You will not surprise anyone with the conversion of a balcony into an office or a cozy relaxation area. This idea is increasingly used by the owners of not only new buildings, but also old apartment buildings. When arranging a new room on the loggia, you will need to do it yourself, because. developers, as a rule, do not even conduct electricity here. Next, we will tell you how to make an electric underfloor heating on the balcony with your own hands, providing a few small instructions with video examples!
Heating cable
The most time-consuming process is laying a heating cable on a balcony or loggia. If you decide to make just such an option for an electric underfloor heating (as in the photo), then please note that the height of the room will be reduced by 12-15 cm (due to the screed and insulation).
You should also understand that installing the heating cable and pouring the screed under it will take a lot of time. If you understand all this and still decide to heat the balcony with a cable, then follow the instructions below:
- Dismantle the old flooring and level the surface under the screed.
- Insulate the floor and walls with foil-coated polyethylene foam. Be sure to glue the joints with metal tape.
- Glue a damper tape along the perimeter of the balcony, which will protect the floor from deformation during the thermal expansion of the screed.
- Attach a mesh or mounting tape to the insulation layer for attaching an electric heated floor to the loggia.
- Fasten the heating cable with the same pitch, which must be calculated, focusing on the area of the room and the recommended heating power - 250 W / m2.
- Install the thermostat and temperature sensor in a suitable location.
- Ring the circuit to make sure everything is properly connected and working.
- Take a photo of the finished electrical heating system so that if repairs are needed, you will know exactly where everything is.
- Prepare a cement-sand mortar and pour a screed 4-5 cm thick.
- When the solution hardens completely (in the summer it is enough to wait a few days), you can proceed to laying tiles or linoleum flooring.
If you decide to make an electric underfloor heating on the balcony using a heating cable, please note that laminate and parquet in this case cannot be used as flooring.
You can see the process on the loggia in this video example:
How to lay the heating cable correctly
Heating mats
Installation of thermomats on the balcony is much easier to carry out, because. for this, it is not necessary to calculate the laying step of the conductor and pour the concrete screed. The advantage of heating mats is that they do not reduce the height of the ceiling as much.
If you decide to make the heating of the loggia with electric thermomats, proceed according to the following technology:
- Prepare a suitable piece of mat to cover the entire area of the room. As a rule, thermomats are produced half a meter wide and up to 30 meters long. You can cut a suitable piece for your conditions. The main thing is not to touch the heating cable on the grid.
- Lay the material on the old tile or concrete screed.
- Connect the temperature sensor and temperature controller.
- Check if the connection is correct.
- On top of the mats, paving the tiles on a special tile adhesive.
As you can see, do-it-yourself installation of an electric underfloor heating on a balcony in this case is quite simple. Please note that thermomats are installed without the use of insulation!
You can see the installation process in more detail in the video tutorial below:
How to put a thermostat
Infrared film
Well, if you decide to use a laminate or parquet board as a floor covering on the balcony, then the only option is. Its advantage is the minimum thickness of the material, which will not affect the height of the ceiling.
So, you can independently make an infrared warm floor on the loggia using the following technology:
- Level the surface by making a rough screed (if the old floor has defects and bumps).
- Lay down a layer of insulation.
- Install infrared film.
- Install temperature sensor and thermostat.
- Connect the wires to the film, carefully insulate the connection points with bituminous composition.
- Cover the finished warm floor on the balcony with laminate or parquet.
This option for heating the loggia with electricity is the most modern and economical. The film has better heat transfer, because. part of the heat will not be spent on heating the concrete screed. According to reviews on thematic forums, installing a film underfloor heating on a balcony is the most effective option for electric heating.
To cover the floor of insulated balconies or loggias, various materials are used - laminate, linoleum, carpets, tiles. All finishing materials, except ceramics, are mounted on wooden logs and chipboard sheets, which can be damaged if water gets on them or prolonged exposure to high humidity (this can be attributed to carpet and laminate).
Rice. 1 Moisture condensation on balcony glazing
Moisture and water can appear on any balcony even when it is completely waterproofed due to water vapor condensation on glazing and decoration in winter, with a large temperature difference between outside and inside the room.
Therefore, laying tiled flooring on the floor of balconies and loggias, which is not exposed to water and high humidity, is the most popular option when repairing residential premises.
The ceramic floor is quite cold even in a warm room, therefore, when laying tiles in an apartment, it is heated from below, and in a glazed balcony, underfloor heating performs an additional function of heating the room.
