

We wish your home warmth and good mood!

You may need to install a water heated floor on the ground in your home. Subject to compliance with existing SNiP, you can carry out the work yourself, from backfilling to finishing screed, followed by finishing with the floor covering.

Is it possible to make a water floor on the ground?

The design of a water heated floor on the ground involves carrying out work that is usually used to prepare a concrete slab in industrial and residential buildings. The result of the work largely depends on the achievement of several tasks:

• Providing reliable thermal insulation that prevents floor freezing.
• Protecting the premises from dampness.
• Preventing cracking of the slab after several years of operation.

What kind of “pie” should be under a heated floor?

To make a water floor on the ground with your own hands, it will take time from 20 days to 1.5 months. You can speed up the installation process by ordering ready-made cement mixtures.

The main mistakes when installing a water floor on the ground

It would be optimal to first perform a thermal engineering calculation that allows you to accurately determine the thickness of the powder, thermal insulation and the power of the heating system.

Common mistakes during installation are:

• Violations of the technology for installing a warm water floor on the ground. The absence of compensation gaps in the slab, poorly performed work on compacting the powder, improperly installed waterproofing, subsequently cause the screed to freeze, condensation accumulates and dampness in the room.
• Be sure to sprinkle sand on the soil base before crushed stone. In this case, you can use any type of raw material, but coarse river sand will be optimal. The minimum density of soil after compaction depends on the weather and atmospheric conditions of the area and is calculated using special tables.

Any owner of a private home has encountered a heating problem. Floors are a particularly important heating element. Proper floors do not allow dampness into the house and retain heat in it for a long time. Recently, ground floors have been rapidly gaining popularity.

They are effective because they are practical, reliable and relatively inexpensive. If a basement is not planned during construction, then on the ground in a private house is one of the best options for thermal insulation.

This structure is built directly on the ground, taking into account all its unevenness and will help prevent cold from entering from its surface. This option is far from the simplest, but it can be implemented independently, without hiring workers or equipment.

Such floors have nothing to do with baking. They are called "pies" due to the fact that their thermal insulation has many layers and they look slightly like a layer cake. If you still decide to build, then keep in mind that heated floors on the ground require some measurements.

For example, groundwater should not be too high, because this will cause your “pie” to “float”. You should also make sure that the soil is strong enough, because the entire structure can simply settle. You should also remember that the “pie” reduces the height of the room, and dismantling such a structure is a difficult task, so everything must be done correctly the first time.

Preparing the base

The structure of your structure includes several layers, and therefore several stages too.

Do not proceed to the next stage without completely completing the previous one.

The first thing we must do is prepare the foundation directly on the ground itself. To do this you need:

• remove a layer of soil. This must be done necessarily, because the fertile layer is usually loose, and the remains of vegetation can then begin to rot and decompose - this will cause an unpleasant odor, and it will be impossible to stay in the room. The floor pie requires about 20 centimeters, or even more (depending on the region).

• Tip: measure each level and calculate how deep the soil needs to be removed. Leave marks on each level to make it easier to navigate;

• remove all debris and stones. This is also very important, because one unnoticed pebble can cause unevenness;
• The remaining clean soil should be leveled and compacted. This must be done very evenly - according to the level.

Separating layer

To prevent anything from moving apart, the base of the pit must be lined with geotextile or dornite. It is better to choose the first one, because it also protects against weed germination.

The correct underfloor heating pie must be separated from parts of the foundation and plinth (the lower part of the building wall lying on the foundation) with a special layer. It is strictly forbidden to rest the slab on protruding parts of the structure.

The correct floor should be made in the form of a floating screed.

Substrate

Further, some variability is allowed. To ensure that the floors do not settle properly on the ground, there are several installation options. The underlying layer must be selected taking into account the height of groundwater, expected loads, the same looseness of the soil, and so on.

Most often, a concrete layer is used - this is the most reliable and proven option. But there are cases when it is impossible to use concrete, then the following materials can be used:

• sand. It is used exclusively on dry soils to avoid water absorption through small holes in the sand. It is noteworthy that such a process can occur even in cases where dew forms on the surface. It will also be more difficult with sand because it needs to be compacted perfectly evenly, again, this needs to be done with the help of a level;
• crushed stone Crushed stone works well at high groundwater levels. Capillary suction is completely impossible in the crushed stone layer. Laying should also occur evenly;
• natural soil. It is used quite rarely and is most often coarse sand or gravelly soil (soil containing grains larger than 2 mm, but less than 50 mm). It will do if there is no groundwater or particularly loose soil.
• expanded clay This will do too.

