Is it possible to cut electric underfloor heating
Is it possible to shorten the electric underfloor heating?
Answer: no (we do not recommend cutting the heating cable or heating mat). This underfloor heating does not come with a warranty.
The cables produced by the factories have a fixed power and are designed for a certain area of \ u200b \ u200bthe premises.
is it possible to cut an infrared warm floor not along the cut line of the cut
The production of the film floor is carried out in the form of rolls from 50 to 100 m long.If you take a closer look at the photo of the infrared film, you can see white (transparent or milky) spots and dark gray stripes on it.
- Cutting the film floor is allowed only in transparent places.
All types of film floors are special markings of places in which it is allowed to cut the infrared film. In most cases the multiplicity of the mowing line cut is 20. 25 cm.
This is due to the fact that in the place intended for cutting. the layers of polyethylene are more tightly sewn together. Having made a cut of the infrared floor in the wrong place, with prolonged operation, the film will begin to exfoliate and the strip will completely fail.
Important! After cutting the infrared film, you need to insulate the copper busbars at both ends.
What to do if there is a lot of warm floor?
Underfloor heating is a very convenient and comfortable purchase, there is never a lot of it. Careful installation ensures trouble-free operation for many years.
During installation, we recommend drawing up a photo plan of the system or fixing it on paper. This will be needed during redevelopment and during construction work.
Is it possible to shorten the electric underfloor heating?
Answer: no (we do not recommend cutting the heating cable or heating mat). This underfloor heating does not come with a warranty.
The cables produced by factories have a fixed power and are designed for a certain area of \ u200b \ u200bthe premises.
What to do if there is a lot of warm floor?
Underfloor heating is a very convenient and comfortable purchase, there is never a lot of it. Careful installation ensures trouble-free operation for many years.
During installation, we recommend drawing up a photo plan of the system or fixing it on paper. This will be needed during redevelopment and during construction work.
How to cut a special film warm floor
The above limitation does not apply to special continuous infrared film (premium).
Premium heating film is made with a continuous coating of heating carbon layer.
- You can cut such an infrared film not even along the cut line of the mowing line. over, this type of infrared floor allows oblique and curly cuts.
However, do not overdo it on standard cutting of such heaters. Some rules for cutting the film floor solid type are still present. Below on Photo You can see the acceptable cutting shapes of the infrared film.
pros
If we compare such a heating system with others, it can be noted that warm cable floors benefit a lot.
The main advantages of such designs:
- Versatility. Such systems are suitable for both ordinary apartments and private houses.
- Environmental friendliness.
- Ease of installation work. You can easily cope with them on your own, without seeking help from professionals.
- Durability. Some other underfloor heating rely on piping, in the event of failure of which unforeseen costs may arise. The cable system can last more than ten years.
- Safety. Since the system is under the flooring, there will be no burns or injuries.
- Reliability. Heating elements do not overheat. no matter what material and furniture they are under.
- Power.
- Profitability.
Installation work
When installing a warm cable floor, you need to be guided by the following rules:
- In order for the room to warm up well, the heating device must occupy most of the floor surface. about 70%.
When planning to lay a warm floor, you must first decide on how the cables will be located.
- When carrying out installation work, do not allow the cables to be deformed. Intersections, sharp bends can lead to the fact that the warm floor will fail.
- If you are using mats, just place them on the surface. there is nothing difficult in this installation. In those cases when it comes to coils, before carrying out installation work, you must carefully study the instructions.
- If you want to avoid unnecessary costs when buying cables, determine in advance how long they should be.
Installation of a cable underfloor heating is carried out in several stages:
- Decide where exactly the warm floor will be located.
- Place thermal insulation throughout the room.
- You will need to attach the mounting tape to the floor.
- Attach the cable to the mounting tape.
- A thermal sensor will need to be installed in the corrugated tube.
- Test the temperature controller (you will need to connect it first).
- Use a cement-sand screed (layer thickness. several centimeters).
- Install linoleum, tiles or other floor covering.
Thermal sensors
These devices are conductors that provide information about temperature. If the cable system is the main source of heat, external and internal temperature sensors must be used. If this equipment is optional, only the use of an external sensor will be sufficient.
