IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON FLOOR HEATING/ROOM HEATING
Floor heating is by far the most economical way of heating, provided it is used in the same way as any other source of heat, that is to say, to maintain the temperature of the room in cold weather. In tests, floor heating installations have shown energy savings of up to 30 per cent.
How Does It Work?
Where radiators are used to heat a room, the air immediately around a radiator is heated and the warm air rises towards the ceiling. The warm air is continuously replaced by new warm air which forces down the air heated earlier, so that this air gradually returns to the radiator. This way of heating will result in the heat getting concentrated at ceiling level, where people do not spend a lot of time. As a consequence, the temperature distribution will, for example, be as follows: at floor level, 17°C, at body level, 22°C, and, at ceiling level, 30-35°C.
With floor heating, the floor temperature will be 25-27°C, room temperature 20-22°C, and ceiling-level temperature 25°C, that is to say, an ideal curve. The reason is that the large heating area can be at a low temperature, which does not cause any forced air movement.
Easy Installation
Heating cable rated at 100W/m² and a thermostat sensor are installed in the floor.
The heating cable is mounted on the top-bar or crack-control reinforcement 30-50mm below the floor surface and is fastened at intervals of one metre using cable tie or plastic-coated binder. The centre distance should be 180-250mm, depending on the desired output. The thermostat sensor is placed in protective tubing between two cable runs.
Suitable surface materials:
Clinker, parquet or laminate, carpets.
Floorings
For heated floors, the best floorings are ceramic materials, clinker, stone and materials which conduct heat well.
Laminated Floors
Parquet and laminated floors up to 10mm thick allow a heat transfer which is sufficient for a standard home in which the room temperature is maintained at a constant level. However, in the course of time, such wood-based floors risk being damaged by greatly varying temperatures as the amount of moisture in the floor is proportional to the temperature and causes the floor to swell and shrink. An additional disadvantage is that a wood-based floor has some insulating effect, which reduces the heat output from the floor.
Vinyl Floor Coverings
Check with your supplier if these are suitable for heated floors.
Wood-Based Floors
Wood-based floors of the Baseko type and more than 12mm thick are completely unsuited to floor heating. For such floors, comfort heat installations rated at 45-55 W/m² are recommended.
Mountain and Leisure Cottages
Cottages where the temperature is reduced for longer periods should be fitted with some form of additional heating, in order for them to reach normal temperature quickly when someone arrives there.
The service life of the heating cable may be put at 30-50 years, depending on the heat transfer properties of the finish floor.