Mineral wool slabs (a thermal insulation material made from mineral wool and a synthetic binder) will be an excellent insulation material. They have a high density, are quite strong and live a long time. Such slabs are laid in two layers; they can be vulnerable to moisture, so they need to be treated with a water-repellent substance.

Footing

Whatever bonding material you use, you will still need a footing. You will need a lean concrete mix B 7.5. We remind you that lean concrete is concrete in which the content of cement and water is reduced and the content of filler is increased.

This material is much “weaker” than its “fat” counterpart, but at the same time cheaper. In our case, it is not advisable to use a stronger concrete composition.

The footing is not reinforced, but must be separated from the base or parts of the foundation. Pieces of foam plastic or special tape are suitable for this.

If you want to further reduce the cost of laying a floor on the ground, you can use saturation of the upper layers of crushed stone with cement laitance. The resulting crust should be perfectly smooth and its depth should be several centimeters. This trick will help make a waterproof concrete crust.

Waterproofing and insulation

Finally we got to waterproofing and insulation. At this stage it is necessary to isolate yourself from moisture. We will do this using a waterproofing film or a special membrane. Lay the film overlapping, and seal the cracks at the joints with construction tape.

The first thing you need to put is waterproofing material, not thermal insulation.

Use a layer of expanded polystyrene foam or dense polystyrene as insulation. You can also use special plates, but we recommend doing this only if the load on the surface of the structure will be large.

You can choose the thickness of the layer yourself depending on the climatic conditions of the region, usually from 5 to 20 centimeters. Fill joints and cracks with construction foam.

Lay another layer of waterproofing material or just roofing material on top of the resulting “sandwich”. This is not necessary, but if you live in a humid region with high groundwater, it is better to be safe.

Damper layer

Lay a damper tape over the walls, which will be slightly higher than the planned thickness of the screed. This is necessary in order to isolate the future screed from the load-bearing elements of the foundation or plinth.

We remind you: the floor on the ground is strictly prohibited from being rigidly connected to the elements of the base.

Instead of tape, you can use strips of polystyrene foam, which also needs to be laid a little higher. The excess pieces can then be trimmed off.

Floating screed

This screed performs several functions at once: it produces thermal insulation and sound insulation at the same time. The design feature of this screed is that the solution is placed on the surface of the insulation, and not on the base.

Well, or on a layer of roofing felt, if you covered the insulation on top with it. Here's what you need to pay attention to:

• It is advisable to do everything at once. In large rooms this will not be possible, so separate the finished and unfinished areas with partitions. This will create an expansion joint and help the screed to fully adhere;
• if possible, pour along the plaster beacons;
• The thickness of the screed should not exceed 20 centimeters, the minimum – not less than 5. Focus on the expected operational loads and the type of future floor covering.

Floor reinforcement on the ground

Reinforcement is an important step that will help strengthen the concrete screed. The metal mesh will also serve to secure the pipes on it.

The reinforcing mesh should be a wire with square cells with a thickness of 5 to 10 centimeters. Depending on the design features, the thickness may vary.

The mesh is laid as follows:

• There is a protective layer underneath – a polymer material. The thickness of this layer should not exceed 1.5 - 3 centimeters.
• mesh installation;
• installation of special beacons (this is not necessary in small rooms);
• pouring the mixture.

Walking on unhardened mixture is not advisable; it is better to install special paths along which you will move. Even when the mixture is taken, it is better to continue walking along these paths, metal mesh has a much lower density and can bend under the weight of a person.

Stiffening ribs under the partitions

In order for the warm water floor to hold better, it needs to be strengthened. This is done due to stiffening ribs. To create them, material is placed under the partitions, which consists entirely of closed small cells.

The material must be laid intermittently, and the resulting voids must be used for laying reinforcement. Thus, it should turn out that the entire structure is evenly reinforced with reinforcing bars.

Heated floor contours

For even greater savings, you can install it in a warm floor on the ground, this will create a literally warm floor. The reinforced mesh has just the right dimensions for placing a heating pipe on it.

To connect to the collectors, the pipes are led outside near the walls. The walls must be covered with protective tape.

