Why isn’t the floor heating working?
For complete comfort, many residents of megalopolises order a system of underfloor heating. But after installation, you may suddenly find that the floor heating does not work. Naturally, water floor heating can’t be repaired by yourself, but what are the first steps worth taking?
Underfloor heating doesn’t work: Causes and solutions
The first thing to look for if the system is not working is the switch. It will help you understand why the underfloor heating isn’t working. Perhaps there is simply no electricity due to the tripping of a circuit breaker. It happens that the line gets damaged and this leads to its sudden operation. Modern floor heating systems (most models) are equipped with special screens that show a set of symbols that they are on. It is also a good idea to check the voltage using the terminals. However, a quality turnkey floor heating should not get accidental breakdowns or accidents.
Often even when there is voltage in the system and the switch is working properly, it is noted that the floor heating does not work. Then it could be all about the elements of the underfloor heating system, the regulator or even the sensor. You need to know which of these elements, where they are located. After all, when buying, you are not only interested in what kind of floor heating is best, but also in what each of the devices does. The system is checked as follows. Measuring current resistance. The value should be equal to the resistance of the cable selected as the heating element.
Measuring cable voltage is not difficult. You can perform this procedure for heating foil. Divide the voltage by the resulting resistance. The resulting value is the current that is in the floor heating system. If you multiply it by 220 volts, you can get the power required by the underfloor heating system. These values are also written on the system data sheet. They must be compared. If the figure obtained differs in the higher side, then you may be dealing with a short circuit or simply in the damage to the insulation layer. This can also manifest itself in the uneven operation of the floor heating.
Since the cost of the underfloor heating work involves a lot, it is not recommended to fix the problems yourself. You can cause even more damage. It is better to call our experts from the company “Savard”, which will quickly determine the cause and eliminate the breakdown. If the power values are low, faults can be caused by interruptions. Of course, you can’t fix them yourself.
By the way, some unscrupulous sellers of this system, not only do not tell you exactly how much is the floor heating, but also do not provide it with a passport, so you can not compare the data. In such cases we have to take the average value.
If the data obtained indicate that there is no voltage at all, then we can conclude about a short circuit. The complexity of the repair lies in the fact that it is impossible to detect a malfunction in the concrete screed. After all, you will have to take out the cable and replace it. You will have to completely remove the screed and do the installation all over again. The film floor in this regard allows you to make repairs quickly and easily.
Often the cause is not in the floor itself, but in the sensor. After inspecting the floor, we move on to. The sensor is essentially a resistor, that is, it has a resistance. On the basis of resistance and temperature values, it is easy to calculate how correctly the temperature sensor of the system works.
If the regulator is damaged, you will know it from the messages on the monitor. By the way, damage to the regulator is the easiest thing to replace, because this element of the system is not in the floor and not under the concrete screed. It just needs to be pulled out of the tube and replaced. The most unpleasant thing that can happen. a small section of the wall, on which it is attached, will be damaged. By the way, the price of this element is very adequate.
Check the regulator with a multimeter. You will also need to set the maximum temperature for the system. The terminals should show voltage. If you switch to the minimum temperature, the terminals should show no voltage.
Perform any repair work, if suddenly the floor heating has stopped working, it is not recommended to do it yourself. It is better to call the specialists of our company, which will quickly and accurately perform all the work for you.
How long does it take to heat up a warm floor
Underfloor heating is very popular among craftsmen and ordinary consumers, as this technical solution allows a moderate and rapid heating of the room, to maintain a comfortable temperature for humans. When choosing a specific model, you should consider an important aspect. how long it takes to heat the floor. water, cable, infrared. Exactly this is devoted to the review, since on the speed of heating have an impact on several reasons.
Electric or cable floor heating
The cable is laid in a snake or spiral. The spiral laying method is used in areas smaller than 20 m2, if the room is larger, use the method of laying serpentine.
The electronic floor heats up fairly quickly, respectively, quickly begins to warm up the air. If you increase the thickness of the screed to 7, the system will warm up longer and keep warm longer, respectively, a comfortable temperature will be maintained for a very long time. But this method of heating requires a huge outlay of energy.
The principle! To reduce the layer of heating of the floor masters recommend the following way. to lay ceramic tiles on a cable treated with bituminous mastic.
When you can turn on the warm floor after laying tiles
All tile materials are hygienic, aesthetic appearance and durability. Tiles hold heat well, but they also take a long time to warm up, especially in the classical heating of the dwelling. There are also rooms, bathrooms and toilets, where tile will always be cold. Additional heating in the form of underfloor heating will be an actual solution to the problem.