Using additional equipment
In order for the cable system to function as efficiently as possible, you need to use a sensor and a thermostat. Usually such devices are included in the package.
Distinctive features
Warm cable floor is mainly heating wires.
By design, such systems are divided into several types:
- Single-core. In such systems, the heating element and the conductor are one core. Such wires are characterized by increased radiation, so you should not use them in rooms where people are often.
- Two-core. They consist of a shorting wire and a heating wire. The radiation is minimal, so such systems are suitable even for those rooms in which children live. Installation work is carried out quickly and easily. The disadvantage of such systems is high prices.
- Self-regulatory. Such designs are the most reliable, but also the most complex. When the temperature in a particular part of the system becomes high enough, the wires control the resistance, so that the heating elements do not overheat.
Cable devices are usually presented in the following forms: mats, coils. The mat is a fiberglass mesh that contains the wires. This mesh can be cut, which is very convenient. especially in those cases when it is necessary to install a warm floor in hard-to-reach areas. Thermal energy is generated from the incoming current. This is due to heating elements that are located under the floor or in the screed.
Cable underfloor heating: characteristics and features
At the present time on the building materials market there are many special systems that provide warmth in the premises. All devices have their own technical characteristics, features, they differ in design. A variety of warm floors are available to consumers: liquid, film. Today, cable floor heating has gained great popularity. This is not surprising: after all, such a system has a lot of advantages.
Thermostats
Such devices are used indoors to regulate the temperature. Manual adjusters are the cheapest. However, such devices are not very convenient, programmable models are much better in this regard. Using such a thermostat, you can visually monitor the temperature in the room. It is also worth noting that you can set a scheme according to which the temperature will change.
How to repair Warmup floor heating cable
Rules for installing a warm floor with an electric wire
For an electric underfloor heating, it is necessary to provide a perfectly flat surface of the rough base, since there may be air in the voids, which will lead to burnout of the resistive element. A thin screed from 3 to 5 cm is recommended on the subfloor.
Installation diagram of the electrical cable on the floor
Next comes thermal insulation. The thickness of the material should be at least 2 cm, but if this is an apartment on the ground floor, it is better to choose a thicker one. When choosing a material, you should pay attention to heat resistance. it must withstand heating up to 100 ° C. It is better not to use a foil-coated material. the foil will quickly deteriorate under the influence of constantly high temperatures. An alternative is a metallized coating. it will reflect heat and direct it up.
Both rolled insulation and slabs are used. One condition is that you must not allow cracks in honey with canvases. If underfloor heating is installed in a bathroom or kitchen, waterproofing materials should be used. They will prevent the penetration of unwanted moisture.
Thick plastic sheeting is most commonly used. The next stage is the installation of heating elements. It can be carried out on a special mounting tape, which has fasteners for the cable. You can replace it with a reinforcing mesh, the cells of which do not exceed 1.5 cm.
Stages of installation of a warm floor with an electric wire
The next stage is the screed. Any material that can withstand high temperatures can be used. This is either a concrete composition with the addition of polymers, or ready-made dry mixes for a warm floor. Before pouring the screed, it is necessary to check the performance of the heating system. The check takes place using a tester that measures the maximum resistance. Deviations are allowed within 10% of the data specified in the wire passport.
The most common brands of heating cables and their characteristics
On the Russian market, there are both domestic manufacturers of electric cables for underfloor heating under screed, as well as imported ones.
| Brand | Section length, m | Power, W / m | Maximum operating temperature, о С | Service life, years |
| Single core cable | ||||
| National comfort, NK-250 | 17 | fifteen | 90 | fifteen |
| Teplolux | 10 | fourteen | 90 | 25 |
| Neoclima | five | 15.2 | 100 | 35 |
| Two-core cable | ||||
| Ceilhit | 8.1 | eighteen | 100 | 25 |
| Teplolux Elite | fifteen | 27 | 90 | thirty |
| Raychem t2 | fourteen | twenty | 100 | 35 |
| Self-regulating cable | ||||
| Optiheat 15/30 | fifteen | thirty | 100 | 40 |
| Devi-pipeguard 25 | 25 | thirty | 85 | thirty |
| Heating mat | ||||
| NeoClima | 0.65 m 2 | 105 | 80 | 25 |
| Electrolux EEFM | 2 m 2 | 150 | 80 | 35 |
| National comfort | 0.5 m 2 | 130 | 90 | 25 |
Installing the thermostat
A thermostat should be used to save energy and make the underfloor heating more efficient. It must be installed before laying the heating elements. It is mounted in a convenient place, stepping back from the floor at least 30 cm. In the wall, you need to make a niche for installing the box and draw a strobe to the base of the floor, in which a corrugation or pipe is placed. The corrugation must pass another 0.5-1 m along the base of the floor, connecting wires from the heating elements are placed in it.
