Concrete underfloor heating in a wooden house. Underfloor heating in a wooden house - electric or water? Creating a subfloor

Many people make a choice towards environmentally friendly materials and build wooden houses. This solution allows you to create a cozy home with an excellent microclimate and natural air exchange. But the question often arises as to whether it is possible to make a warm floor in a wooden house, and if so, how to implement it with your own hands?

Floors in a wooden house can be on logs or on poles, one or two layers. In this case, you can install both water and electric underfloor heating. For this type of heating, a maximum temperature of 29 degrees is recommended, if it is higher, then this is not comfortable and unhealthy.

If we talk about the specific power of the heating elements, then it limited to 80-130 W/m2, but this may not be enough to use underfloor heating as the main source of heat. Problems can arise both in rooms with large windows and in small rooms cluttered with furniture, since the usable floor area will be negligible.


In a wooden house, usually all floors are wooden and if you decide to lay a warm water floor in a concrete screed, then an additional load is created on them. Before making such a decision, it is necessary to calculate the load and make sure that the floor can withstand it.

When arranging a warm floor in a house, it is necessary to take into account the fact that it reduces the height of the room, so it is best to mount it at the construction stage. If you have high ceilings, then you can make heated floors in a residential building.

Creating a warm floor in the house requires quite serious financial costs, but you get efficient and high-quality heating of the room, which will be comfortable and pleasant to be in, regardless of weather conditions.

Since the house is wooden, in order to avoid cracking and damage to the flooring due to the presence of a warm floor, the following rules must be followed:

  • floor heating power should not exceed 130 W/m2;
  • the cable is laid evenly over the entire usable floor area;
  • wood flooring should not be thicker than 22-24 mm;
  • materials reliably protect from moisture;
  • a thermostat, floor and air temperature sensor must be used;
  • under a wooden covering, the temperature of the air cushion should not be more than 40 degrees;
  • before installing a wooden deck, it is recommended that it lie down for several days on a heated floor, and then it can be fixed;
  • on the warm floor do not lay carpets that cover the entire heated area.

The higher cost of a warm floor, according to, is associated with the need to lay thermal insulation, control and monitoring systems, and the installation work itself will cost more.

If you have basic work skills, you can lay a warm water or electric floor system in a wooden house with your own hands.

When constructing a warm floor on the ground, the money spent will be small, and they are offset by warmth and comfort. If you make a warm floor in accordance with the instructions and recommendations of specialists, then regardless of whether it is water or electric, such systems are very reliable and durable.

Design options and device technology in a wooden house

In a wooden house, you can install any type of underfloor heating, but a water floor is considered safer. If you decide to install an eclectic floor, then, subject to the rules for its installation and operation, it is also completely safe and has high efficiency.

When choosing an electric underfloor heating as heating, it can be implemented in several ways:

  • heating cable;
  • mats;
  • infrared film;
  • carbon rods.

Which is better?

All options have its disadvantages and advantages, and their choice largely depends on what will be the finish. For, it is better to use a cable or mats.


For laminate, parquet or carpet, best suited infrared film or carbon rods.

Connected to the boiler, like electric heating, it can be used as the main or additional heating of a wooden house.

Usually, warm water floors are arranged in a cement screed, but in the case of a wooden house, they are often made flooring.

On the logs

Logs are laid at a distance of 60 cm and securely attached to the base. It is convenient to do this on galvanized supports, which are first exposed and attached to the base, and then logs are fixed to them. From below, a draft floor is attached to the logs; it is needed in order to lay heat-insulating materials.

After creating the subfloor, on it lay a waterproofing film and a layer of thermal insulation. Mineral slabs are usually used, their thickness of 10 cm is sufficient. Boards or chipboard strips are laid on the slabs, taking into account the layout of pipes or cables.

As a heat reflector, you can purchase special plates or make them from galvanized iron, they are attached to the chipboard with nails and bent so that a plastic pipe fits.

When laying the pipe, it should not protrude above the floor level, otherwise it will interfere with the installation of the finishing material, so the thickness of the chipboard or boards must exceed the diameter of the pipe. After pipe laying, the surface covered with sheets of plywood and a finishing coating is already laid on it.

When laying plywood sheets, gaps of the order of 5 mm must be left between them, since when heated, wooden materials will expand. And along the logs, an electric warm floor is necessarily done with an air gap device.

Plywood is taken only moisture resistant, while its thickness must be at least 10 mm. Seams can be filled with sealant, but you can leave it like that. Thereafter start laying the finish coat.