A beautiful and smooth tile coating can be obtained by preparing a solid and even surface for its installation. In addition, we should not forget that the weight of tiles and porcelain tiles is significant. For example:
A strong, well-equipped concrete substrate is needed to support this weight. A concrete base laid on a heating cable or water pipes can prevent the heating system elements from deforming due to the weight of the floor covering. A well-maintained concrete screed forms a solid protection around the embedded parts and prevents the forceful impact of the top coatings on the internal elements.
Underfloor heating installed under tiles, massive structures and not every floor of a multi-storey house can withstand it. In other historic towns, for example, such work is tantamount to alterations and must be approved. Electric underfloor heating with porcelain tile flooring weighs up to 100-120 kg/m². Floors with water heating will be even heavier.
Recommended temperature
Favorable temperature distribution in the rooms reduces energy consumption and drastically solves the problem of how long the floor heating under the tiles. The temperature of heating is higher at the feet, lower. at the top, gives a feeling of comfort, even when the room is colder than in a room heated by conventional radiators. It is possible to keep the mode lower by 2 C without feeling uncomfortable. This helps save about 5-10% of energy resources.
When the temperature in the room with the heating system increases by 2 C, the amount of heat transmitted through the pipes under the screed will be reduced by more than 40%. The simplest room automation that controls the equipment will shut it down without the need for expensive controllers connecting this heat source to the heating system.
Many people, after installation and turn on, wonder how quickly the underfloor heating under the tiles, with a fairly thick screed. The time in this case will take a little longer, you need about 2.5 hours. Also affects how much the underfloor heating under tile heats up the first time it is turned on:
An extremely important issue at startup is also how long the floor is heated and the recommended temperature of water heating. The beginning of operation is carried out in stages. First, the pipes are heated. Depending on the temperature of the object, the thickness of the screed and the power of the cable, it may take up to several hours. Only then does the room begin to warm up, which can take several dozen more hours.
How long does it take to heat up a water heated floor?
The duration of heating an electric underfloor heating depends on a number of. Factors. Among them. the power heating element (cable or infrared film), type and thickness of the flooring, the initial temperature of the heated surface, and the presence of insulation. Now we will take a closer look at these factors and give an approximate range of heating speeds for underfloor heating in different conditions.
First. the power of the heater. Here works a simple pattern. the more powerful it is, the faster the floor is heated. However, in the pursuit of speed must not neglect safety standards. cables with more than the allowable power quickly fail and are unsafe.
The second is the thickness of the flooring. And here much depends on the installation method and type of floor heating. If it is an infrared flooring and it is installed under a carpet or carpeting, it will heat up fairly quickly. Already in 15 minutes you will feel the heat. However, the thicker the layer of flooring, the slower will be heating.
For example, if you lay a heating mat in a thin layer of screed or tile adhesive, it must first warm the screed or adhesive, and then the tiles. It already takes more time. from 1 to 3 hours. And the thickness of the tile can also play a role. the thicker it is, the longer it will take to warm up.
If you install a heating cable in the screed, the heating time will increase even more. According to the technical requirements, the thickness of the screed for installing underfloor heating must be 3 to 5 centimeters. Add the thickness of your flooring and you get an approximate heating rate range of 3 to 15 hours.
Third is the initial temperature of the surface to be heated. If this is the first turn on the floor heating, say, late fall, cooled screed and flooring will warm up longer. It may even take more than 15 hours if you have a thick layer of screed and flooring.
The presence of thermal insulation, namely, a layer of reflective insulation under the heating element. the fourth factor affecting the speed of heating. If there is no insulation, some of the heat energy will be directed downward and will heat the layers of the underlying screed and flooring. Thus the efficiency of underfloor heating can be greatly reduced, and the heating rate will increase. over, the lack of insulation is not profitable in the sense that the energy consumption will be higher. Therefore it is better to provide insulation to prevent unnecessary heat loss and expense.
Buy quality underfloor heating systems and all the necessary accessories in our store.
How much heat the floor heating when you first turn it on
Here you will learn why water underfloor heating does not warm up: possible problems and their manifestation, the cause of poor performance, uneven and long heating times, as well as in what manifests a breakthrough.
Despite the fact that built-in heating systems and, in particular, water underfloor heating, are considered the most reliable, durable, efficient, sooner or later you may encounter problems.
Having studied them in advance it is easier to determine why the water underfloor heating does not work, and to take steps to correct the malfunction.
Failure in the system of water underfloor heating manifests itself in a sharp decrease in the level of comfort in the room.
- The most common times heating does not occur. It gets cold in the room.
- Users are less likely to encounter excessive heating. When it gets unbearably hot and the heating time of the water underfloor heating is significantly reduced. If such a fault is not eliminated in time, it can spoil the floor covering, screed and the pipes themselves.
The question arises why poorly heats the water underfloor heating or no heating at all?
Often, such problems can arise immediately after the installation of the system at the first start-up. That is why it is important to know the requirements for commissioning a hot water floor, as well as know how to properly adjust the system.