Currently, several methods of floor heating are widely used in everyday life:
Water
A system of pipes from the central heating is laid under the floor, through which hot water flows. The method of water heating is widely used in country houses and cottages; in apartments, a warm water floor on a balcony during unauthorized installation is inefficient, expensive and prohibited by law.
Rice. 2 Water heated floor on the loggia
infrared
Floor heating with electric films that emit infrared radiation is a fairly popular method of space heating in recent times; it is easy to install a film underfloor heating on a balcony with your own hands under linoleum, laminate, carpet.
When installing infrared film emitters under tiles, technical difficulties arise due to poor adhesion of the film surface with adhesive cement mixtures.
If not immediately, then during operation with frequent temperature changes during on-off cycles, the cement mortar will peel off from the film and voids will appear under the tile, leading to damage to the floor - this limits the use of infrared film for installation in a tiled floor. It is also recommended to lay the infrared floor together with a foil substrate that reflects infrared radiation - this creates even more problems when placed under ceramic tiles.
Electrical
Floor heating system with electric wire of standard thickness 5 mm. differs in low cost and ease of installation, thanks to the placement of the wire on the grid and its small area, the mats perfectly adhere to cement mortars. This makes them the most suitable for heating tiled floors mounted on a cement-sand screed.
The device of a warm floor from a tile on a balcony
The device of a warm floor on a balcony is irrational without its thermal insulation from a concrete slab, therefore the use of insulation under the screed is the most important condition for its efficient operation with minimal power consumption. In addition, a screed, electric mat and tiles will further raise the balcony floor. Before you make a warm floor, its height can be calculated in advance.
Rice. 3 The structure of the warm floor on the balcony
Balcony floor height calculation
The standard height of the balcony threshold is 150 mm. - it is rational to raise the height of the floor on the balcony to this mark and above in order to avoid an unaesthetic step that interferes with the exit. The floor on the balcony can be raised almost to the door leaf, which is another 50 mm. As a result, the floor on the balcony can be raised to a distance in the range of 150 - 200 mm. Knowing the installation technology and the dimensions of building materials will help to more accurately calculate its height:
The thickness of the screed layer is directly related to the material of manufacture (density) and the thickness of the insulation - the denser and thinner it is, the smaller the thickness of the screed can be done on the balcony.
The procedure for installing a warm floor on a tiled balcony
It is almost impossible for a non-specialist to do this work with high quality with their own hands; laying tiles on an electric underfloor heating is quite a difficult task even for experienced tilers. The work to be carried out can be divided into several stages.
Rice. 5 Installation of insulation and mesh
Insulation installation
For use as a heater on the balcony, it is better to use the material with the highest density - Penoplex 45 (density 35 - 47 kg / m3) with a maximum thickness of 100 mm., It is fastened to the floor with a dowel - umbrellas.
When using hydrophobic extruded polystyrene foam, Penoplex does not require a primer (if attached to dowels-umbrellas) and waterproofing of the concrete slab. Installation of Penoplex plates is carried out joint-to-butt by connecting L-shaped edges, while cold bridges are not formed. To seal the insulation at the edges, use foam.
Penoplex can also be fastened with glue after priming the balcony floor, while using materials based on cement with mineral additives - Stopter K-20, Plitonit Stf, Ceresit CT85, UNS or on polyurethane - Tytan Styro, Emfikol 225, Zenit-36, Kleiberit Pur Leim.
Screed
Rice. 6 Screed on lighthouses
After installation on Penoplex, a metal mesh is laid, beacon strips are made along the edges using a level from a solution for screeds or metal guides (pipes, rectangular profile, plaster beacons). The screed solution is pulled along the guides with a rule or a building level, a damper tape made of foamed polystyrene strips (laminate substrate, Penofol) or other synthetic materials must be laid along the edges.
Laying the electric mat
After the screed hardens, a zigzag electric cable is placed on its surface and fixed with tile adhesive, the electric cable extending from it and the temperature sensor are placed in a corrugated tube. To place the corrugations in the floor and wall, using a perforator, make a strobe of the required depth (20 mm.)
Rice. 7 Installation of a warm floor: on a tiled loggia
Laying tiles
Work on laying tiles on an electric mat should be trusted only by experienced professionals, it is carried out with a tool that provides a height of the adhesive layer of 8 - 10 mm. (pitch of a tile comb tooth). The cracks in the corners after installation of the floor are closed with a plastic plinth.