The right place to mount the thermostat
Cabling
There are several options for routing cables:
- snail;
- snake;
- double or triple snake. Heating cable routing options
The snail layout is less popular, especially if resistive elements are used. The step between the turns is chosen independently, depending on the required power per 1 m 2. The minimum allowable distance is 5 cm, the maximum is 30 cm.
How can you calculate the required amount of wire per 1 m 2 ?
The cable length can now be calculated. For example, the coverage area is 10m 2. it is necessary to organize a power of 140 W per 1m 2. There is a heating cable for underfloor heating with a power of 16 W. We calculate the maximum consumption: 14010 = 1400 W. Determine the length of the cable: 1400/16 = 87.5 m.Now we need to select such a number of coils or sections that are as close as possible to this value, since shortening the heating cable for a warm floor is very problematic.
Heating mats
To simplify the installation of underfloor heating using a heating cable, special mats have been developed. They consist of a mesh base on which the heating elements are fixed.
The main advantage of this design is that it is possible not to make a concrete screed, but it is allowed to immediately lay the finishing layer on top (most often tiles are used).
Installation of mats is very convenient, since it is easy to change direction, you can put them in any order, bypassing the location of the furniture. Most often, a resistive two-core cable is placed in the mats.
What are the types of heating cable?
There are two criteria for the classification of screed heating cables:
- By the number of conductors:
- single core; Single core resistive cable diagram
- two-core; Two-core cable
How to choose an electric cable for a warm floor?
There are many ways to make underfloor heating in an apartment or a private house, but using a heating cable is the simplest and most inexpensive option, so it is in great demand.
Electric cable underfloor heating
The heating cable is a copper wire that carries an electric current. To increase performance, it is placed in a special fiber winding and heat-resistant polyvinylethylene. Thanks to this design, the safety of its use is also ensured. Electric current, passing through the wire, releases thermal energy, due to which the surface is heated.
Heating cable device
Electric cables for concrete screed have different power: from 15 to 40 W / m, can heat up to 90 o C. Galvanized steel or copper acts as a conductor. a conductor. Any wire is designed for a traditional electrical network with a voltage of 220 V.
Resistive heating cable
An electrical wire of a resistive type for underfloor heating has one or two cores, which are placed in an insulating sheath, and couplings are installed at both ends, with the help of which it is connected to the electrical network. If a single-core wire is used under the screed, then a closed circuit must be provided. This means that the cable must be placed on the floor in such a way that both ends fit into the back box.
If a two-wire wire is used, then the presence of a second conductor ensures that the current circuit is closed, therefore only one end is placed in the box, and a plug is mounted on the second.
A two-core cable has a more complex structure:
Two-core heating cable for underfloor heating
- both cores are enclosed in an insulating material such as silicone rubber;
- two wires are combined with fiberglass;
- tinned copper conductor is used for grounding;
- aluminum foil protects the conductor from local overheating;
- the whole structure is enclosed in an outer shell made of polyvinyl chloride.
A single-core cable has one significant advantage. the price, while a two-core cable is 20% more expensive. The two-core cable is simply laid under the screed. you can use any convenient method, without the need to return the other end to the box.
Single-core and double-core cable
The resistive wire constantly emits heat when connected to the mains. this is its main disadvantage. Because, if heat energy is cut off the output, it will contribute to overheating of the wire and a short circuit will occur. You cannot lay such wires in those places where it is planned to arrange furniture.
is it possible to cut an infrared warm floor not along the cut line of the cut
The production of the film floor is carried out in the form of rolls from 50 to 100 m long.If you take a closer look at the photo of the infrared film, you can see white (transparent or milky) spots and dark gray stripes on it.