On styrofoam sheets

In a wooden log house, warm floors are rarely made in a screed, usually special heat-insulating plates are used, which consist of expanded polystyrene and are covered with aluminum profiled material.

The presence of an aluminum coating allows you to evenly distribute heat, and polystyrene foam does not allow heat to spread down.

When using such sheets on a wooden base, cable pitch should be about 10 cm, And his power per square meter is not more than 100 watts. The base for the plates can be both concrete and wooden, the main thing is that it be even and durable.

Expanded polystyrene sheets are installed only in the place of the floor where it will be heated, in other places moisture-resistant plywood or GVL of the appropriate thickness is used.

When laying the plates, you need to make sure that their grooves match, they are connected to each other with the help of special clamps. If you need to cut a plate of a certain size, then this will not be difficult. In the place where the floor temperature sensor will be installed, a part of the plate is cut out with a regular knife.

After installing the plates, the cable is laid in the grooves, the system is checked for operability. It remains to lay the substrate and you can lay a wooden coating.

Underfloor heating in screed laid on a wooden base

Sometimes it becomes necessary to make a screed on a wooden floor, for example, when the logs are installed on high poles. There are several conditions that must be met in order for a concrete screed to be laid on a wooden base:

  • it must be strong and immovable;
  • the distance between the lags should be small so that the floor does not sag under the weight of the screed. If this condition is not met, then you will have to disassemble the floor and add logs so that the distance between them decreases. To reduce the load on the floor, you can use not a cement screed, but anhydrite levelers;
  • it is necessary to use a reinforcing mesh, a grid with cells of 10x10 cm is enough.

To prevent perspiration from forming on the waterproofing film, all seams are sealed with epoxy putty, as it does not allow moisture to pass through. It happens that the joints between the wooden coating and the walls are quite large, in such cases they must be sealed first with foam, then with epoxy putty, or liquid waterproofing can be used.

First on a wooden base lay a waterproofing film, then a heater, it can be, for example, penofol. In the next step, put reinforcing mesh, pipes or cable on it, connect them and check the operability of the system, after which filled with sand-cement mortar.

You can not lay the screed on fresh boards, they must last in a heated room for at least a year.

conclusions

For a wooden house, a warm floor can be made both water and electric, there are several options and ways to install it. All work must be carried out in accordance with the developed technologies and recommendations, then you can independently make efficient and safe heating, and your home will be warm and comfortable.

Useful video

Dry warm floor on logs, video:

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The desire to make the house warm, cozy and comfortable pushes people to use modern technologies in the field of heating. The installation of warm floors has become especially popular. It is not difficult to install such a system, however, installation, for example, on a wooden base has a number of features.

Purpose of underfloor heating and laying features

A wooden floor resembles a multi-layer cake, the main components of which are rough laying, layers of thermal insulation and waterproofing, a finishing base and a final floor covering. Between these layers, you can lay a warm floor - a modern heating system that allows you to organize space heating.

When installing underfloor heating on a wooden base, the following must be considered:

  • If wooden floors are part of a wooden house, then when installing the system, it is important to remember that during the first year after construction, the walls shrink significantly, which can reach 5%.
  • Wood is a natural material that is sensitive to changes in the microclimate in the room. With strong changes in humidity and temperature, it can dry out, crack or rot.

First of all, you need to decide whether the warm floor will be the main type of heating, or whether it is planned to install it as an additional one. This affects the choice of equipment power. For example, when installed as the main type of heating, the specific power of the system should be 180 W / sq.m, as an auxiliary - 140 W / sq.m.

For laying on insulated terraces or in a winter garden, equipment is suitable, the power of which is 15–20% higher. It is necessary to focus on the same indicator when choosing a system if there is a cold basement under the insulated surface.

Laying a warm floor occurs with a predetermined step. Its value depends on the planned intensity of heating. In cool places, for example, next to the outer wall of the building, the heating sections can be laid in smaller increments than in the center of the room.

Kinds

One of the varieties of electric underfloor heating - mats

Underfloor heating models are divided into two groups:

  • Electric floors are specialized current-carrying systems consisting of heating mats, cables or a special heating film.
  • Water floors - structures made of tubes with a coolant circulating inside, which are attached to the base and connected to centralized heating or their own boiler with a pump.