It is important when carrying out work to use building materials only for underfloor heating, which have special additives in their composition, costing more than usual.
The device of a warm tiled floor for a balcony is the best solution in case of high humidity. Qualitatively laying underfloor heating on the loggias is possible only for experienced specialists - if the preparatory work for the installation of insulation and screeds can be done independently, then the laying of tiles should be trusted only to masters.
The floor is the coldest of all building envelopes. Given that a person is constantly in contact with the floor surface, homeowners have long sought to make this contact comfortable. Laying insulation for finishing floors, cladding with materials with high thermal insulation characteristics are passive measures in this direction, since they are aimed only at preserving heat in the room, and not at generating it. The emergence of systems commonly referred to as “warm floors” has become a solution to the problem, not only of comfortable contact with the floor surface, but also of their heating.
Heated floors have long ceased to be exotic, but the rather high cost of arranging housing with them still prevents the widespread use of this equipment in everyday life. However, users who have equipped their homes with underfloor heating and appreciated their merits are striving to expand the scope of these systems, even putting up with a decrease in their effectiveness.
Underfloor heating under tiles on a balcony with panoramic windows
Let's consider how to install a warm floor on a balcony, without confusing it with a loggia, and the validity of this operation.
Types of underfloor heating systems
The task of heating equipment of this type is to increase the temperature of the floor finish to a value that is comfortable for contact with the human body. This is achieved by heating the layer arranged under the floor cladding, in which the heating circuit is located. This layer can be made of cement-sand mortar or other material, depending on the type and design of underfloor heating.
The principle of operation of a warm floor
The heating circuit releases heat to the surrounding material, which in turn transfers it to the finish. Heated floor cladding initiates air convection from the floor to the ceiling - uniform, without concentrated flows, which leads to a more comfortable mode of heating the room.
Comparison of convection from a radiator and underfloor heating According to the origin of the heat given off, the heating circuits are divided into water and electric. Underfloor heating that uses water and electricity also received the same name.
Floors with water heating
heating circuit such a floor is a flat coil of a tube through which a coolant circulates - hot water or an antifreeze solution. Moving along the contour, the liquid through the walls of the tube gives off heat to the environmental material and again enters the heater.
Types of layout of the water heating circuit The source of hot water for the heating circuit can be a central heating system or an autonomous boiler.
In the first case, the coil does not need additional equipment, only shut-off valves are needed at the tie-in points.
If it is planned to install warm floors from an autonomous boiler, then, in addition to the circuit, it is necessary to install an expansion tank and a distribution unit with automatic control.
Electric heated floors
In electric underfloor heating, the heat generator is a heating circuit, which is connected to the household network through an automation system.
Electric underfloor heating is produced with three types of heating circuits:
- cable;
- in the form of mats;
- infrared.
The first type is made of special small-section self-regulating cables that heat up when current passes through them, the second is an improved version of the first (laid on the base), the third is made of infrared plate emitters.
Features of the operation of balconies
Both closed and open balconies are structures that have a special location that determines individual constructive and operational characteristics.
- Balcony slabs do not have supports under the outer side and protrude from the load-bearing walls of the facade like consoles. In this regard, balconies, according to GOST, their maximum load is only 200 kg / m 2.
- The enclosing structures of the balcony rooms from the side of the street are thinner, and therefore it is much colder in these rooms in winter.
- The balconies of the upper floors are difficult to access for outdoor work.
- The glazing area of balconies is usually significant, and what adds another negative factor is water on the floor.
Based on these features, the following conclusions can be drawn:
- The installation of underfloor heating on the balcony without performing the insulation of the enclosing structures is inefficient.
- and the floor should be made of lightweight materials, easier - from the inside.
- The finishing of the floor surface of the balcony in the area of possible contact with atmospheric moisture must be moisture resistant.
Let us consider in more detail how to make the thermal insulation of the enclosing structures of balcony rooms.
How to insulate the floor on the balcony
During the operation of underfloor heating, the maximum heat loss will be through the balcony slab. If the balcony of the neighbors from below is not heated, then the heat loss will be even more significant. This means that the implementation of thermal insulation of the supporting base is mandatory, and the technology is selected depending on the design of the balcony and the height of the ceilings.
In private houses with high ceilings and loggias, the slabs of which are based on columns or walls, the choice of floor insulation methods is wide - you can use both solid sheet polymeric materials (foam, polystyrene, polyurethane foam) and loose (expanded clay, slag), laid with a layer of necessary thickness.