- Cutting the film floor is allowed only in transparent places.
All types of film floors are special markings of places in which it is allowed to cut the infrared film. In most cases the multiplicity of the mowing line cut is 20. 25 cm.
This is due to the fact that in the place intended for cutting. the layers of polyethylene are more tightly sewn together. Having made a cut of the infrared floor in the wrong place, with prolonged operation, the film will begin to exfoliate and the strip will completely fail.
Important! After cutting the infrared film, you need to insulate the copper busbars at both ends.
Is it possible to shorten the electric underfloor heating?
Answer: no (we do not recommend cutting the heating cable or heating mat). This underfloor heating does not come with a warranty.
The cables produced by the factories have a fixed power and are designed for a certain area of \ u200b \ u200bthe premises.
Is it possible to shorten the electric underfloor heating?
Answer: no (we do not recommend cutting the heating cable or heating mat). This underfloor heating does not come with a warranty.
The cables produced by the factories have a fixed power and are designed for a certain area of \ u200b \ u200bthe premises.
What to do if there is a lot of warm floor?
Underfloor heating is a very convenient and comfortable purchase, there is never a lot of it. Careful installation ensures trouble-free operation for many years.
During installation, we recommend drawing up a photo plan of the system or fixing it on paper. This will be needed during redevelopment and during construction work.
What to do if there is a lot of warm floor?
Underfloor heating is a very convenient and comfortable purchase, there is never a lot of it. Careful installation ensures trouble-free operation for many years.
During installation, we recommend drawing up a photo plan of the system or fixing it on paper. This will be needed during redevelopment and during construction work.
How to cut a special film warm floor
The above limitation does not apply to special continuous infrared film (premium).
Premium heating film is made with a continuous coating of heating carbon layer.
- You can cut such an infrared film not even along the cut line of the mowing line. over, this type of infrared floor allows oblique and curly cuts.
However, do not overdo it on standard cutting of such heaters. Some rules for cutting the film floor solid type are still present. Below on Photo You can see the acceptable cutting shapes of the infrared film.
Reduce styling step
For heating mats and cables, it is possible to simply reduce the laying spacing within the limits specified by the manufacturer, i.e. reducing the distance between the turns of the cable. For example, the grid of heating mats is cut and the distance between the loops is reduced. All changes made must be documented. We recommend taking photos, and also do not forget to draw a styling diagram.
Lay the rest of the cable in an adjacent room or on the wall
One of the solutions that are resorted to in such cases is to lay part of the cable on the floor in an adjacent room (for example, in a corridor or hallway) or even on a wall.
What to do if there is an extra heating cable left, can it be shortened or lay the warm floor under the bath
An error in determining the length of the heating cable (including the electric mat. and the mat is also a heating cable, only on the grid) is quite common. The linear length and area, for example, of a mat, are often confused, the peculiarities of a room with a complex configuration are not taken into account, an arithmetic error is simply allowed, etc. As a result, after a part of the heating cable has been laid, it turns out that there is a lot of excess left. What to do in this case?
Underfloor heating calculation
Use the smart floor heating calculator to select components and calculate the cost of the heating system directly on the website!
Or just call tel. Petersburg 458-45-67 (from 9:30 to 21:30).
Is it possible to shorten the heating cable or underfloor heating mat
Heating cables are designed for a certain area, even at the factory. They are not sold for a cut
But in some cases it happens that the coolant has already been purchased, and the area of the room has decreased due to the addition of furniture (or other reasons), a problem arises, since the cable cannot be installed under closed places, which will lead to air blocking, and in the future it can lead to an exit the cable is out of order. Ideally, it would be nice to replace the section with a smaller area.
(information also applies to underfloor heating mat)
You can simply raise the furniture by 1.5-3 cm by installing mini-legs (which are purchased separately, you can drill 1-3 holes in the cabinet by inserting plastic covers, all this is necessary for air circulation. This is the first way out of the situation.
You can also reduce the pitch of the wire, by reducing the distance between the turns within the limits specified by the manufacturer (usually up to 7 cm). After reducing the laying width, you need to fix the places on paper or take a picture in order to know the location of the cable under the screed in the future, this will simplify the determination of the location of the breakdown if this happens. It is also possible to lay part of the remaining wire in the combined room or even on the walls, or lay the rest of the cable around the perimeter of the room near the baseboard, but so that it does not overheat (that is, cover it with tile glue or concrete).