Electric floors, in turn, are divided into three types:

  • Thermal cable. It is sold in coils, the models differ in the degree of heating and the amount of heat generated. Power range - 120–180 W/sq.m.
  • Mats. This is an analogue of a cable floor, in which the heating element is attached to the base with a given step.
  • Infrared film, along the edges of which there are contacts. Power - 150–220 Vm / sq. m.

Electric type floors are simpler in terms of installation and smaller in size; when laying them, it is not always necessary to dismantle the old floor covering. They heat up faster, and with the help of a customizable control system in each room, you can set one or another temperature. In addition, electrical structures are durable and can last up to 50 years.

But when installing on a wooden base, it must be remembered that there is a risk of fire in the event of a short circuit. Another disadvantage of electric floors is the high power consumption. When laying such structures, it is also necessary to check whether the electrical wiring can withstand the additional load.

Water systems are safer. All elements of such floors are hidden by the top flooring, so that the pipes do not take up extra space inside the room and do not spoil the interior. When installed on a wooden floor, water systems heat the room evenly, but weaker than electric structures, because the thermal conductivity of wood is low. It should also be borne in mind that there is a risk of leaks, especially at the joints.

In general, water-type underfloor heating is the most common backup heating system.

The choice of heating method also depends on which top coating will be used in the house. If you plan to lay ceramic or porcelain stoneware slabs, it is better to choose mats or a standard heat cable for heating. For a parquet board or a laminate, a film heating system is used. Water heated floor can be used with all types of floor coverings.

With proper installation and following the basic safety and operating rules, all types of structures are suitable for installation on a wooden floor.


Water heated floors are neater and safer than electric ones.

Installation of water heated floors on a wooden base

  • Building level.
  • Set of wrenches and wrenches.
  • A set of screwdrivers or a screwdriver.
  • Scissors for pipes from metalplastic.
  • Hot welding.
  • Roulette.
  • Pipes for the circulation of the coolant.
  • Waterproofing film
  • Thermal insulation material
  • Fasteners - clamps, brackets, straps and so on.
  • Equipment for connection to the heating system: couplings, adapters, mixers, collectors.

To create a warm floor, pipes of various types can be used: metal, metal-plastic, plastic, suture, seamless and others. The most popular variety is metal-plastic lines of a seamless type.

Water system device

When laying a pipe system on an existing wooden floor, it is necessary to assess its condition. If there are small gaps, they must be sealed with heat-insulating material or grout mixtures. In the case when the old floor cannot be repaired, it must be dismantled. The grounds for dismantling are:

  1. Lack of insulation. The wind can “walk” under the boards.
  2. Too much distance between the individual lags. It should not exceed 50-60 centimeters.

After checking and possibly dismantling the old wooden floor, you can proceed with the installation of a new structure. It is produced in several stages:


Do-it-yourself installation of a cable heating system

Necessary materials and tools

In the process of installing the cable floor, you will need a set of equipment and tools:

  • Heating cable.
  • Temperature controller.
  • Foil and material for thermal insulation.
  • Corrugated tube.
  • Mounting tape.
  • Measuring instruments (ohmmeter, voltmeter) necessary to test the network.
  • Mounting elements.
  • Working tools: pliers, screwdrivers, scissors, tape measure.

Installation guide

When installing a cable structure, a number of nuances must be taken into account:

  1. The presence of a thermostat in the system minimizes the risk of fire and overheating of floor coverings. In wooden buildings, the maximum temperature level is 40 degrees.
  2. The heating elements are evenly distributed over the area of ​​the room. The exception is areas where cabinets, sofas and other heavy objects are placed. With constant exposure, their weight can deform the cable.
  3. The height of the covering laid on top of the electric heating system depends on the type of wood. If the surface is hardwood (oak or beech), then the height limit is 2.4 mm. For "soft" varieties, this figure is 2.2 cm.

It is undesirable to place carpets in a room with warm floors. They prevent heat from spreading around the room.


The main thing when laying the cable is to evenly distribute it over the entire surface of the floor.

The installation technology is as follows:

  1. Ceilings are cleaned of dust and other contaminants.
  2. Cracks are closed with grout mixtures produced for the treatment of wood surfaces. It is not recommended to use mounting foam: the product has high insulating properties.
  3. The bars of the rough base are laid. Fastening to the base is done with self-tapping screws.
  4. A thermal insulation layer is placed in the interlayer between the bars. The most commonly used foil acts as an insulator and reflector of heat rays emitted by heating devices.
  5. A galvanized mesh is laid over the thermal insulation layer.
  6. A heating cable is laid on the grid.
  7. At the intersection of the cable with the bars, small cuts are made.
  8. The fastening of wires with bars is carried out using a mounting film. If you need to secure the cable to the grid, you can use clamps.