For apartment balconies, one has to choose a material with reference to the situation, and to the detriment of efficiency, reduce the thickness of the bulk insulation.
In order for the effect of expanded clay thermal insulation to be acceptable, a layer of it must be at least 5 cm, and for high-quality performance - up to 20 cm.
Insulation of the balcony floor with expanded clay
The name "expanded clay" means expanded clay sand and gravel of various sizes of fractions. As a heater, this material has been used for a long time and is popular to this day, since, with the availability of the price range, it is close in merits to modern heat-shielding materials.
Gravel expanded clay is produced in the following fractions:
- 5–10 mm;
- 10–20 mm;
- 20–40 mm.
Fraction up to 5 mm is called expanded clay sand.
The larger the fraction, the higher the thermal insulation characteristics of expanded clay, but at the same time, its susceptibility to shrinkage is greater.
Expanded clay is a hygroscopic material, and, after getting wet, it loses its heat-insulating properties, and dries for a long time. Therefore, the floor for laying expanded clay must be equipped with vapor and waterproofing so that the moisture of the concrete does not accumulate in the insulation. For this purpose, a technical polyethylene film with a thickness of 0.5 mm is suitable, the laying of which is carried out with an overlap of 5-7 cm strips on each other, and 10-15 cm on the walls. There are no high requirements for evenness of the concrete base, but bulges with sharp edges should be cut down from it, and shells with a depth of more than 3 mm should be filled with cement mortar.
Checking the quality of the surface of the bearing concrete base Important! The strips of the top layer of polyethylene are laid across the bottom, and the overlaps of the film are coated with bituminous mastic from the inside.
On top of the obtained vapor barrier coating, expanded clay is laid to the intended level. To facilitate the subsequent leveling of the surface of the filled-in insulation, you can first install “beacons” or temporary guide rails on the floor.
Alignment with a lath of laid expanded clay If the height of the ceilings allows, it is better to backfill in two layers, placing a fraction of 5-10 mm below, and 10-20 mm on top.
Then, along the perimeter of the room, a damper tape 10 cm wide is glued to the wall along the edge of expanded clay, which will take on the thermal expansion of the materials to be laid.
A reinforced cement-sand mortar screed 5 cm thick is arranged on top of the expanded clay insulation layer. A mesh with a cell of approximately 10x10 cm made of steel or fiberglass rod is used as reinforcement, which is easily knitted with one's own hands. Before pouring concrete, the mesh is laid on expanded clay and positioned so that its plane is located closer to the lower surface of the future screed.
Scheme of the device for floor insulation with expanded clay At the end of the pouring, the concrete is covered with a cellophane film and within 28 days it is provided with a full set of strength.
The floor is identically insulated with solid heat-insulating materials, for example, extruded polystyrene foam (styrofoam) 3-5 cm thick - a durable sheet insulator that can withstand the load from the weight of a person standing on it.
It is convenient to install screed beacons on this material - screw long self-tapping screws to the desired depth. The height of the ceilings when using foam plastic suffers less, but the price of this material is higher than the cost of foam plastic and expanded clay.
Wall insulation
Considering that the hardness of the insulation for walls is not of fundamental importance, today there are many materials with suitable characteristics - mineral and polymer, sheet and roll, hard and soft.
If we are talking about housing, it is better to abandon the use of mineral wool materials - due to their hygroscopicity, they need additional protection.
Consider the device for thermal insulation of walls using sheet polymer insulation using one of these materials as an example.
Balcony wall insulation with polystyrene foam
This insulation is one of the varieties of foam, widespread in everyday life and often referred to as such. This material has many advantages, and at the same time it is cheap.
The method of fixing the expanded polystyrene to the wall depends on the base material and the planned finish.
Insulation from the inside to the wall can be mounted in the following ways:
- glue on PVA or other composition that does not contain aggressive solvents;
- mount on special wedging fungi;
- insert into a frame of wooden blocks or cd-profiles.
Internal thermal insulation of the balcony walls And on top of the insulation, the following finish is used:
- reinforcing paint mesh, followed by puttying and painting, wallpapering;
- cladding along the frame with plastic panels, siding or clapboard.
Having completed the insulation of a balcony or loggia with polystyrene foam, you can expect not only pleasant contact from warm floors, but also heating the room.
Heated floor of a residential balcony under a tile
Having considered the methods of warming the carrier plate and walls, you can proceed to the choice of a floor heating system.