Not to worry, wondering how long it takes to warm up the water underfloor heating, it is worth adhering to all the requirements of the technology of installation in the construction of “warm pie”. One possible reason for the poor quality of the heat output of the system is a poor quality insulation.
Periodic records of energy consumption and temperature recording can be invaluable in identifying problems. By checking them, it is much easier to detect a malfunction in time.
Water in-floor heating is a fairly complex system of interconnected components. If the water underfloor heating does not work, the reasons may be different.
First of all, you need to know the basic elements of this type of heating:
- Pipes. pipelines through which the coolant circulates, transferring heat to the floor surface.
- Bypass.
- Circulation pump.
- Manifold and electric actuators of the input group. Serving to regulate the flow in the circuits, as well as the balancing valve designed to mix the heated water and the water that has already given off heat.
- Thermostats and thermostatic controls. Allowing to regulate and maintain the set temperature. Both cooling and critical overheating of the system is possible in the event of a failure.
It is worth taking into account possible flaws in the installation. To eliminate such a malfunction, such as insufficient insulation and high heat loss, will be problematic, because you will have to lift the floor covering warm water floor, remove screed and pipes.
Also if the warm water heated floor does not warm, the reasons may lie in the wrong calculations in the design and, as a consequence, improperly matched the parameters of the system components. It often happens that there is not enough energy for proper heating. In this case it is a matter of a weak line voltage or insufficient boiler capacity.
However, let’s consider the most typical breakdowns, places and causes of their occurrence, as well as ways to solve the problem.
Breakthrough of water underfloor heating is manifested by leaks and often a sharp drop in pressure in the pipes. Leaks not only reduce the amount of coolant in the system, but is also fraught with the destruction of the floor, flooding the neighbors and damage to property.
If a warm water floor has become poorly heated, and a leak is suspected, the first thing to do is to inspect the surface and joints of the floor covering. Wet spots may not be present. Then you should use a thermal imaging camera.
After determining the location of the leak, it is necessary to carefully local dismantle the floor covering and screed. The method of eliminating the leak is to dissect the damaged part of the pipe and replace it with a new, whole. The technology depends on the type of pipes used.
Before dismantling the coating and excision pipe, you must first shut off the coolant in the loop (at the manifold), and then completely drain the loop. After repairing the circuit is started. It is mandatory to check the solder or connection for leaks.
Before you warm the water underfloor heating, it is necessary to deflate it.
In cases where the water heated floor heating is bad, the reasons may lie in the uneven distribution of the coolant in the circuits. This is due to the fact that the circuits, as a rule, have different lengths. If the rate of water at the collector in each loop is the same, then to pass a longer loop to the coolant will require more time. Accordingly, the water cools down faster in such loops.
In such a case to solve the question why is not heated warm water floor will adjust the supply of the coolant on the collector in each circuit. You need to check and adjust the levels of the electric actuators of feed valves.
You have to be patient, because the time it takes the water underfloor heating to warm up depends on many factors (the structure and thickness of the “warm cake”, the temperature and intensity of water supply, the temperature outside the windows, the floor covering material, what power is the heater selected for the water underfloor heating, etc.). д.).
Automation tools, namely temperature sensors and actuators on manifold valves connected to an outdoor thermostat, an analyzer that sends commands to the manifold to regulate the water supply to the loops, will help facilitate control and regulation.
Why the underfloor heating does not warm up if there are no leaks? Given that some elements of the system require mains power to function, we can assume that they are the cause of the problem.
A common breakdown appears to be the failure of the circulation pump and thermostat located in the mixing unit of the manifold. It is necessary to check whether they are supplied with voltage. You can do it with a multimeter or a screwdriver. In principle, you can also tell if the pump is not working by the absence of any noise.
After a general check of the thermostat, if the problem is not detected, it is necessary to check the resistance of each of its terminals. It is quite possible that the temperature sensors are out of order. And therefore it is recommended to regularly check their performance.
If you yourself have not been able to find why the water heated floor does not warm, while nothing else is suspicious, it is better to seek help from a specialist.
How long does it take floor heating to heat up the room. Hydronic floor heating. Perth
Asking yourself how long it takes to heat a water heated floor, you should not count on an immediate response from the system, because such heating is inert. However, waiting too long raises the suspicion of a malfunction that can be corrected with your own hands.
Question to connoisseurs: How much longer does it take for the underfloor heating to warm up compared to the radiator? ? (I should at least know approximately) 5 minutes or 24 hours.
Best answers
Warms up long, it depends on the pump and the boiler, and pulls a lot, but as warmed up immediately comfortable.
Yes immediately, stone-concrete quickly conducts heat. 1-2 minutes.