Installation of film heating on wooden floors

When preparing the base for the installation of the film system, it is not necessary to dismantle the old coating. It is necessary only in case of significant physical wear.

Necessary materials and tools

When installing an infrared underfloor heating, you will need the following tools and materials:

  • Heating film.
  • Polyethylene film.
  • Heat insulating underlay.
  • Thermostat and temperature sensor.
  • Wire (section - from 2.5 sq. mm).
  • Tools: scissors, knife (can be stationery), indicator screwdriver, tape measure, pliers.

Mounting technology

If you plan to use infrared film as the main source of heating, you need to ensure that it covers more than 70% of the floor.


Sheets of infrared film should be placed evenly on the floor, but in no case should they overlap

Independent installation and connection of the infrared floor is carried out according to the following algorithm:

  1. Cleaning the floor from dust and other contaminants. Work takes place on a dry, cleaned surface.
  2. With a wet draft layer, the thermal film is waterproofed. For this, a polyethylene film up to 50 microns thick is used.
  3. A film made of polypropylene or metallized lavsan is used as a heat reflector (aluminum foil cannot be used for these purposes). First you need to cut the material. If a warm floor is mounted in a large room, you need to ensure that the length of the film is no more than 10 meters.
  4. The material is laid at a distance of 25–30 cm from each wall. The thermal film is laid out on the floor with copper tires down. It is forbidden to step on the film, drop tools. It is also not allowed to overlap two sheets on top of each other. Before laying, you should mark out the room, determine where heavy furniture and equipment will stand, and avoid these places. Otherwise, due to constant pressure, the thermal film will deteriorate.

To connect the system to the electrical network, it is better to invite a competent electrician. If there is a desire to do it yourself, then the work should be organized as follows:

  1. Strip the wire (8–10 mm) and insert the end into the terminal.
  2. The contact is established on a sheet of film. Connection points and cut lines are insulated with vinyl mastic tape.
  3. After connecting all the sheets, the resistance is measured at the ends of the wires connected to the thermostat.
  4. Next, the load is calculated. For this, the formula W=V2/R is used, where V is the voltage in the network, R is the resistance. The final figure should be about 20-25% lower than the one indicated on the thermostat. After that, you can connect the device.
  5. Thermal film strips are connected to the thermostat in parallel. To avoid possible damage to the wiring, individual sections are hidden under thermal insulation.
  6. Then the temperature sensor is placed. The device is included with the thermostat. The installation location depends on what material is planned to be used as a finishing coating: if it is soft, then the sensor is installed in a place with a minimum load.
  7. Connecting the thermostat to the network and testing the system for contact overheating, sparking, and so on.

After completion of all work on the installation of the film floor, the finish coating is laid. If it is planned to use ceramic or porcelain stoneware tiles, a mounting grid is preliminarily laid out on the floor and fixed in places where there is no thermal film. After laying, the adhesive solution with which the tiles are mounted must dry. This will take about a month. It is not recommended to turn on the warm floor until this moment.

Video: How to make film heating on a wooden base

The ideal microclimate in the room is achieved with the help of heating devices. To obtain the optimal temperature in the room, you need to follow the rules for choosing and installing a warm floor on a wooden base, which allow any homeowner to easily install the selected system.

A wooden house, despite the archaism of the very idea of ​​using wood as a building material, can become quite convenient and comfortable housing in the current conditions. This type of building is very convenient for summer cottages, and the emergence of new technologies, the construction of modular wooden houses, have made wooden houses a successful and practical solution to the housing problem. Another question is what means of communication can equip a wooden residential building. If this housing is long-term and designed for long-term and permanent residence, then the heating of a residential facility comes out on top.

First of all, the strength of the structure itself confuses. Are wooden structures, including ceilings, able to cope with the installation of additional heating equipment. Judging by successful practical experience, the use of water heating systems in wooden houses is real and no less effective. Installation of the boiler and heating radiators is already a completed stage. Consider the following, is a warm water floor suitable for installation in a wooden house as a complete heating system.

The value of underfloor heating for wooden residential buildings

Wooden houses being built today are not much inferior to capital stone buildings. However, if a stone house, having a concrete foundation and reinforced concrete floors, can be equipped with any equipment and communications, the situation with wooden buildings is not so rosy. The whole problem is that from a technological point of view, a warm water floor carries a significant structural load. Not every room has a sufficient margin of safety, thanks to which complex communications can be successfully installed.

