How to solder a film heated floor. Fastening clamps, soldering contacts. Video: Nexans TXLP heating cable for underfloor heating

Installing an infrared heated floor with your own hands is not particularly difficult. However, there are some nuances that you need to be aware of. This will save you from future alterations or dismantling. flooring.

Which side should I lay the infrared film on?

The infrared film is laid on the base surface with the copper bars down. For example, on a film warm field of the RexVa brand, copper busbars are clearly visible on one side and not visible on the other. For other brands of heated floors that have transparent lamination, you can run your finger across the copper busbar. If you feel the protrusion of the copper bus, then this is the bottom, if you do not feel the protrusion, then it is the top.

In any case, if you install the infrared film in reverse, nothing bad will happen; it will work and heat just the same. This installation recommendation is based on the fact that the top layer of some types of infrared film is made from a more wear-resistant lamination, RexVa, for example. And also, a slightly protruding lamination over a copper busbar can wear out faster, but if you are making a heated floor in an apartment, and not in an office with high traffic, then you will not be able to subject the infrared film to severe wear.

What distance should be between strips of infrared film?

Many guidelines recommend leaving a distance of one to several centimeters between pieces of infrared film. This actually increases the cold bridge enough to be felt by your feet. Considering that along the edges of the film there are strips 1-2 cm wide that do not heat, we get a fairly decent unheated area. Linoleum, laminate or carpet do not transfer heat from the heating site to the sides, unlike screed or tiles.

It is best to keep the distance between the strips of infrared film to a minimum and secure the film to the substrate to prevent the stripes from moving and intersecting.

What kind of substrate can be used under infrared heated floors?

The classic recommendation is to use reflective thermal insulation based on polyethylene foam with a Mylar reflective layer. Lavsan is polymer film, it does not conduct electricity, and if laid in a screed, it is not corroded by the alkaline environment of the solution or concrete.

In practice, you can use a regular laminate backing, without a reflective layer, or cork and any other backing, if you have already purchased it. Yes, a reflective layer is preferable; in any case, if you don’t want to spend money again, you can leave what you have. The main thing is not to lay the film on a bare base; heat and electricity losses, in such cases, increase.

What are the ways to connect an infrared heated floor to the power wires?

Special mounting kits are sold to connect infrared film. Such kits include two special clips, they are also called “crabs” or “crocodiles”, the correct name is a clip and 6 pieces of bitumen insulation measuring 5x5 cm.

Also, a kit can be used with the same bitumen insulation (it can sometimes look different) and with a grommet-based connection. These are two ring tips and two sets of male-female grommets.

When using a kit with eyelets, the connection is slightly thinner. But it is better to crimp such a set with a special tool. Although, if you can bend nickels with your fingers, you can crimp them with ordinary pliers. The clips from the first set are easier to crimp with pliers than the eyelets.

It should be taken into account that when connecting with the above kits, it is necessary to install clips or lugs between the lamination and the copper busbar.

In addition, connect the power wires to warm floor can be soldered. In this case, the lamination layer is cut off from the copper busbar, the busbar is lightly stripped sharp knife. Soldering is carried out using rosin; acid cannot be used, otherwise, in the future, there will be oxidation of the soldering site.

How to install the temperature sensor correctly?

Incidents constantly occur with the installation of a temperature sensor. Either they will wall it up in the screed, or they will lay the corrugated pipe in such a way that it is impossible to replace it, well, the sensor does not fit through all the bends.

The correct installation of corrugated pipes is shown in the photo.

Please note that the corrugated pipe is intended only for installing a temperature sensor. The power wires, as can be seen in the photo, are mounted in the groove. In any case, the temperature sensor is installed so that it can be replaced with minimal effort and without major disassembly of the finish coating.

How much area of infrared heated floor can be connected to one thermostat?