Well, is it still possible to cut the heating cable?
The cable can be reduced by 10% of its length, no more (in extreme cases). In order to shorten it, special tools and materials are needed, such as heat shrink sleeves, crimping sleeves, and a hair dryer. The cable termination points are considered the most unreliable in the system. Therefore, you should not do this work yourself. Since in case of improper coupling or termination of the wire, the coupling will have to be repaired again, and for this it is necessary to remove the topcoat. It is better to provide this robot to a specially trained specialist.
Remember heating cables and mats are very reliable as they are metal based. nichrome, but this metal is very unstable to bending. Be careful!
Frequently asked Questions
If this article was useful to you, do yourself a repost.
Warm floor. heating mats: how to choose and lay with your own hands?
The system of underfloor heating has long and firmly entered the life of people who seek to make their home more cozy, warm and comfortable. For those who live in a country house, it is more advisable to install water floors, and for residents of city apartments, an electric underfloor heating is recommended. As a rule, the electric underfloor heating system does not serve as the main source of heating, but is used as an auxiliary one. Since there are several types of electric floors, the question arises which one to choose: cable, infrared or heating mats. This article will focus on the last type of floor heating system.
How to avoid mistakes when installing a warm floor
Today we would like to talk about the mistakes that are quite often made when performing work on the installation of cable heating systems.
Some of them can be critical and cause a breakdown of the warm floor immediately, partly. will appear only some time after installation and start of operation. In any case, the cost of the error is high enough to take this matter seriously.
If you are not confident in your abilities or you are offered to install a warm floor of a person who do not have much experience in this regard, it is better to entrust this work to specialists. see the section underfloor heating installation.
Our many years of experience in the field of installation of cable heating systems suggests that most of the faults are caused by improper installation and damage to the cable during or after its laying.
Advice When choosing a heating cable or mat for a warm floor, focus not on the total area of the room, but on the area not occupied by furniture, san. technical devices, etc. Remember that under stationary furniture or such fixed objects of a large area as bathrooms, washing machines, sofas, etc., the warm floor should not be laid in order to prevent the cable from overheating, and this does not make much sense, tk. you won’t be able to walk there anyway.
Advice Some technicians believe that if a too long cable was chosen, then the cable can be shortened without problems. In fact, heating cables must not be cut! This applies to most cables that are used in modern floor heating systems. “Shortening” the cable leads to an increase in its power, overheating and failure! In case you still have a cable. you need to reduce the laying step or increase the heated area.
Advice It is strictly forbidden to turn on the cable to test the functionality until the moment when it is laid (especially in the bay) and the solution is completely dry! Turning on the cable in such conditions may damage it. The cable is checked by measuring its resistance and insulation resistance. After laying the cable, it can only be switched on for a very short time.
Tip Do not lay the heating cable on a dirty or dusty surface. Use an industrial vacuum cleaner to prepare the floor. Treat the surface with a primer.
Tip Conventional heating tape should not have points of contact, intersections and lines that are close to each other. The minimum distance is indicated in the product passport and is usually 5-7 cm.
Advice Observe the minimum bending radius of the heating cable. This is also the passport value, usually it is 5-10 cable thicknesses.
Tip Do not brick the floor sensor in the solution! The underfloor heating sensor must be in the corrugated tube. The tube should not have holes through which solution could penetrate and should not be bent too much. The tube must also be sealed directly on the side of the sensor. Remember that it must be possible to remove the temperature sensor if it needs to be replaced. Quite often this simple requirement is not met, making it impossible to replace the sensor in the event of a failure.
Tip When installing the sensor tube, try to keep the tip of the sensor as close to the new floor surface as possible. This applies primarily to screed floors, where the screed thickness increases by 3-5 cm).
Tip Do not use the same heating cable to heat different rooms. This is prohibited by regulatory documents. The desire to save money on the purchase of a thermostat leads to incorrect operation of the system, since different rooms are in different thermal modes.