Water heating systems work due to the circulation of the coolant through a system of pipelines laid in the floor. The mass of the entire working structure of warm water floors reaches large values ​​in working condition.

For reference: the mass of concrete underfloor heating for one room is 5-6 tons. (sq. m. screeds 200-300 kg).

Is the wooden floor of a country house able to withstand such a weight. Will the logs of the base of a wooden house withstand such a weight, will such floors be reliable and durable? So many questions are before you, but there are options that can quickly and effectively solve the problem. Floor systems of warm water floors are techniques that have shown themselves well in practice. Underfloor heating, due to its advantages, makes wooden houses from ordinary temporary huts, full-fledged residential facilities.


For a wooden building, underfloor heating plays a very important role. The heating system "water heated floor" in a wooden house is revealed in all its glory. The advantages of this heating option are more than obvious and are as follows:

  • heating floors most optimally warm up the interior of the living space;
  • in the absence of conversion, with such heating, the circulation of dust inside the room is excluded;
  • a wooden house, sufficiently well insulated and equipped with warm water floors, is reliably protected from such a phenomenon as damp corners;
  • underfloor heating keeps the optimal humidity regime inside the wooden house;
  • with this method of heating, the likelihood of burns is completely eliminated, in contrast to the radiator heating system;
  • economic indicators. Warm water floors in comparison with radiator heating by 30% reduce fuel costs associated with the preparation of the coolant;
  • significant savings in internal space;
  • reliability, safety and durability of heating systems based on water floors.

Speaking of wooden houses, the only drawback of such a heating system is the bulkiness of the structure itself, the duration and painstaking work. However, subject to the necessary technologies, instructions and rules, the installation of a house will not be associated with much trouble. The result of the work itself will be the efficient operation of heating equipment and significantly improved living conditions.

For reference: the underfloor heating water circuit made of polyethylene pipes can be used to work with an antifreeze-based coolant. This heating option is ideal for country and country houses, designed for rare visits during the cold season. A pipeline filled with antifreeze is not subject to defrosting.

Ways of laying a water floor in a wooden house

The following should be said right away. A wooden house, no matter how strong it is, a priori lacks stone load-bearing walls and ceilings. The only stone element of a wooden building can be a foundation or basement. However, modern technologies of small housing construction involve the minimum use of concrete work in the process of building a residential facility.

On a note: block houses are assembled within 2-3 days. All structural elements, including internal partitions and ceilings, are designed for a certain load. It is allowed only over time to equip the stone foundation, thereby giving the wooden building the necessary strength, reliability and solidity.


That's why! The floor in a private house is usually made inlaid, according to a flooring scheme. For one-story buildings, logs, solid and massive wooden structural elements act as the base of the floor. In such a situation, a water-heated floor in a frame house can be laid under wooden flooring or resorted to new, very successful and effective methods. To date, there is a lot of practical experience in laying water floors on a wooden base. There are two types of laying heating floors on a wooden base:

  • according to the modular scheme;
  • on a rack base.

Accordingly, both options can be applied during the construction of panel and block houses. Water pipes are laid in the space between the lags or on the rough floor surface resting on the logs. Modular and rack laying schemes have their own design and technological differences.

In the first case, ready-made wooden modules are used to lay the water circuit loop. In the second option, the heating pipes are mounted in the space between the boards and slats. The main feature when installing the first and second options is that you create a draft floor in which heating pipes are installed. On top of the prefabricated structure, metal heat exchange plates are laid, on which the finishing floor covering is already placed.

On a note: when using ceramic tiles or linoleum, the rough surface, together with pipes and metal plates, is additionally covered with an insulating layer of DSP boards. This measure is caused by the need to ensure uniform distribution of the load over the entire floor surface, to create conditions for uniform heat transfer between the water circuits and the finish coating.

Before starting work on the installation of underfloor heating, you will need to complete a number of mandatory steps, including the development of a heating system project and a survey of the structural elements of the building. Such a precaution is associated with the technological features of wooden buildings. For instance:

  • a wooden building already shrinks within the first year. Approximately up to 5%. This remark must be taken into account when equipping underfloor heating during the construction of a wooden house;
  • wood behaves differently in different climates. Excessive dryness or vice versa, high humidity causes cracking of wooden structures, the formation of rot and mold. Therefore, such houses should be built taking into account all the subtleties and nuances that protect wooden structures from negative atmospheric effects.