This question is not difficult. To figure out how much area of infrared heated floor one thermostat will handle, you need to know the power of one square meter. Next, we multiply the area of the film by the power and get watts for the entire available area of the heated floor. Eg:

We have a section of infrared heated floor one meter wide, length 5 meters, respectively area 5 m2, power 220 W/m2

We calculate: 5m2*220W = 1100 W or 1.1 kW.

We look at the instructions for the thermostat, for example it draws 3.6 kW or 3600 W, respectively. We have more than 3 times less - 1.1 kW, we pass.

In the case of an infrared film floor with a power of 220 W/m2, there is a simpler method. Its 1 m2 current is equal to 1 ampere. Ampere, which is current, is calculated by dividing power by voltage. In our case, we divide the power of 220 W by the network voltage of 220 volts and get one, i.e. 1 ampere
On the thermostat, in addition to the power it supports (in watts), there is also a permissible current strength, which is measured in amperes (A). As a rule, most thermostats are designed for 16 amperes, you can check the instructions; they come in 2 A, 4 A and 30 A.

There is one subtlety when making calculations: you cannot load the thermostat to full capacity, you must leave a reserve. From practice, do not load a 16-amp thermostat by more than 12-13 amps.

It turns out that maximum area infrared heated floor (at 220 W/m2), 12-13 m2 for one 16-amp thermostat.

How to connect pieces of infrared film together?

Wire connections between sections or strips of heated floors are made using installation kits, in particular clips. Wires for connection are chosen soft stranded, for example brand PuGV (PV3), with a cross section of 1.5 or 2.5 mm 2.

The connection diagram itself is quite simple and consists of a parallel connection of all strips of infrared film.

I talked about installing a temperature sensor above, but I’ll just say that the sensor itself should be located anywhere in the heating area/

Is it possible to turn on infrared heated floors without a thermostat?

Yes, you can. Connecting an infrared heated floor without a thermostat will not harm it. You can connect the infrared film directly to the network and check the correct installation. After connecting, the film will heat up within 1-2 minutes and you can verify that the installation is correct.

What is the maximum heating temperature for infrared heated floors?

The maximum heating temperature of infrared film depends on how it is installed and external conditions, in particular the room temperature, the amount of heat loss, etc.

In our experiments, heating the infrared film without using a thermostat reached 100 degrees. Conditions - warm room, a piece of film lies on insulation with a reflective layer, covered on top with something dense and poorly conductive of heat. It should be taken into account that such conditions are more an exception than a practice. In actual operation, the temperature of the infrared heated floor will always be limited by the thermostat and the external temperature.

Below you can see a photo of the temperature of the infrared heated floor installed in a cool room. indoors.

Temperature of film floor between cardboard on the floor

Temperature of the film on the inner surface of the table. The film is installed under the tabletop without thermal insulation on both sides The temperature was measured 30 minutes after switching on. Thermostats are not installed, the film floor is connected directly to the network.

Is it necessary to install an RCD in the system?

It is better to address the issue of installing an RCD to a professional electrician. According to modern requirements, the installation of an RCD is mandatory and it is better to do this if possible. At the same time, the installation and selection of an RCD depends on the type of electrical network, and here a competent electrician will suggest a solution.

Is it possible to install infrared film on ceilings and walls?

Yes, you can. Moreover, in some cases, this is the only way to install infrared film. Of course, a warm floor is more comfortable for a person and at the same time, ceiling or wall heating, is also a good option for heating your home.

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The cause of a malfunction of the heated floor may be a break in the heating cable, failure of the thermostat or temperature sensor. In all these cases, you can repair the system yourself, the main thing is to correctly identify the breakdown first. Next, we will tell readers of “” how to repair an electric heated floor with your own hands!

How to fix a damaged cable

If the electric heated floor does not turn on or does not heat after turning on, the first thing you need to do is make sure that the heating cable is working. To do this, you need to measure the cable resistance using a multimeter. Ideally, the value should not differ from the passport value by more than 5%. If you find a significant difference between the nominal and actual resistance, you need to move on to finding the location of the open circuit and further repair. For this you can use special devices For . At the place where the rupture occurs electrical circuit, the device will respond immediately.

