How to choose a mobile heated floor for a carpet - types. characteristics, advantages and disadvantages

Warm floors are no longer something surprising and unusual. The system is quite easy to use and economical. True, there is one reason why some owners hesitate to install such floors: the need to dismantle the old floor covering. Manufacturers took this into account, and today electric heated floors under a carpet are on sale, which can be easily used anywhere: at home, at work. This article will tell you what this system is, what positive and negative features it has and how much it costs.

Advantages and disadvantages of the electrical system

Like each of the existing heating systems, heated floors have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:

1. The location of the heating elements under the floor surface ensures the most comfortable heat distribution. And the control system allows you to set separate values ​​for the maintained temperature for each room.
2. Underfloor heating heats up much faster than other heating systems. This is due to its significantly lower inertia. This means that when you come into a cold room, you won’t have to wait long until it becomes at least a little warmer.
3. Many manufacturers claim that electric “warm floors” are the most durable. The most well-known companies provide a fifty-year guarantee on their products.
4. Often, laying heating elements and new flooring does not require dismantling the old one. If there are ceramic tiles on the floor, there is no need to tear them down. In this case, it is recommended to use electric heating mats, which, together with the new coating, will raise the floor level by 1.5 cm.
5. If for some reason the system does fail, you do not need to open the entire floor surface to repair it. Using special devices, the location of cable damage can also be identified through a concrete screed. After this, it is enough to remove several tiles and restore the damaged area using special couplings.
6. Electric heated floors are absolutely safe. Even if the conductor insulation is damaged, the RCD (residual current device) will stop the flow of current.

Flaws:

1. The main disadvantage of an electric floor heating system can be considered the high consumption of electrical energy. And the point here is not the cost per kilowatt-hour, but the wear and tear of the wires. The fact is that in many cities of our country the power supply system was designed and calculated many years ago. And often the in-house wiring was installed not much later. Over the years, energy consumption has increased significantly, and the old wires can no longer cope with the load. So, before installing such a warm floor, it is worth checking whether your wiring can withstand the additional load.
2. Like all electrical appliances, “warm floors” cause an electromagnetic field. However, it should be mentioned that some scientists who have measured induction and field strength in rooms with electrically heated floors claim that these indicators do not exceed background values.

Resistive

A resistive warm mat is another model of mobile heating floors.

Device

A resistive mat is a two-layer film; the heating element is metal strips that are connected by two conductive wires.

The tracks are made of high-resistance material, which allows for rapid heating. The distance between them is less than 1 mm, so the floor warms up evenly. There is a bus on the side of the product, and power goes through it.

The substrate is a polymer, and the layer on top is a composite plastic; it tolerates mechanical stress and high temperature well. Therefore, the product can be twisted and untwisted repeatedly without harming its condition.

Principle of operation

The principle of operation of such floors is similar to cable systems. The film includes several blocks; heat is alternately transferred through them by convection.

The heating process is as follows - metal strips are heated using electricity and transfer heat to the finishing coating, which transfers it to the room.

The most popular manufacturers

Thanks to the large assortment provided by the consumer market, each consumer will be able to choose an electric heated floor under the carpet according to his individual preferences. Let us give an example of the most popular manufacturers who have proven themselves to be the best.

"Teplolux Express"

Electric models in this series are made of artificial elastic felt, which does not deform due to sharp breaks and is easy to clean. Mats are produced weighing about 3 kg. They can be placed on surfaces such as:

• laminate;
• tile;
• wooden parquet;
• linoleum.

The maximum heating temperature of the products is - +30 degrees, with an operating power of - 300-560 Watts. The warm floor under the carpet of the Teplolux Express series is equipped with a universal plug that fits into any socket.

"SINPLAIN"

This popular company produces its products with a thickness of no more than 0.6 mm, which makes the warm floor visually invisible on the surface of the room. But, at the same time, the device is endowed with high reliability and practicality. Products are installed on such finishing coatings as:

• carpet;
• laminate.

The main advantages of electrical products of the SINPLEN series are their uninterrupted operation. Even in cases where any element fails, the system will continue to heat the rooms. At the same time, to create an optimal microclimate, it will be enough to cover the floor surface by 1/3.

Each heating product includes an instruction manual. Therefore, in order for an electric warm carpet to create the optimal temperature when heating, before purchasing it, you should familiarize yourself with its technical characteristics in advance. As for prices, they directly depend on the quality and size of the heating material.

There is contact! A little about compatibility

Carpet is an excellent thermal insulator and the beliefs of some skeptics are based on this axiom, who claim that heating systems under such a covering will work very poorly. The generated heat, encountering a heat insulator-carpet on the way, will go along the path of least resistance. That is, down into the subfloor or into the interfloor ceilings. In this case, it will not be your apartment that will be heated, but the room below: the neighbors’ “apartment” or even a damp, cold basement. There is a grain of truth in this opinion.

Indeed, any carpet or rug has thermal insulation properties. And to a greater extent they depend on the thickness of the material. Thin tufted carpet in its thermal insulation properties is not far from laminate on a polyethylene backing. Therefore, it is wrong to be afraid that a properly selected carpet will “eat up” all the heat. In addition, in order to reduce heat loss to the lower layers of the floor, another heat insulator is placed under the heating system during installation - usually a foil film.

Under any type of heated floor, which will subsequently be covered with carpet, a layer of heat-insulating or reflective material must be laid

Unfortunately, in order to get the same warmth on the surface of the heated carpet that you are used to feeling on the tiles, you will have to increase the temperature on the thermostat by 3-5°C. Well, the comfort that you get from a soft and at the same time warm floor is worth it!