Of the two main groups of this equipment - water and electric, systems on the water seem to be more attractive. But the installation of the water heating circuit is carried out in a 5 cm thick screed. Considering that the floor was insulated under it, followed by the laying of a bearing layer of concrete of approximately the same thickness, for the balconies of most old apartment buildings such a load on the base will be dangerous.
In addition, in such houses, connection to central heating requires coordination, and in 99% of cases it will not be successful, since the additional load from the operation of underfloor heating in individual apartments unbalances the entire water heating system of an apartment building.
Important! If the room is small, then connecting its underfloor heating system to central heating may not affect the quality of heating the house as a whole, but such unauthorized actions are fraught with fines.
Therefore, warm floors on the water are not suitable for old houses.
Then we will consider modern houses with a free layout, for example, project P44T, in which the connection of warm water floors to central heating is allowed.
Connecting the underfloor heating on the balcony to the central heating
At first glance, this solution has a significant a plus in the form of low cost performance (no need to purchase water heating equipment) and no energy costs.
Connecting the water heating circuit to the central heating But further analysis of the situation somewhat reduces enthusiasm due to the following cons :
- dependence on the operating mode of the boiler house (beginning and end of the heating season, emergency, scheduled work);
- possible unacceptability for the installed equipment of the parameters of the coolant in the system, especially the temperature (up to 70 0 C), while in the underfloor heating circuit it should not exceed 40 0 C.
However, central heating is not the only source of hot water.
Floors with autonomous water heating
If you refuse to connect to the central heating, then the water floors can be connected to an autonomous boiler, if, of course, there is one. But even if it is available, in addition to mounting the circuit, it is necessary to install an expansion tank and a distribution unit with automatic control.
distribution node (collector, mixing unit) is an automatic system of valves and regulators responsible for the temperature of the coolant at the inlet to the circuit. Depending on the manually set temperature values, the distribution unit adds the required amount of hot liquid to the cooled coolant.
Collector of a water heat-insulated floor The installation of this equipment will require additional space and, most importantly, such a solution to the problem is associated with significant material costs.
That is why the installation of water heated floors is most often carried out in the premises of medical and children's institutions, less often in spacious private houses.
The conclusion suggests itself quite unambiguously - if there is an autonomous heating unit of sufficient power in the apartment, the installation of floors with water heating is technically possible, but not economically justified.
Electric heated balcony floors
Installation and operation of electric floors also have their own characteristics:
- under the floor finish of tiles, it is better to choose a circuit from a heating cable;
- if they want to avoid dirty work and also do the installation themselves, then they prefer the film infrared version.
In everyday life, an electric underfloor heating system is called a system with a heating circuit made of a special cable with a diameter of up to 5 mm. Such a wire is laid with a “snake” on a layer of foil foam foam, located with the foil up, and is fixed on it with brackets with a certain step along its entire length.
Important! Penofol is laid on top of a concrete screed over the main foam insulation.
The coils of the "snake" are located at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, as in the case of laying water floor pipes.
Watching the video will add clarity to the presentation:
This technology is quite laborious, therefore, at present, contours assembled from so-called “cable mats” are more popular. Electric mats are a heating cable with a diameter of 2-2.5 mm, also “snake” fixed on a strip of fiberglass mesh.
Set of electric floor heating mats Steam and heat insulation under heating mats are arranged identically to the water system, but for laying tiles on top of them there is no need to perform another screed - a concrete layer above the main insulation is enough. Ceramics can be glued directly onto the mats, but the tile adhesive is applied to both the base and the tiles with a comb trowel in layers of 10 mm each.
Video on underfloor heating on mats:
Electric heated floors of any kind are equipped with a control unit consisting of a temperature sensor and a control panel. The sensor is attached between the turns of the "snake", and the wire from it is led along the contour plane to the panel on the wall.
Scheme of connecting warm electric floors to the network Important! When using a heating cable, the power of the underfloor heating system is determined at the rate of 200 W / m 2, and cable mats - 150-160 W / m 2. When choosing a system, there is no need to take into account the linear power of the cable - this has already been done by the manufacturer, and it is impossible to cut the cable.
Laying the contour should be done only in open areas of the balcony floor, without placing it in hard-to-reach places.
Infrared heated floor on the balcony
Heated floors of this type are by far the most popular for arranging balconies, due to the ease of installation, which takes only a few hours.
infrared heating film Infrared radiation in such systems is directed only towards the room, but you still have to perform thermal insulation of the floor, otherwise, after turning off the equipment, the floor surface will quickly cool down.