As soon as the exact location of the fault is discovered, you need to proceed to repairing the electric heated floor with your own hands. All you need to do is remove the floor covering at the site of the breakdown and carefully dismantle the area concrete screed(if there is one) and problem area connect using crimping with a copper sleeve. After this, the cable connection is protected with a heat-shrinkable tube and the system’s functionality is checked.

How to find an open circuit using the device

Heating cable repair

How to repair a thermostat

A situation may also arise that the electric heated floor does not heat up to the required temperature (set on the regulator). One of the reasons for the breakdown is poor contact of the wires in the thermostat terminal block. Check the screw connections and tighten them if necessary, as shown in the photo. Sometimes even poor contact of conductors can lead to such a simple type of repair of an electric heated floor that does not work.
In addition, check the temperature sensor itself to verify by elimination that the temperature controller is faulty. If all other elements of the circuit are in good order, simply replace the thermostat with a new one, because Its cost is very small, and repairs can be quite a hassle.

Video instructions for repairing a thermostat with your own hands

We immediately draw your attention to the fact that the temperature regulator may operate and shut down the system early if the temperature sensor is installed incorrectly. If the sensor is located close to the heating cable (or far from it), the temperature readings inside the screed will differ by 2-3 degrees, which will cause a false alarm!

How to check the temperature sensor

Checking the temperature sensor is also not difficult when repairing an electric heated floor. To do this, you again need to test the device yourself with a multimeter to make sure that the nominal and actual resistance corresponds. If the temperature sensor breaks, it must be replaced with a new one. If you followed the recommendations and placed the temperature sensor in the corrugation, it will not be difficult to remove it from under the screed. Otherwise, if the sensor gets stuck under the floor, it is better not to touch it, but solve the problem more in a simple way– installation of an air temperature sensor. This device will give a signal to turn the thermostat on/off based on the temperature in the room, and not under the screed, as was previously the case.

You can also do without repairs by purchasing a thermostat with a timer, which will turn the system on/off according to the setpoint. In addition, there are IR temperature sensors that analyze the heating of an electric heated floor by infrared radiation.

How to solve low voltage problem

If you notice that an electric heated floor does not heat well at low voltage or voltage surges, you can get out of the situation by installing a stabilizer for your home network. This device will ensure normal operation of the heating system, both at low and high voltage.

That's all I wanted to tell you about how to repair an electric heated floor with your own hands. As you can see, all the faults are quite simple and no special electrical knowledge is required to solve the problem. At the same time, if you are too lazy to repair the system yourself, the technician will charge you at least 5,000 rubles (the average cost of installing a coupling on a damaged section of a heating cable).

Also read:

Tsugunov Anton Valerievich

Reading time: 5 minutes

One of the most economical and at the same time effective options for heating rooms in our time is film heated floors. In conditions of constant rise in prices for coolants, as well as electrical energy usage heating elements having low power is a completely justified solution.

Advantages of heated floors

The main advantages of such a warm floor are:

Environmental Safety. Thermal radiation with a wavelength of 5-20 microns, which is emitted by elements of such a floor, is absolutely harmless to people, animals and plants.
Reduced energy costs due to more efficient heating premises and low power consumption.
How to install? It is quite possible to install a film heated floor with your own hands, just follow our installation instructions. There is no need to involve specialists for this.
The use of infrared rays for heating a room does not lead to a decrease in air humidity, which has a positive effect on the health and well-being of people.
Due to the small thickness of the film, it can be mounted under facing materials walls and ceiling, which makes it possible to heat rooms even more efficiently.
Unlike other options, when laying a film covering, the film can be dismantled and re-laid, for example, when moving. Of course, its dismantling is only possible if floor coverings such as linoleum, laminate or carpet are used.
Heating film has a long service life - up to 30 years or more.