As for the design of the heating scheme, here one should take into account the heated area, the degree of thermal insulation of residential premises and, accordingly, the climatic conditions of the region. Neglecting these aspects, as a result of painstaking and laborious work, you can get an inefficient heating system, a warm floor, from which there will be little use.

On a note: The thermal efficiency of a residential building is one of the defining elements of a heating system. With competent actions, it is possible to achieve an increase in the efficiency of heating equipment by 15-20%. Insulation of wall panels, window and door openings is a prerequisite for high-quality heating of the house.

The preparatory work prior to the installation of heating floors includes the assessment of the base. Not every building has the necessary technological parameters, thanks to which you can immediately begin to equip the heating system. Wooden base boards, logs should lie correctly, have a “healthy” structure. Rotten areas or damaged whole fragments must be replaced with new products. An optimal distance of 60 cm is allowed between the lags. Large gaps existing between the boards, over 2 mm, are eliminated by laying heat-insulating material.

For reference: if it is visually possible to determine that the wooden flooring or structural elements have exhausted themselves, it is better to dismantle them and create a new structure - the base.

When examining the foundation, pay attention to the following factors:

  • does the wind “walk” under the floor;
  • whether the logs lie evenly or at a great distance from each other;
  • old boards before installation are best treated with a planer, removing a layer of old and corroded wood;
  • the entire deck surface must be level. The presence of irregularities, at least up to 2 mm, is allowed.

Instructions for installing underfloor heating in wooden buildings

After preparing the base, the main task is to create the necessary floor insulation in a wooden house. Properly made insulation retain heat and direct it upwards, thereby heating the floor covering. Otherwise, you will be heating the basement or heating the ground in your garden.

A rough coating or raised floor is made in order to lay a layer of thermal insulation on it. Having nailed sheets of plywood or chipboard to the logs from below, which are covered with steam and heat-insulating film. Further, the entire internal space between the lags is filled with foam or mineral wool. Usually the thickness of the insulation layer does not exceed 100 mm. The figure clearly shows the options for mounting a water floor on a wooden structure.

Mineral wool, the density of which is 35-40 kg / m 3, is best suited as a heater. You can use foam or polystyrene foam.

Using a modular set-up scheme, you will spend much more time, but your floor will be an order of magnitude harder and stronger. You choose which scheme to use, modular or rack. And in the first and second cases, everything is decided by the level of comfort that you expect when equipping the heating system in a particular room.

The modular type of laying allows you to properly lay the water circuit, observing the required pipe pitch and layout scheme. In addition, the metal plates will be securely fixed, there is no need to lay an additional leveling layer before laying the finish coat. The modules are very convenient when equipping indoor water floors laid with a snake. A similar scheme for laying the heating pipeline is also suitable for rack type.

Important! You should know that the metal plates are laid transversely to the grooves in which the water pipe is laid.

Conclusion

As in all cases, laying underfloor heating in this case is not complete without a layer of hydro and thermal insulation. Underfloor heating can be done using metal-plastic, copper and polyethylene pipes. It is important to know what will go where. For the first floor, you can get by with copper pipes, but their cost is quite high and at a high temperature of the coolant there is a high probability of damage to the integrity of the insulating layer.

Metal-plastic pipes are the most common phenomenon, however, when using a modular type, such consumables are of little use. The reason is that metal-plastic pipes have a large turning radius. For a pipe with a diameter of 16 mm, the bending radius is 80 mm. Polyethylene pipes are best suited, which can be freely bent and laid in accordance with a given pattern. During installation, observe the pipe laying step, it should not be more than 20-30 cm. These parameters correspond to the distance between the grooves in the modules or between the loops of the water circuit in the rack scheme.

Underfloor heating in a wooden house is an effective interior heating system that functions in tandem with regular heating. The choice of the type of underfloor heating for a wooden house depends on many factors: system efficiency, cost-effectiveness in installation and operation, complexity in arrangement and the possibility of combination with one or another floor covering. Having chosen a suitable auxiliary heating scheme, it is necessary to delve into how to gradually make a warm floor in a wooden house: starting with laying the base base and ending with decorative trim.


Underfloor heating systems for a wooden house

It is believed that the best option for a warm floor for a private house made of wood is a water system, when the heated coolant - water or antifreeze, circulates through pipes laid in the underground space. Electric underfloor heating, functioning by heating an electrical cable or graphite plates (carbon rods) sealed in a film, is less often equipped in wooden buildings, but they also have certain advantages. Before choosing a warm floor in a wooden house, it is necessary to analyze all the "pros" and "cons" of existing heating systems, decide on the filling of the "pie" of the floor, as well as the type of decorative material for the finishing flooring.