The installation of the infrared film is carried out on a foil isolon - a continuous coating is made from it, gluing the joints of the material with adhesive tape with foil.
Sealing the joints of foil foam Then, holes are made under the locations of the temperature sensor and film connection contacts so that these parts do not protrude above the surface.
Film webs are cut according to the standard markings applied to them by dotted lines. Then the film is laid on the isolon and connected to the control panel in a parallel way with the obligatory subsequent isolation of the contacts.
Marking on IR film for cutting The temperature sensor is installed in the same way as the version with cable mats.
On top of the infrared film, waterproofing is carried out from technical polyethylene - a coating of strips with laps of 10 cm, after which the topcoat can be laid on it.
Video hint on the technology of mounting IR film on the floor:
Heated floor on the glazed balcony under the laminate
Based on the conclusion that it is better to use electrical systems for installing underfloor heating on a balcony, we will consider which of them are optimal for laminate flooring.
Laminate on infrared and cable underfloor heating It is better to start with the power required for heating.
The intensity of heating with an infrared film system is higher than with a cable circuit. That is why to calculate the required power in the first case, a value of 200 W / m 2 is taken, and in the second - only 160 W / m 2.
Laminate is a material with low thermal conductivity. Therefore, under such a lining, an infrared system will be more effective. In addition, it does not require a screed - the laminate can be laid directly on top of the infrared film, having previously completed a polyethylene waterproofing on it.
Combined underfloor heating The use of cables or mats on a balcony or loggia under a laminate is also not excluded, but, given the variable cross-section of the contours of these systems, it will be necessary to perform a load-bearing screed with reinforcement on top of them in order to protect the conductive elements from breaking when loaded from above. And this is an additional cost and load on the base.
Over time, with abrasive wear of the laminate, you can not rush to dismantle it, but use this coating as a base for linoleum.
Conclusion
To increase the functionality of balconies, they are closed and glazed, and then insulating the resulting room is no longer a desire, but a necessity.
Of all types of underfloor heating, infrared film is most suitable for a balcony, which should be the starting point. Experimenting with permissible loads on a balcony slab can end in failure.
The main essence of the article
- Underfloor heating is an effective technology applicable to most types of premises.
- The two main types of underfloor heating systems are water and electric.
- The choice of the optimal floor heating option is carried out with reference to the heated room.
- Balcony - a structure with a special arrangement, causing restrictions on the permissible loads.
- Balcony insulation when arranging underfloor heating is a must.
- The choice of a balcony insulation method should be tied to the specific gravity of the insulation.
- Installation of a water-heated floor for a balcony is at least not advisable.
- Electric underfloor heating is a group suitable for selection, but for do-it-yourself execution, an infrared system is the best option.
To lay an electric underfloor heating on a balcony, it will be necessary to solve several important issues related to the technical characteristics of the room and certain restrictions specified in the SNiP. Based on existing standards, you will need to choose the right heating system correctly.
Which electric underfloor heating to choose
Before you make warm electric floors on a balcony or loggia, you will need to find out what the maximum allowable load on the floor slab is allowed according to SNiP. Since, often, the heating system is laid after the balcony is insulated, with the help of metal-plastic windows and interior work, the weight of the room increases by 2-3 times. The use of cable underfloor heating with screed pouring is not recommended in this case, it is best to lay heating mats.Recommendations in SNiP for installation on a loggia do not have such restrictions as with a balcony. The floor slab can withstand a large maximum load, so it is possible to lay, almost without restrictions, both an electric cable heated floor on a loggia and mats.
Ways to install the floor on the balcony
Installation of an electric cable or mats can be done by hand, subject to the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the phased laying of the heating system.The electric floor installation scheme includes the following:
- Waterproofing of warm cable floor- for this purpose, roll materials, impregnations and mastics are used. The most popular and affordable way is the use of rolled waterproofing of the TechnoNIKOL type.
- Substrate - the effectiveness of the installation of a warm cable electric floor on a loggia or balcony depends on the use of thermal insulation. It is recommended to use a special foil-coated substrate with applied markings for laying the wire. The same base is also used for cable mats.
- Installing a thermostat. A place for installation is selected. The height from the floor is allowed from 20 to 120 cm. If it is likely that the room will be damp after insulation, the regulator is taken out to the next room, the temperature sensor is brought out through the wall.