Design

To install a film heated floor, you must use the following elements:

A film that consists of a polyester base. Strips of carbon paste connected to each other by copper jumpers are used as a heating element. Before starting work, make sure that the canvas can be cut to your size.

A temperature sensor is used to determine the temperature of the floor surface.

The operation of the entire heating system is controlled using a thermostat.

To connect electrical wires to the heating elements of a heated floor, contact terminals are included in its delivery.

Important! Connections must not be made using tin soldering! Manufacturers prohibit soldering any cross-section of wire to the strip floor structure. When soldering is performed, excessive heating of the conductive bus occurs, which can disrupt the contact in the heating system and lead to its failure. The manufacturer insists on using crimp connectors.

Isolation of places electrical connections performed using bitumen insulators (see installation instructions).

The operating principle of this design is extremely simple. When voltage is applied to the terminals of the thermal film, it begins to flow through the carbon elements. electricity, which causes the appearance of infrared radiation. The connection diagram for a film heated floor is also very simple: strips of carbon film are laid on the base, connected with wires, and the finished floor covering can be laid. But more on that a little later.

Technical characteristics of heating film

To the main technical specifications Film heated floors on the market include:

Power consumption linear meter films. Currently, for most of its models this figure lies in the range of 45-67 W.
Melting point (130 C). It is worth noting that during operation the surface of the film is heated to a temperature not exceeding 55 C.
The percentage of infrared radiation in the total frequency spectrum must be at least 95%.
The length and width of one strip of thermal film (usually 8 X 0.5 m).
The film thickness is 0.4 mm. This makes it possible to lay heated floors under any floor covering - laminate, parquet, ceramic tiles, as well as linoleum or carpet. The main thing is to strictly follow the installation instructions and film heated floors will delight you with comfort and warmth for many years.

Installation procedure

Do-it-yourself installation of film heated floors is carried out in the following order:

Drawing up a plan for the placement of furniture elements and household appliances. This takes into account the area of the room and the total power of the entire heating system.
Marking the area of the room in which it is planned to install heating elements.
Laying a thermal insulation substrate that prevents heat from being spent on heating interfloor ceilings or concrete base floor. Foamed polypropylene is used as a backing, one side of which is covered with reflective material. The underlay should only be laid on a flat, dry and clean subfloor surface.
The installation of a warm film floor is carried out in strict accordance with a pre-drawn plan. His stripes are cut under required size and are laid without overlaps; heat-resistant tape is used to fasten the strips together. Laying heated floors closer than 10 cm to the walls is not allowed.

Installation of thermostat. The installation height of this device is determined for reasons of ease of use, as well as the overall design of the room. Wires connecting the thermostat to the heating elements, as well as to electrical network apartments are laid in pre-prepared grooves. The installed thermal sensor must be equipped with corrugation and be able to be easily replaced if necessary. How to connect the regulator to the network and where to connect the temperature sensor and cables from the heated floor is indicated in the installation instructions for the device.
Connecting the heated floor to electricity. For this, wires with a cross-section of at least 1.5 mm 2 are used, which are clamped with pliers in the contact terminals. The heated floor is connected to the thermostat via a temperature sensor according to the diagram shown. The temperature sensor is installed between the heating film and the thermal insulation substrate near the location of the thermostat. All connecting wires are recessed into grooves pre-cut in the substrate.

Functionality check.
Laying a film layer of protective polyethylene on top of the infrared film.
Flooring can be installed.

Attention! Before laying a heated floor, you should carefully plan the furnishings of the room. Its installation in areas that will be occupied by furniture will lead to overheating of the carbon elements and their failure.

Connection diagram

Please note that all underfloor heating elements are connected in parallel. This is extremely important to ensure reliable operation heating system as a whole, since if one of its elements fails, the rest will continue to work.