Tip 0 Avoid walking on the heating tape with sturdy shoes. If you can’t do without walking on it, do it with caution. Eliminate the presence of unauthorized workers and other people in the room where the warm floor is installed.
Tip 1 Do not neglect some “formalities”. Measure the underfloor heating resistance and insulation resistance before and after installation, make sure that it corresponds to the value in the product passport. If the value is not indicated in the passport, enter it, be sure to indicate the date of installation.
Tip 2 Do not forget to draw a scheme for installing a warm floor! In doing so, indicate the distance to walls and other objects, the location of the end sleeves and couplings, and the location of the sensor. For this, most instructions for underfloor heating have a corresponding lined page. We advise you to take a picture of the heating cable. The diagram and photos will always come in handy when you subsequently need to drill the floor for installing plumbing and door fences.
Tip 3 Do not leave air voids around the “hot” part of the heating cable. This is especially true when laying the so-called. “Thin” warm floor in tile adhesive. Failure to comply with this requirement in order to save the solution or simply unknowingly will lead to overheating and failure of cables.
Advice 4 Do not turn on the warm floor so that the screed dries faster! Wait several weeks depending on the thickness and type of mortar used. SNiPs standardize a period of 28 days.
Installing underfloor heating. Basic steps step by step
Installation technology
The use of heating mats is very popular. The main reason is that their installation does not require special skills and special work.
The first thing to do is to prepare the base accordingly.
- Determine the location of the thermostat. It is fixed on the wall. First, you need to hollow out a groove, and from it down. a wide groove. It contains the wires for powering the cable and connecting the temperature sensor.
- Level the surface. In the presence of significant differences in height, a cement screed with a thickness of at least 30 mm is performed. Small defects are eliminated with a putty.
- Prime the base.
Then the heating mats are laid. First, the installation diagram is marked on the basis. The net does not need to be fixed to the floor using additional means; the roll should be unwound on the surface to the required length. If you need to cut the mesh, then you need to do it so that you can then transfer the cable to the next strip.
As the roll is rolled out and the net is cut, the wires should be turned in the direction indicated by the diagram. Do not allow the cables to cross, as this can provoke a short circuit and damage the “warm floor” system.
During the installation of thermomats, some rules should be observed:
-
Fire safety rules prohibit laying the mesh in several layers.
When the heating mats are laid, the temperature sensor and thermostat are connected according to the instructions.
Step-by-step technology for installing a warm floor based on heating mats
At the final stage, the performance of the system is checked. All areas of the floor must provide uniform heating.
Selection of heating mats
Depending on the type of cable, there are two types of heating mats:
The main difference between a single-core mat is that when connected to a thermostat, both ends of the cable are used. And here comes the difficulty during installation: the installation must be completed where it began. If this is not done, the cold wire from the other end of the cable will need to be pulled back.
With two-core thermomats, everything is easier. In addition to the heating cable, the system has an electric wire. That is, only one end is used to connect to the thermostat. However, the price of such mats is higher and they reduce the height of the ceilings more than single-core mats.
There is one more difference. Single core heating mats, when switched on, are capable of generating electromagnetic radiation that can be harmful to human health. Despite the fact that the indicators are at an acceptable level, it is not recommended to install this type of underfloor heating in living quarters, especially in children’s rooms. Experts advise using the mats in industrial premises or outdoors. Two-core cables have a second wire that “dampens” the electromagnetic field, so they are considered safe.
Before choosing thermomats as additional heating, study the positive and negative aspects of the system.
Adhesive tape on the mat mesh speeds up the installation of the underfloor heating without problems by gluing the cable to the base
- Safety. Multi-layer insulation and non-combustible materials from which the heating mats are made make them absolutely reliable.
- Easy installation. An adhesive layer is applied to the substrate, which eliminates additional work and saves time and effort.
Among the disadvantages are the following:
- Price. Electric cable floor is cheaper compared to mats.
- Thin floor is not suitable as a main source of heat.
When choosing a warm electric floor, power must also be taken into account. Having determined the place where the thermomats will be laid, its area, as well as their place in the general heating system of the room, it is not difficult to determine the power. So, for a kitchen or corridor, an indicator of 120 W / m2 will be sufficient, for a bathroom. 150 W / m2, and for a bedroom, nursery or balcony. 200 W / m2.