As for all other communications, they require a similar system.

After the final filling of the “pie” everything will be ready. Then you are free to make the floor the way you want. This design is just one of the possible options; if you wish, you can modify any of its elements. It all depends on your finances and construction conditions.

Video: heated floor pie on the ground

Almost any residential building can be equipped with a warm water floor. But the features of buildings will influence the features of this type of heating. The most important thing is to adhere to the technology, have a complete list of materials for installation, and also choose the most optimal version of the system that will be used to obtain the desired result.

System selection

Depending on the specific conditions, you should choose a heated floor. This will be influenced by the beam floor, its condition and type, requirements for the floor base, the load created during operation and much more. There are basic systems that allow you to get a warm water floor in a room:

Particular attention should be paid to concrete screed, as it is widely used in reality. If we take the quality of heating, then here too it has better application and efficiency in operation. You can even say that a high-quality pour can cool down within three days after the base has completely warmed up. Even if the electricity or coolant supply is turned off. The heat will still be transferred to the person for several days.

In those rooms that cannot afford to install a concrete screed, the other two are used, which have their own certain positive aspects and disadvantages when used.

Types of devices with concrete screed

Preparatory stage At the initial stages of work on installing a heated floor on a concrete base, a number of actions should be carried out that will be very important for further stages. For a specific room, the entire system, the number of elements and components are calculated.

The system must maintain a certain temperature, to which one should strive and create conditions when installing a warm water floor. Based on the parameters of the room, areas with the greatest heat loss will be determined. They can be arranged in a better way, new windows and doors can be installed, and other measures can be taken. But still, the outer walls in the room will lose more heat than all the others. In this case, the main thing is to choose the right pipeline, as well as to correctly lay out the pipes with the correct pitch.

The power of a heated floor increases slightly in the following cases:

In any case, it is better to immediately get rid of the floor covering that was previously in the room, and also, if possible, dismantle the old screed. The base under the heated floor should be leveled as much as possible. A height difference is allowed, but not more than 10 mm. If the errors are much larger, it is better to think about installing an additional one before carrying out all other work. Otherwise, you may encounter underfloor heating defects such as airing of the entire system.

Pie devices

A damper tape is attached to the walls along the entire perimeter, designed to compensate for the thermal expansion of the future screed during operation of the heated floor system. After laying the heat-insulating layer, a polyethylene film is laid, which serves as an additional waterproofing layer.

We must not forget about the layer. In addition to its main purpose, it can be used for fastening pipes if special fasteners are not available. The installed expansion joints must be reliably protected. Most often, in this case, a corrugated pipe is used. It is important not to forget that for large areas and in connections between rooms, make expansion joints.

Pipeline Selection

Pipes cannot be laid simply on the surface before pouring the screed. The most commonly used are those called “snail” or “snake”. In addition, there is a combination of these options to achieve maximum efficiency of heat transfer from the underfloor heating system.

It is important to calculate the quantity needed to complete the installation. Approximately each square meter requires about 5 meters of pipe, if the laying step is 20 cm. Currently, there are a large number of computer programs that allow you to design any for the entire circuit. For a large room, it is best to provide several circuits so that the heating of the air from the floor is maximum and uniform over the entire area. In this case, the “snail” scheme is most often used. Here the opposite flows of the system (cold and hot) alternate with each other.

Tests

When everything is arranged, before pouring, you should check the functionality of the underfloor heating system, as well as the correct connection of all components to each other. These are the so-called hydraulic tests. This stage is very important for novice builders when there is no proper experience in carrying out the work.

Pressure is released into the system gradually. The tightness of the pipes must be excellent. If everything went well, the maximum pressure is launched, which must also be maintained by the entire warm water floor system. If any defects in the work are discovered, they should be corrected immediately. It may be necessary to completely replace individual sections of the pipeline before the next stage. You cannot be lazy, since all these errors will appear during the operation of the system, and you will have to dismantle the floor covering and the screed section for repairs.

Filling the screed

The very last stage of installing water heated floors with screed - and distributing it over the entire surface. It is worth remembering the minimum thickness of such a screed, which should cover the level of the system pipeline by approximately 3-10 cm. If it is necessary to obtain the most even surface, beacons should be installed over the area in the room after laying the pipes.
Subsequently, all that remains is to distribute the solution using the rule.