Attention! The film can only be cut in places specially designated for this purpose. On each roll they are indicated by a dotted line. Otherwise, the integrity of the electrical circuit may be compromised.

Laying film under various types of flooring

The heated film floor under the laminate must be laid on a perfectly flat surface according to the installation instructions. The maximum permissible difference in floor level cannot exceed 1 mm per 2 linear meters.

Important! A heated film floor under linoleum or carpet is laid using a plywood or fiberboard backing between the infrared film and the floor covering.

A professionally installed electric heated floor works flawlessly in almost 100% of cases. Most often, problems are observed in cases where the cable was laid independently. To repair a heated electric floor with your own hands, you will need to find the location of the cable break and repair the damage.

How to find a broken floor heating cable

To avoid having to tear off the entire screed and inevitably repeat the process of pouring the floors, you must try to determine where the cable is broken. Finding a break is quite difficult and even professional installation teams do not always succeed, but by using some tips and recommendations, you can increase the chances of success.

The search for a break is carried out as follows:

Ringing the cable when it breaks using a tester helps to accurately determine the cause of the heating system failure. Exact location mechanical damage found using special tools.

In particular, the following equipment is used:

High voltage generator- the device determines the location of a cable break by creating an arc between the unprotected core or braid of the wire. Where the discharge occurs is where the damage occurs.
Audio detector - the operating principle of the device is similar to a metal detector. When the device is over the rupture site, a corresponding sound is made.
Voltage tester or hidden wiring detector. The easiest way to diagnose cable integrity is with this device. The wire detector not only shows the presence of a cable inside the tie, but also allows you to determine the location of the break with a high degree of probability.

Before you begin repairing mechanical damage, you should make sure that the reason for the lack of heating is not a breakdown of the temperature sensor or controller. Therefore, the cable break resistance is initially measured.

How to repair a floor heating cable

The most difficult thing is to identify faults and the location of damage. Removing a break, although it requires certain skills, can be done independently. To do this you will need:

Remove the floor covering at the damaged area. The most difficult thing is to dismantle the tiles. To avoid damaging nearby tiles, follow these steps: The seams are cleaned of grout. The tile is pryed up with a spatula and slowly undermined. In the place of emphasis it is necessary to lay wooden block so that the spatula does not damage the coating.
Break the tie. The work requires patience. The tie is removed carefully so as not to damage the cable in several more places. Emergency repairs rupture of an electric heated floor cable begins only after a sufficient amount of wire has been released to carry out the work.
Vein repair. Usually, a company that sells heated floors immediately offers a repair kit for restoration. The set includes sleeves and heat shrink sleeves. You can repair a broken heating cable as follows. At the point of breakage, the core is stripped and connected using a sleeve. A coupling is first placed on the wire to repair the underfloor heating cable. The sleeve is crimped with special pliers. The repair sleeve is installed on the cable and warmed up construction hairdryer. As it heats up, the coupling film decreases in size and isolates the damaged area.
Functionality check. Immediately after repairing the damage to the heating cable, heated floors can function normally. Turns on. After 30-40 minutes the wire reaches the required temperature.
The screed is repaired and the tiles are laid in place.

Repairing the cable yourself is not that difficult. But to do the work yourself, you will need:

Device for detecting broken cable floors.
Repair kit.
Repair tool.

Equipment for repairing electric heated floors

You can connect the gap in such a way that after repair the floors will stop heating completely, or will cause a short circuit and fire in the apartment. For this reason, the manufacturer strictly regulates what tools and materials must be used for repairs.

Repair Tool:

Standard electrician kit. Wire strippers, pliers, tester - all this will be needed during the diagnostic and repair process. To check for cable damage, you will need specialized equipment (hidden wiring tester, audio detector, etc.).
Press pliers - necessary for crimping connecting sleeves. It will not be possible to clamp the sleeve using improvised means, so you will need to purchase or rent specialized pliers.
Construction hairdryer. When heated, the heat-shrink sleeve shrinks in volume and isolates the rupture site. Some craftsmen use open fire lighters or matches for this purpose, but in this case this is ineffective.
A hammer drill is needed to knock down the tie and release the wires. During operation, you will need a spatula attachment.