Advantages and disadvantages of underfloor heating systems

  • Water. Difficult and expensive to install, low cost to operate. Inertial - due to smooth heating and cooling, they are optimally suited for wooden floors, parquet boards, linoleum, carpet. They create a significant load on the floor, differ in the largest thickness of the "pie" of the floor.
  • Electrical cable. Light weight and slight loss in room height compared to water systems. Among the shortcomings - the possibility of a short circuit and fire, a significant consumption of electricity.
  • Electric cable on mats. Simplified installation scheme, smaller section of the heating element than classic cable systems. Electric heated floors are perfectly combined with ceramic floor coverings.
  • infrared. The most budgetary, quick and easy-to-install option for underfloor heating, easy to install with your own hands. They have small thickness and weight, low inertia, average power consumption. It is possible to quickly adjust the temperature regime using a thermostat, fragmentary repair of the system. Pairs well with laminate.

Stages of underfloor heating in a wooden house

The procedure for installing a warm floor depends on the chosen system: cable, water or infrared, the type of base (concrete, wood) and the type of flooring.

Instructions for laying a warm floor in a wooden house on logs:


The modern world has given us a lot of unique inventions designed to provide comfortable living in the house. One of these innovations is underfloor heating, which has recently been used everywhere, it can be found in country houses and apartments. And this is no coincidence, such a heat source has a lot of advantages compared to classic heating equipment. Underfloor heating in a wooden house can be used both as an additional heating system and as an alternative to traditional heating equipment. In the article, we will review all types of structures, consider how they differ from each other, and analyze which warm floor is better to use in a wooden house.

The warm floor represents the built-in floor heating system which consists of several layers. Inside the structure, electrical cables or pipes are laid, enclosed in a pie of heat, steam and waterproofing. The warm floor is laid on a solid base, a leveling layer is poured on top and a decorative floor covering is mounted.

As a rule, the system is used for heating in the bathroom, kitchen, toilet, shower rooms, where it fits under the tiles and serves as an additional heat source. The heating floor is often equipped in the bath and sauna, it can be installed under the laminate and under the linoleum in living rooms.

As for log and lumber houses with wooden floors, the concrete base is usually not poured, since the wooden frame can be deformed under heavy load. In houses made of wood, they make a dry warm floor without a screed on plywood or a subfloor made of boards. Some skeptics believe that installing heating floors in a house made of timber and logs is generally impossible, since this is fraught with fire and surface deformation.

There are enough nuances when arranging a heating system in a wooden house, but if you correctly approach the issue, taking into account the intricacies of operating wooden buildings, arranging a warm floor is a possible and reasonable solution. Today, in log houses, underfloor heating is often used as the main heating system.

Warm floors are represented by two main types:

  1. Water.
  2. Electrical.

The former consist of a pipeline network through which hot water flows continuously. The second ones heat the room with a heating cable, rods or film.

Traditional heating devices are not able to provide uniform heating of the air in the room; they create convection heat flows in the room that rush from the floor to the ceiling and back. In this case, the main heat goes to the ceiling, where it remains. Down comes already cooled air, and when it reaches the floor, its temperature is far from comfortable.

The main advantage of underfloor heating is that it distributes warm air evenly over the entire area of ​​the room. The temperature difference between the ceiling and the floor is minimized and the warmest air settles at the bottom.

Another important plus of heating floors is the ability to adjust the temperature. To do this, the system has a thermostat, one turn of its handle allows you to set the desired temperature. Thanks to this function, the user, in addition to convenience, receives significant energy savings.

In more detail, the pros and cons of each heating system will be discussed in the review. This will help you decide on the choice of underfloor heating for your home.

Distinctive features of each type

water floor

The water floor is a network of polymer pipes laid between the base and the front cover. Warm water flows continuously through the pipeline, which is supplied from an electric or gas boiler.

Such a heating system demonstrates maximum efficiency when used in private houses of a large area. The temperature of the coolant in brick houses is not more than 50 degrees, in wooden buildings, according to technical standards, it cannot exceed 30 degrees. Due to the low temperature, energy costs are reduced. Savings reach even greater levels if the water is heated by a solid fuel or gas boiler.