The power of the thermomat for different finishes may vary.
Finishing floor covering
Most often, electric underfloor heating is used for “cold” coatings, for example, tiles or porcelain stoneware. But it can be used with laminate or parquet, but there are some features that should not be forgotten. If you plan to lay a laminate, then the coating should be specifically designed for laying over a warm floor. Do not allow overheating of wooden floors, as the material can dry out over time, as a result of which the wood will crack. Heating temperature should not exceed 27 ° C.
How to seal an end cap on a TempZone electric floor heating cable
Underfloor heating cake
How to Lay and Install Underfloor Heating Mats Prior to Tiling. Tile Mountain
As a rule, flooring manufacturers indicate whether the material can be used with underfloor heating. There is a wide range of models of heating mats on the market, which are focused on working in tandem with carpet, linoleum or other topcoats. So it will be very easy to choose the right one.
If there is not enough heat in any room of your house or apartment, then the question of the advisability of installing a warm electric floor is removed by itself. And if the choice fell on heating mats, then the task is all the more easily feasible, since the installation of the system does not require special skills and it is easy to do it yourself. Dear readers, leave your Комментарии и мнения владельцев, share your opinions about the article and this underfloor heating system.
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How to shorten the underfloor heating cable
Underfloor heating is no longer a luxury, but often a forced need for many people, because our winters are cold, and developers rarely worried about everyone being warm.
So it is not surprising that many of us try to insulate ourselves as much as possible, including installing a warm floor. And everything goes very well if the floor is properly installed and everything works great. Yes, sometimes there are situations when the cable for the warm one is made too long, which causes great inconvenience, especially considering that during installation it is necessary to make sure that the cord does not bend or break anywhere, otherwise there may be big problems with operation, yes and no one then guarantees your safety. After all, you need to be more careful with electricity.
So it is best that even before the installation of the warm floor, its length is taken into account, because it is worth shortening the cable only in extreme cases. So take into account in advance that only the part on which there is no furniture is heated, and carefully measure all the parameters of the room.
But if, nevertheless, some mistake happened and not everything was taken into account, then sometimes it is necessary to shorten the cable of the warm floor.
But, before doing this, you should find out that manufacturers do not support such an idea and strongly do not recommend shortening the underfloor heating cable yourself. So if you had a valid warranty for such a floor, then it automatically ends when you decide to shorten the underfloor heating cable.
As for the process itself, try not to do it yourself, but still trust the hands of a professional. Find a good craftsman who will help you cut the cable correctly so that later there is no short circuit, and so that the whole structure does not burn out.
But still, if you decide to do it yourself, then, after you have cut the wire itself, put a resistor in the place of the cut that will limit the current.
It is imperative to do this, because when the cable is cut, its resistance decreases significantly, due to which the current increases.
It is also very important to choose the right resistor, because if its value does not correspond to the resistance that was inherent in the piece of wire that was cut off, then again problems may arise, due to which the entire structure will have to be changed.
Device and functions
What is a heating mat? In essence, it is a combination of conventional cables and a multi-layer sheath on the mesh. The cable consists of steel or copper wires and insulating protection. It is laid on the substrate with a snake with a pitch of at least 50 mm. When a current passes through it, it heats up. To connect to the mains, a cold wire is used, the length of which is at least 1.5 m and which is connected with a sleeve to the heating element.
Heating mat cable arrangement Heating mat connection diagram
The cable sheath is a mixture of rubber, polymer fibers and fiberglass. Unlike cable floor heating, heating mats are not fixed on a metal mesh, but on a mesh made of synthetic fibers (kevlar, fiberglass, etc.). The upper part of the substrate has an aluminum shell and is covered with a PVC film. Are there too many insulators? No, multilayer insulation reliably protects the wires from possible mechanical damage.
If during installation it is necessary to lay the mat in a different direction, the mesh can be cut.
Since both the heating cable and the substrate are very thin, the warm floor will practically not reduce the height of the room, which is an undoubted plus.
The main purpose of thermomats is an additional, local source of heating. Most often, mats are laid in bathrooms, in the kitchen or balcony. And if you have a private house, they can help prevent icing on the stairs and porch in front of the entrance.