If at least one of the tips on how to replace damage to an electric heated floor seems complicated or causes confusion, it is better to seek help from specialists. When performing work, safety standards must be observed.

The comfort of heating a room with help has long been recognized. There are several electrical varieties built-in heating systems, of which only infrared (IR) film systems allow, if necessary, to completely avoid wet processes. Their installation is to a large extent similar to analogues manufactured in the form or, but also has some important differences. Mainly because of them self-installation film heated floors are sometimes carried out with serious errors. Violation of selection rules and assembly technology infrared systems leads to a significant drop in efficiency, a reduction in their service life, and an increased risk of electrical injury. Therefore, so that the operation of IR type electric heating does not raise unpleasant issues in the future, you should carefully understand the choice of its models, their installation and connection.

Which film should we choose?

The domestic market already offers a sufficient number of infrared films for installation in floor coverings from various manufacturers. The most popular products, according to the “Mark of Quality” rating of the best products, are products from the following brands:

Caleo;
Hi-Heat;
National Comfort;
Heat Plus.

At the same time, comparing with other methods of arranging electrical transformer substations, we can identify common strengths and weak sides for all products considered. Film heated floors have the following advantages:

small thickness (depending on the model - 0.2-0.6 mm), which allows it to be installed under almost any floor covering. The height of the room is not reduced, there is no need to install thresholds;
uniform heating of the entire floor surface, which has a positive effect on the integrity of the base and cladding material, since there is no temperature deformation between its boundary sections. This is especially important for piece floor coverings such as parquet;
accelerated but economical heating of rooms.

Infrared film for heated floors also has disadvantages, which include:

its rather high cost compared to other electrical transformer systems. This applies to a greater extent to multilayer, shielded and other advanced models;
complexity of the installation process;
the need to calculate the layout of thermoelements taking into account the placement of furniture in the room. That is, in the future, rearranging large pieces of furniture will be quite problematic. This requirement applies to all common built-in electric heating systems, but is especially relevant for infrared systems.

Calculation of power and installation features for various types of coatings

It is necessary to draw a sketch plan of the room, indicating areas not occupied by furniture. On average, such free space remains from 60% to 80% of the total. For efficient work an infrared film heated floor should have a specific power: from 120-140 W/m2 for auxiliary heating and 150-180 W/m2 for main heating. At the same time, it is believed that the heat loss of the enclosing structures is minimized, and the layout of thermoelements is carried out on 70% of the square footage of the room or more. The plan is also drawn up taking into account the fact that:

the distance from the walls is taken to be at least 300 mm;
It is recommended that the sheets of the film heater be oriented lengthwise long wall rooms. Thus, the number of contact connections and wires is optimized;
the sheets should not overlap; it is recommended to leave a gap of 50 mm between adjacent elements.

Installation under laminate and parquet

Film for heated floors covered with laminate or parquet provides for the creation of a substrate with a perfectly flat surface. Sheets of moisture-resistant plywood 15-20 mm thick can be used as a subfloor, if load-bearing structure serves as a concrete slab or other monolithic material. If the floor covering involves the use of logs, then for the subfloor it is recommended to use edged board thickness from 20 mm to 30 mm (depending on the distance between the joists), OSB or thick plywood.

Installation of underfloor heating film under laminate (parquet, parquet boards)

Thorough cleaning of solid particles is carried out construction waste, dirt, as well as dust removal of the subfloor.
A special dense, non-deformable substrate with a reflective layer is laid over the entire area of the room. The reflective coating should be oriented upward.
The substrate strips are placed end-to-end and fixed to the base with double-sided tape and between each other with foil tape.