- Wire laying. On the loggia, warm electric cable-type floors are used. Since there is no possibility to constantly control the intensity of heating, it is best to lay a two-core, self-regulating cable.
Self-regulating wire eliminates the need for a thermostat and is considered very effective and economical for rooms with a small area. - Screed - manufacturers recommend that the floor thickness be at least 4-7 cm. Pouring a screed on the balcony will most likely not allow the technical operating conditions specified in SNiP 2.01.07-85. With the loggia, the situation is a little better. Therefore, of course, if the ceiling height allows, you can install the cable on the loggia, followed by the manufacture of the screed.
Heating mats on the balcony are mounted faster, the design allows you to lay the finish coating of the electric floor directly on the cable, without making a screed.
Rules for installing electric floors on the balcony
You can put a warm electric floor on the balcony only if certain operating rules are observed. These include:- Installing a thermostat. The maximum floor temperature is not higher than 30°C. Without installing a regulator, the cable will constantly overheat, which will shorten its life.
- Installation of the electric floor heating system on the balcony is carried out with obligatory observance. In particular, the electrical network is connected through a differential machine located in the switch cabinet. Current leakage indicators are not less than 30 mA.
- The cable for heating the loggia or balcony is positioned in such a way that at least 10-15 cm remain to the wall.
- When using a single-core wire, an accurate calculation of the underfloor heating cable should be performed. The wire has two cold edges. You cannot shorten the length by cutting the cable. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the exact laying pitch and the estimated length of a single-core cable.
The balcony in a modern apartment is gradually turning from a pantry into a continuation of a dwelling with all the ensuing characteristics: comfort, excellent finishing materials and the use of various technological ideas. Many masters come up with the idea to make a warm floor on the balcony with their own hands. If you know the basic principles of this work and stock up on time, then ennobling a balcony is not such a difficult task to solve.
The very first thing that needs to be done before repair work is to clean the area from debris, old and unused things, etc. After the master needs to decide on the type of future balcony: what will it be like after the repair? The whole front of work largely depends on the availability of free time, the desire to create and a certain amount of money.
Balcony floor screed
To make a screed for a warm floor, a home craftsman will need the following materials:
If necessary, level and strengthen the surface, floor screed is performed
- Dry mix - 2 bags;
- Cement - at the rate of 3 kg per bag of mixture;
- Primer with deep penetrating property;
- Water.
The primer goes through the entire base of the balcony or loggia. When mixing a dry special mixture, cement and water, it is necessary to strive for the consistency of rustic sour cream. The prepared mass is poured on the balcony and leveled with a trowel.
The screed is dried from 48 to 72 hours. After hardening, the formwork is removed, all defects are corrected with a newly diluted mixture.
Tip: If you press the rule closer to the floor, the finished surface will be much smoother.
How to choose an electric underfloor heating
Warm electric floors entered the life of a modern person relatively recently. The generation of our parents could not even conceive of such a luxury. Installing such a floor reduces the cost of space heating, and walking comfort is an additional bonus. All types of electric floor heating used today can be divided into several types:
- Using a cable system;
- Application of heating mats;
- Installation of infrared film on the floor.
For any repair work regarding the area of \u200b\u200bthe balcony or loggia, increased requirements regarding the insulation of walls, floors and ceilings. This is a necessary measure to keep the heat inside a limited space. It is recommended to lay a material with vapor barrier characteristics on the floor base, which is tightly fastened to each other and to the walls with metal tape. Thus, the balcony, according to the principle of heat accumulation, becomes similar to a thermos.
The article discusses in detail the specifics of the insulation of the balcony, both inside and outside.
A definite alternative to a warm floor on a balcony can be. We have discussed them in more detail on our website.
Cable heating system
The traditional electrical system on cables must necessarily be carried out on a layer of thermal insulation and a surface previously leveled with a screed. The difficulty of installing such a warm floor on a loggia is due to the following reasons:
- Overlappings are under increased load;
- Raising the finished floor by an extra 15 cm;
- Long installation work (more than 30 days).
The most important detail when installing a cable underfloor heating is retention of generated heat. It is for this purpose that high-quality insulation is laid and a layer of waterproofing is made with entry to the walls. The thickness of the screed on such a floor should not be less than 4.5 centimeters, and when laying the cement-sand mass, it is worth getting rid of air bubbles as carefully as possible.