Usually, a water heating system is installed under a thick concrete screed; the laying of water circuits on a wooden floor is usually done in a dry way, while the pipes are allowed to run along the logs. The first option is also not excluded, and in both cases, the services of specialists will be required who will be able to correctly draw up a wiring diagram, which will eliminate possible unforeseen nuances during work.

When deciding to equip a water floor in a house made of timber, you need to take into account some of the disadvantages of this system:

  • complex design and installation of the system;
  • warming up the room is carried out for at least four hours;
  • during operation, pipe leakage is not ruled out.

Electrical heating systems

Electric floor heating

Electric underfloor heating can be called a universal system, as it is suitable for installation in any room. It is easy and quick to install, easy to adjust, allows you to set the temperature to the nearest degree.

There are two main groups of electric floor heating on the market:

  • convection;
  • infrared.

They use different heating principles. In the first case, heating occurs with the help of a cable. It is available in coils or thermomats. In the second, thermal film or carbon rods act as heaters.

Cable electrical systems appeared among the first and have been used for a long time. For the organization of heating, one- or two-core cables of different lengths and capacities are used. They are distinguished by their low price and long service life, which is about twenty years.

However, despite the low cost of the material, the maintenance of the system will be quite expensive. When arranging the structure, special attention must be paid to the calculation; improper installation can lead to serious problems in the future. Another disadvantage is the electromagnetic radiation that is present in the room when using an electric floor.

Not so long ago, a new type of heating cable appeared on sale - self-regulating, in which the conductive cores are made of semiconductors. Systems equipped with such a cable are more economical, the elements do not burn out or overheat, but their service life is much shorter than that of conventional wires.

A more advanced version of cable systems are thermomats, which also use a two-core heating cable for heating. The heating element is mounted on a fiberglass mesh, which simplifies the calculation and installation. The thermomat is simply spread on the base, if necessary, the sheet is cut to the desired size. Despite the higher cost, as a result, the price of a warm floor is on the same level as the previous option.

The infrared system is the most advanced heating technology, with an efficiency approaching 97%. Such floors are completely safe for humans, they do not create electromagnetic radiation.

There are two types of heating floors using infrared technology:

  1. Film floor heating
  2. Heating carbon rods.

The infrared film has a multilayer structure. As a heating element, it uses a bimetallic or carbon fiber, laid in a two-layer polymer film with good dielectric characteristics.

The film is very thin, its thickness is about 0.4 mm. The surface heating temperature does not exceed 50 degrees, which allows it to be used not only for tiles in the bathroom and bathroom, but also for linoleum, laminate flooring and carpet.

The infrared floor is sold in rolls of different widths, if necessary, it can be cut into segments along special red lines.

Another type of underfloor heating that uses infrared technology is carbon heating rods. They are self-adjusting and can be installed under any floor covering. Damage and overheating during operation is excluded. They are placed in rooms with high humidity, as well as in open areas.

The equipment does not belong to the underfloor heating system, it can be used as the main source of heating, and as additional heating.

Convectors are built-in heating devices installed under the floor. From above they are closed with a decorative lattice with blinds. The equipment can heat large areas and is usually used in rooms with panoramic windows where it is impossible to make a conventional heating system and equip a warm floor.

The heating element in the convector is pipes with hot water connected to the heating system of the house or an electric heater - heating element.

There are two varieties:

  • models that work due to natural air circulation;
  • forced convection appliances with built-in fan.

The second type has a higher performance, and has a good air heating rate.

Key points for choosing underfloor heating

When deciding to equip heated floors in a bathhouse, or choosing an underfloor heating system for a log house, the following points must be considered:

  1. The configuration, area and height of the room where the installation is supposed to be.
  2. The system will be used as the main or additional heating, in both cases the calculation of the power of the structure is carried out in different ways.
  3. Loading the room with furniture. All types of heating floors except infrared cannot withstand overheating, furniture puts pressure on the structure, which causes the temperature to rise.

We have given only the main guidelines for choosing underfloor heating, in fact, there are much more criteria.

When arranging the floor system in a log house, it is necessary to take into account the features of the operation of a wooden house. All this can only be done by professionals. Underfloor heating is a complex structure; if installed incorrectly, it will not be able to function effectively and can cause many problems for the owners of the house.

The company "Master Srubov" is your assistant in the insulation of the house. Our specialists will select the optimal design based on the characteristics of your structure, make the correct calculation and perform a competent installation of the floor heating system. The installation will be carried out in full accordance with the technology and taking into account the behavior of the wooden structure.

All information on how to contact us can be found in the section.

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