Important! The thickness of the lining layer should allow the installation of grooves for placing cables, terminal connections and a temperature sensor. All of the listed elements must be at the general level of the film coating, including the insulation materials used for the contacts.

Laying film heated floors

Carried out in accordance with a pre-calculated scheme:

Heating sheets should be positioned with the shiny side of the copper bus bars facing down. You can attach them to the surface using simple tape, but not in a continuous strip around the entire perimeter, but at several points.
The cut points of the conductive busbars of thermoelements that are not used to connect the film heated floor are carefully insulated using bitumen tape, which should be included in the standard sales package.
The temperature sensor, which takes temperature readings and transmits them to the thermostat, is installed in a groove pre-cut in the substrate. It is placed under the film so that the temperature-sensitive sensor is located under the carbon heat-emitting strip. It is recommended to fix the sensor and its wires located under the film using bitumen insulating tape.
The terminals are connected to the conductive busbars. In most cases, clip contacts are used, for crimping which simple pliers are sufficient. The film floor of some manufacturers is equipped with rivet-type terminals; in very rare cases, soldering of contacts is used.
The cables are also laid in accordance with the developed diagram. The ends are stripped of 7-10 mm of insulation and crimped into the terminal shanks. Experienced underfloor heating installers recommend first connecting the terminals to the film, and then attaching the wires to the terminals.
All contact connections are carefully insulated. Bituminous tape is placed above and below the terminal to completely cover all conductive elements with a margin of 1.5-2 cm. The insulation is strongly compressed by hand, without the use of tools, which will prevent the possibility of damage.

Laying protective coatings

In order to completely protect the infrared film heated floor from moisture that can seep through the floor lining, it is recommended to use additional waterproofing. As a protective material, you can use a film made of polyethylene (at least 200 microns thick) or vinyl (at least 100 microns thick). The film is spread over the entire area of the room, including areas where there are no heating elements. The cuts are laid with a mutual overlap of 15-20 cm and sealed with ordinary tape.
or on film heated floors is practically no different from conventional technology installation of these coatings. There is only a need for more careful actions when installation is carried out directly above the heating elements.

If laminate is used as a floor covering, then operation of the film heated floor can begin immediately after completion of the installation process. Parquet and parquet board, are more sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity in the room, they should be given time to acclimatize at least 2-3 days.

However, a trial run of the IR system must be carried out before sanding and applying the parquet varnish. It is not recommended to start heating at maximum power, as this can lead to warping of the dies from natural wood. The initial temperature at first start-up should not exceed 15°C. Every day you need to turn on the heated floor for several hours, increasing the temperature by 5°C. Only after all defects associated with temperature deformations have been identified and eliminated, can we begin further processing of the surface - scraping and varnishing it.

Laying under ceramic tiles

Ceramic tiles or porcelain tiles can be laid on a film heated floor in two ways: dry - using gypsum fiber (GVL) and glass magnesite (SML) sheets, or wet - on a cement-sand screed. Each of these methods has certain advantages and disadvantages.

Thermal insulating materials with a low shrinkage rate and good heat-reflective ability are used as a substrate:

rolled cork with a thickness of at least 2 mm;
isolon;
extruded polystyrene foam;
foam for the floor (density not lower than 35);
Folgoizol.

Important! Thermal insulation materials with a reflective coating must not contain metallized foil. The reflective layer is applied to them using the amalgamation method, so it is not an electrical conductor.

Dry method

The underlay is laid over the entire area of the room, including those areas where the film heated floor will not be installed. Infrared elements are located in accordance with the layout of the heating zones. A hydraulic barrier and sheets of GVL or SML with a thickness of at least 6-8 mm are laid out on top. Attaching the sheets to the base must be done extremely carefully so that the fasteners do not damage the carbon layer or the copper contact bars of the thermal film. The sheets are treated with a “Betonokontakt” type primer. After this, installation is carried out ceramic tiles with heat-resistant glue.