The heating cable is installed on 3.5 cm inside the surface of the future floor. Cables are fastened with special elements or mounting tape on a reinforcing mesh. Before pouring the screed, a damper tape is laid around the entire perimeter of the room.
The scheme for laying the cable of an electric underfloor heating is as follows: zigzag lines pass along parallel lines, the interval between these wires should always be equal. The thermostat must be installed in a conspicuous place, and temperature control requires manual input.
Use of heating mats
Heating mats are used when a cement-sand screed cannot be 4.5 cm thick. This can be in old houses, with a lack of time and in other situations. Then heating electric mats come to replace the cables.
Mats do not increase the thickness of the base, create a minimum of construction waste and do not take a lot of money from the master. Installation of heating mats is carried out on the glue, which fixes the tile. This method is called "wet".
Substrate for underfloor heating made of mats - an old tile or concrete surface. Glue is distributed over the entire area. The final drying of the new coating occurs within the first week.
Mats are called a special mesh made of fiberglass with cells of about 1 by 1 centimeter. A resistive type of cable 2-3 mm in diameter is attached to it. Laid in a 5 cm serpentine pattern, this cable has a high resistance.
Installing this version of the warm floor on the balcony with your own hands is extremely simple:
Scheme of installation of heating mats under the tiles 1) Floor area is measured;
2) The heating mat is cut into separate rectangular fragments without affecting the cable layout;
3) Fixing to the base is not necessary;
4) Laid out on an adhesive-coated base, the floor can be considered already installed.
The disadvantage of heating mats is their susceptibility to mechanical loads and the lack of thermal storage capacity. Therefore, such a floor can only be an addition to the main heating system on the loggia.
Infrared warm floor
Infrared film works on the principle of formation of long-wave thermal radiation. With such heating, heat goes to the walls of the balcony, and to all surrounding objects. The ability of the secondary return of the accumulated heat characterizes such floors as the most effective for heating a balcony or loggia space.
The heating elements of the film are carbon strips sealed between polyester or lavsan layers. The material of the strips is carbon paste obtained from crushed stylus. Conductors are made of pure copper or copper-silver alloys. The strips are connected to the conductors in a parallel way, and the mains voltage is 220 volts.
When installing an infrared heated floor on a balcony, all operations are performed in stages:
- Base screed;
- Placement of a substrate with heat-reflecting properties;
- The heating elements are cut along the dotted lines;
- Placement of infrared material on the substrate;
- Installation of a thermostat, temperature sensor;
- Installation of electrical contacts on the film;
- All places where the connection to the network is made are isolated with bituminous composition.
Note: when installing a warm floor with a soft finish finish (carpet), a soft substrate is used and vice versa.
Now, knowing all the nuances of the device and installation of a warm electric floor, you can make the right choice for yourself.
Water floor device
Such a floor is mounted only on a screed. And here there is a very important point - when expanding the area of \u200b\u200bthe living room by the footage of the balcony, the level of the floor surface in both rooms should not differ. Installing a warm water floor on a balcony involves laying batteries over the entire surface, through which hot coolant will be transported.
The use of a liquid explains the requirement for waterproofing such a floor. In order to retain heat for a longer time, a film with heat-reflecting characteristics is laid on the waterproofing layer. Instead of foil, foam having an increased density can be used.
Installation of the floor from pipes is carried out in stages:
1) Concrete screed to remove irregularities;
2) Laying of hydro- and heat-insulating materials;
3) Installation of the pipeline. In this case, either special brackets or rugs are used;
4) The small area of the balcony is the reason in favor of choosing a serpentine scheme for placing the track;
5) On the balcony, when installing water floors, only seamless pipes made of metal-plastic are used;
Scheme of installation of a water heated floor 6) Pipe bending is done carefully;
7) Installation of the pipeline is completed by connecting to the DHW system;
8) Testing a new warm floor;
9) The absence of leaks in the pipeline is the basis for concreting the route with the coolant.
If a water pipeline is laid on the balcony to heat the space, the finish coat must be chosen correctly. Materials with high heat dissipation: linoleum, ceramic or tile.
The floor covering is laid on a fully cured concrete screed.
Whichever of the described options for warming the balcony floor is chosen by the master, subject to a certain algorithm of work, he will certainly cope with the task. And then the dwelling will expand to an additional comfortable area.
Warm floor on the balcony video
We invite you to watch a video on the topic of our article "Heated floor on the balcony with your own hands." In the video you will see instructions for installing an infrared floor heating.
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