Depending on the specific installation of 20 minutes (film under the wood-fibre board) to 3 hours (in the concrete casting), and the full recovery mode after a long shutdown 6-8 hours. But it also cools down very long. In case of switching off the heating you can stay in relatively acceptable conditions for half a day.
In the bathroom, an electric on the insulation for 10 minutes the heat appears, the water in the screed in a private house 24 hours of work the boiler
The thermal conductivity of metal is ten times greater than concrete or ceramic. So figure it out! The efficiency of the steel radiator in most cases is several times higher than that of underfloor heating (sometimes the opposite, but such systems are rare). And the radiator heats up many times faster. For example, the thermal conductivity of sand concrete density 1800kg/m3. 0.93 W/(m × ° C) Thermal conductivity of steel 7850 kg/m3. 58 W/(m × ° C) The difference is pashti 60 times. Т. е. if the temperature of the heat carrier is the same, the floor will warm up ten times slower. If a radiator heats up in a fraction of a minute, the floor takes a few minutes.
Thermal conductivity of marble is better than that of sand concrete, but to steel far, marble density 2800kg/m3. 2.91W/(m × ° C) is if the marble on the floor, all kinds of cream granite data are similar.
If the floor is covered with tiles, its thermal conductivity must be calculated, taking into account the thickness of the glue, tiles, and their properties, but in any case, these materials are less conductive than metals.
Here’s a good article about underfloor heating. [link blocked by decision of the administration]
Answers from connoisseurs
Do not be guided by the heating speed in this matter. You will not lay a two-millimeter porcelain stoneware. Another issue is that it is impractical to lay huge tiles in a small room. It seems to me in any case, the floor will heat up for two hours.
The intensity of heating depends more on the thickness of the screed than on the thickness of the porcelain tile.
Porcelain stoneware is standard in thickness, usually 10-12 mm, for the underfloor heating mat on the existing screed is more for comfort than for heating, and the initial heating rate is not relevant if there is a programmable temperature sensor.
When you turn it on for the first time, it could be as much as an hour or three In winter, with a cold floor, you can even wait a day. When the system enters into operating mode, 20 to 30 minutes will be enough. There are a few “buts”. How insulated the floor, the bottom of the street or living room, what thermostat is used, to what temperature do you want the floor heated.
Underfloor heating is not part of the operational (short-term) heating system. If it is, the floor itself will not last long, because of the considerable thermal and mechanical stresses that it will undergo during heating.
Everything depends on the laid power of the warm floor per square meter. over. if the power is insufficient, the floor will not even warm up to the set temperature if the apartment is very cold, due to the location of the apartment (first floor for example), the thickness of the glue, etc.10 mm is a rather large thickness.
Underfloor heating is a multilayered “pie”:
- substrate;
- Heat and waterproof material;
- heating element (pipeline). the heating medium circulates through it;
- concrete screed;
- floor covering.
In addition, a manifold group is required, which is responsible for distributing the coolant to the circuits, and for regulating the temperature.
Sequence of work
Before screed lay waterproofing, insulation and pipes for underfloor heating. Be sure to reinforce the surface with a metal mesh. It is important that each rod is not less than 3 mm. Fittings should be placed at the bottom, and the pipes are attached to it.
But there are experts who prefer to place a grid over the water pipes for optimal load distribution. This allows enough heat to escape from the concrete layer.
Waterproofing layer is carried out on the screed with a roll or liquid waterproofing. Next, proceed to the installation of a layer of insulation. Usually, dense polystyrene is chosen. The boards are laid compactly with locking devices on the sides. Screed is poured for a warm floor with concrete of such consistency that it was easier to flatten. Mix the mortar by hand or with a concrete mixer. For it use 1 part of cement and 4 parts of sand, which is pre-sifted. They also add enough water to knead the dough mixture and plasticizer for elasticity.
To make the screed strong, it is recommended to add fiber, which consists of synthetic fibers, into the mortar.
It is important to lay it at the same time. You can not pour one section, and after a few days to do all the rest. If you do so, cracks will appear in the future.
It is necessary to check the condition of the pipes, when the concrete hardens, there will be no access to them. Test the system by connecting the working water pressure and check for leaks during the day. If leaks appear, they must be eliminated and only then proceed to pouring.
How long dries floor screed on a cement basis?
Cement-sand screeds dry much longer than gypsum ones, but in general the formula for them is almost the same. And for the basis of calculations is taken all the same thickness of 40 mm.
So, for thicknesses up to 40 mm, the drying formula is true:
and for screed thickness than 40 mm for every additional 10 mm add 14-15 days. And to dry out the screed with a thickness of 80 mm will not take 28 days, and 2-3 months.
When laying very thick layers of screed, experts recommend using special lightweight mixtures. This screed will reduce the load on the supporting structures and floors, but it will take even longer to dry.