The main advantage of the dry method is that the infrared film for heated floors is completely insulated from negative influence moisture and aggressive tile adhesive. Even in the case of poor-quality contact insulation, the probability of failure of the underfloor heating film is very low.

Wet method

Not always the best option installation of IR films, however, is allowed. the main problem The wet method is that infrared film for heated floors has low adhesion to tile adhesive. However, there are several techniques to ensure a sufficient level of adhesion between materials. For example, the base is treated with an adhesion-increasing primer. The substrate is installed exclusively along the width of the infrared film - this will ensure contact between the base and the cement-sand screed. The distance of the substrate from the wall must be at least 20 - 25 cm. Between the strips of infrared film heated floor, it is necessary to form indents of 2-5 cm. As a reinforcing layer for filling, a painting mesh made of fiberglass with a cell of 5 × 5 mm or 10 × 10 mm is used. It must be secured with dowels in the indentation areas of the carbon strips. The mesh is covered with a layer of solution literally a few millimeters thick.

Important! When monolithing the heater into the cement-sand mixture, it is necessary to add appropriate modifiers to prevent temperature deformations or immediately take ready-made heat-resistant adhesive compositions.

Special types of infrared film for heated floors are also used, better adapted to the wet method of laying under tiles:

perforated - it has large holes over the entire area, which, although they reduce the overall heating effect, provide fairly reliable adhesion of the screed to the base. Example - MONOCRYSTAL 220 R;
multilayer of increased strength, containing several layers of protection. It can be installed without additional waterproofing. Example, Hi-Heat and Heat Plus (6 layers of protection).

The process of installing a film heated floor into a sand-cement screed is quite labor-intensive, and if the mortar layer turns out to be thick, this will somewhat reduce the efficiency of the system. However, the wet method allows you to create a surface that is more resistant to mechanical operating loads.

The first launch of a dry-installed film floor under tiles can be carried out no earlier than 6-8 days after the tile adhesive has completely dried. For the wet method, using sand-cement mixtures, the waiting period must be at least 28 days, that is, the full time for the concrete to harden and gain the design strength. Premature switching on can lead to uneven temperature deformations and the formation of cracks.

Selecting and connecting a thermostat

There are two main types of thermostats that are used to control the temperature of film heated floors:

Mechanical (analog) - the temperature is regulated by a rotary roller or buttons, shutdown control is carried out by a thermal relay. Such devices are affordable and easy to use. The main disadvantage is the limitation in control and the inability to program the temperature regime.

Electronic - depending on the model, they can have push-button control, a digital display with a touch panel, or even receive commands via Wi-Fi. You can connect several temperature sensors to them, both wired and transmitting information via a radio channel. Have ample opportunities programming. They can automatically adjust the temperature depending on the time of day and day of the week. Their use leads to savings, on average, of up to 30% of energy resources.

If it is necessary to connect several sections to one thermostat, then the connection diagram for the film heated floor must include the use of certified terminal connectors; the use of twisted leads is strictly prohibited. As a rule, the thermostat has at least 6 contact connectors. The connection is made according to the diagram located on the back panel of the device, where the voltage connection contacts L-phase, N-zero are indicated.

Important! If a film heated floor is used to heat a large room, more than 20 m2, then the power supply is supplied directly from the distribution panel through an RCD (residual current device).

The contacts marked 220V 50Hz are connected to the wires of the power supply line from the household network or distribution panel through an RCD. The other two contacts, under which the maximum load is indicated, for example, 16A, are used to connect wires coming from the heated floor, observing the zero and phase markings. Grounding is performed by directly connecting the corresponding (yellow-green) cables from the film and the RCD, bypassing the thermostat.

Conclusion

Modern technologies and use quality materials from leading manufacturers allows you to install infrared heated floors yourself. However, it should be noted that this is a rather labor-intensive process, and the connection diagram of the heating elements, the connection of the thermostat and the installation of the RCD must be checked by a certified electrician.