Warm floor in the kitchen

Warm floor is very convenient and very comfortable. Russian culture does not suggest wearing shoes at home, as in Europe, and special slippers, as in Asia. Most of us prefer to walk around the house barefoot. Walking on tiles or linoleum with bare feet is not only not very pleasant, but also causes some harm to health – over time, joints begin to hurt from regular cooling. That is why the underfloor heating system is necessary where there is a tile in the room, especially in the kitchen..

The advantage of underfloor heating is not only comfort for the feet, but also that it is a full-fledged heating system in the off-season (when the central heating has already been turned off, and it is not so warm outside yet). Warm air rises, so the lower the heater is located, the more efficiently it heats the room, so the warm floor warms up the kitchen over its entire area.

Four reasons when you need a warm floor in the kitchen:

A small kitchen space, which lacks space for a traditional desktop and for this the window sill is being rebuilt. A large table top with a curbstone is installed on the windowsill, which closes the heating system, preventing it from performing its main function. There are two ways out of this situation: to move the battery (very troublesome and financially costly) or to install a system of underfloor heating.
Removal of part of the kitchen to the balcony or loggia. This is a fairly common phenomenon when, due to the balcony adjacent to the kitchen, the space is expanded. At the same time, the balcony is simply insulated, but the situation with the heating system is more deplorable: according to the legislation, the removal of radiators to the balcony is a violation of the engineering system of the house. In this case, the owner of the apartment can only cut off the radiator and “sew” the riser into the wall, because this is not considered a redevelopment. However, it is somehow necessary to insulate the room, here the underfloor heating system again comes to the rescue.
In houses and apartments with individual heating, as well as a summer kitchen, underfloor heating can be an alternative heating system. It often turns out that the cost of supplying electricity to the floor is lower than that of traditional heating..
Heating efficiency from a warm floor is much higher than from a radiator. If the thermostat is set to 24 degrees, then the person sitting on the floor will be in this very temperature environment, the person sitting on the sofa will feel the temperature of 22 degrees, and under the ceiling it will be 20 degrees. While radiators heat the room as follows: in the radiator area at the level of a standing person 20 degrees, under the ceiling 26 degrees, and on the floor 18 degrees. Away from the radiator, the temperature is even lower.

7photos

How much will it cost to work underfloor heating in the kitchen??

If you installed a floor with a thermostat in the kitchen, then on average 60 W / h will be spent on heating 1 m2. Provided that a warm floor is installed over the entire area of the room, for example, 10m2, it will consume 720W per day of non-stop operation, and 21.6 kW per month. Translated into money, this will be approximately 70-80 rubles. But, if you plan to use the floor as the main heating system, then according to consumer reviews, the consumption will already be 200W / h per 1m2. This will increase electricity bills by about 30%..

Which system to choose?

There are three systems of underfloor heating developed and tested in different operating conditions. All three of them solve different problems related to heating, and have features of installation and operation..

7photos

The water-heated floor is very easy to use, as it is connected to the heating system of a house or apartment and does not require additional costs for heating the equipment. However, this system can only be installed if you live in a private house or apartment with individual heating. The fact is that it is forbidden to connect a water floor to central heating. If you connect the system according to all the rules, then you will have warm floors in your kitchen, and the neighbors above you will be left without heating at all in the kitchen. The pump power is simply not enough to pump hot water further than your structure, because the hydraulic resistance of a heated floor is higher than that of heating radiators.

Installation of a water-type warm floor is quite laborious, it is carried out at the stage of the main repair and includes several steps: laying foam or other heat-insulating structure (for even distribution of heat over the floor surface), covering it with a reflective film (so that the heat does not go to the neighbors’ ceiling under you, and at your feet), the installation of a reinforcing mesh and pipe laying. After that, the floor is filled with a screed. It should be borne in mind that the floor height can rise up to 10 cm..

An electric floor in a cable-type kitchen is also difficult to install, but it is suitable for any type of living space. It is flush with the screed if the flooring is linoleum. If a tile is chosen as a covering, then the floor can be laid directly on the screed. It should be said right away that the cost of heating will be quite high. However, each manufacturer offers to use a thermostat, some of which have the ability to program. The owner of the apartment can set the timer on and off the system and heat the room at a time when it is really needed.

An electric film floor can be made by yourself, even an inexperienced person can easily cope with its installation. The film with heating elements is rolled onto a regular screed and can be used under almost any type of floor covering (linoleum, laminate, wood floor). It is not recommended to put it under tiles and carpets, as the efficiency will not be so high. When installed in the kitchen under wooden floors, it is worth controlling the heating temperature – no higher than + 28 degrees.

7photos

There is a subspecies of the film floor – infrared heat-insulated floor. The principle of its operation differs from the standard one: it does not heat up itself, but heats the objects around it. The huge advantages of this type of floor are:

its thickness (from 1 mm), which ensures the same floor level both in the kitchen and in the adjacent territory;
if you lay it under a removable cover (not a tile), then when repairing or moving, you can take the heating element with you (roll it up and install it in a new place);
the heating element can be installed in only one place, for example, near the sink for washing dishes;
if one element fails, the rest continue to work.

A rod electric floor is a carbon rod that can be mounted directly under the tiles with tile adhesive. It is also suitable for carpet (if, of course, you dare to lay carpet in the kitchen).

DIY installation

Any warm floor is mounted on a flat surface. Since the installation of a water floor requires certain construction skills, it is better to leave it to professionals. But the infrared floor can be mounted independently..

8photos

Installation tips:

first you need to calculate the location of the thermostat and drill a hole for it;
check the surface with a level, deviations should be no more than 3 mm, with higher differences, level the floor with a mixture;
if you live on the ground floor or in a private house, then apply a layer of waterproofing to prevent moisture from entering the heating element from below. If you live on higher floors, you can skip this step;
then a layer of reflective thermal insulation with a thickness of 3-5 mm (not foil) is laid. If the flooring is tile, use cork insulation. The film is laid jointly to joint or even with a gap, it is impossible to overlap;
the distribution of heating elements should start from 10-40 cm from the walls towards the thermostat. It is necessary to retreat 1 m from other heating elements. If there is large and heavy furniture, then the floor does not fit under it;
basic rule: if the floor is the only source of heating in the kitchen, then its surface should be at least 70% of the area of the room, if additional, then 40-50% is permissible;
Cutting the film is allowed only in the places marked on it, and the maximum length of one piece of film should not exceed 8 m;
the film is laid down with a contact element, to which the clamps are attached, and to them, in turn, the wires;
wires are pulled to the plinth, having previously drowned in the substrate;
wires are connected to the thermostat with six terminals, two for the heat sensor, common heating and emitter;
the floor is considered to be successfully installed if it is heated evenly, the wires at the joints do not spark or heat up.