Advantages and disadvantages of the device

Portable heated floors have many advantages over similar devices. Let's consider all the advantages of a heating device:

1. Warm floors can be easily moved from one place to another, which is very convenient when changing residence. To do this, it will be enough to disconnect the device from the power supply and roll it up like a regular carpet.
2. The design of the device does not require any preliminary calculations.
3. Installation of a heating carpet can be done by a simple person, without technical knowledge. To create the desired microclimate, you just need to place the device on the floor and connect it to the power supply.
4. The mobile system can serve as both the main and additional heat source for the room.
5. Warm floors under carpet are endowed with high safety and fire-fighting qualities. Getting burns or other injuries when using the system is reduced to zero.
6. The high strength of the product resists all mechanical damage and heavy loads, which increases its service life.
7. Despite high-quality heating, the system consumes less electricity, which helps save the family budget.
8. High waterproofing qualities allow the use of an electric mat in bathrooms and kitchens.

It is also worth noting that all elements of the heated floor under the carpet are made of environmentally friendly material. It does not dry out the air, is resistant to electrical surges and is not afraid of high humidity. In addition to all these positive qualities, heated flooring under the carpet has an affordable price, which allows anyone to purchase it.

The electrical device has no particular disadvantages. By following the operating instructions, the heating product will provide heat to any building.

Which floor is better to lay on?

As already mentioned, mobile heaters can be used on any type of flooring; the most important thing here is that the surface is smooth. However, that's not all; the hardness of the coating is also important. Its degree influences the need to use a special layer, which is laid between the base and the heating mat. In addition, the material from which this layer is made will also depend on the rigidity.

In total, there are two groups of floor coverings - hard and soft. The first group includes laminate, parquet, and self-leveling flooring. Products such as linoleum, carpet, and cork are considered soft.

If the floor in your house is hard, we recommend placing a soft material like infraflex under the heating mat; otherwise, you need a durable reflector, for example, energyflex.

When using a soft or hard layer under the mat, it is important to fix it on the floor. To prevent the backing from slipping, use double-sided tape. The same applies to the warm floor itself - it should not slip again in order to avoid microdamage to the heating elements.

Pros and cons of infrared heated floors

• Relatively simple installation and repair (even part of the film can be replaced without removing the entire coating). Parallel connection of elements makes it easy to remove a segment that has failed.
• A significant advantage of an infrared heater is its energy efficiency. If we analyze whether infrared or cable heated floors are better, electricity consumption in the first case will be several times lower. This efficiency is largely due to the fact that the cable system will need to preheat the screed during operation.
• Of all types of electrically powered floor heating, an infrared system can be installed at minimal cost.
• Using an infrared system allows you to avoid raising the floor level.
• The heating system is compatible with most used floor coverings.
• One of the advantages of infrared radiation is that it does not affect the level of air humidity and provokes intense circulation of dust.
• The technology is environmentally friendly, safe, and cannot emit toxic fumes even with intense heating.
• The installation of warm infrared floors is possible in any room, including bedrooms, children's rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens.
• Installation can be performed directly on the old floor without additional screed.
• Of all the types of heated floors, infrared is the only one that can be installed vertically, allowing installation on walls and ceilings.
• The installation of infrared heated floors does not require the purchase of additional equipment.

This is one of the few technological solutions, when analyzing the work, potential and characteristics of which it is not possible to find significant shortcomings. In this case, we cannot talk about the disadvantages of infrared heated floors as such. There are some features that must be taken into account during installation.

So it is not recommended to lay the film under furniture that has short legs. In this case, during heating, local overheating of the equipment will occur due to insufficient heat removal. Although this feature is typical for all types of heated floors (infrared, water, cable). But to solve the problem, it will be enough to simply not lay the film under furniture of this design, since this, among other things, is not economical.

If the question is which heated floor to choose, infrared technology will be an excellent solution, in which the customer receives many advantages with a minimum of disadvantages.

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User reviews

Among the reviews on the network, no negative characteristics of this heating design were noticed. Users purchase mobile heated floors to create greater comfort and coziness in the room. It is worth remembering that power is not a primary characteristic, since underfloor heating is not the main source of heating in the house. A 30 °C working surface is quite enough.

Users of mobile heated floors advise purchasing these heating structures mainly for those who have small children and the floors in the house are cold. You can simply place it under the carpet and not worry about the safety of the kids when they play on the floor.

The choice of models should be made among long-established companies with a good reputation.

Options for warm mobile floors

To install a portable heated floor, you don’t need to do the complicated work of dismantling the floor covering and reinstalling it. You just need to lift the carpet and place the device under it. On sale you can find a large number of various heating devices. There are devices in the form of small rugs that are placed on the floor, and there are also large heaters in the form of panels on the wall.

A heated floor mat is made from a film laid in two layers. It has good insulating qualities and water resistance. The film prevents damage to the carbon thread located inside. Thanks to the thermostat, you can set any desired temperature. It is noteworthy that heating to 55 ℃ occurs in just a few minutes.

Heating elements under the carpet

With radiator heating, heat is distributed unevenly throughout the room. Hot air rises, cools, and sinks to the floor. The flooring remains cool.

In order to heat local areas, a “warm floor” system is installed. To do this, you need to open the floor covering, prepare the rough covering, and lay all the insulating materials.

Manufacturers of heating systems offer the use of mobile “warm floors”. It has the following structure:

• a separate mat with a conductor built inside; it can be a cable, thread or carbon strips;
• The coolant is protected by an additional coating from moisture penetration and prevents mechanical stress;
• the mats are equipped with a cable that connects to the power supply via a socket or temperature control device;
• maximum warm-up temperature 55 0C;
• mats are placed under the carpet.

If necessary, the mat can be easily rolled up and placed in a portable bag. The system is used to heat the bedside area, under the carpet in the children's room, and in the bathroom. You can take it with you to the country house or to the office. The heater operates on a voltage of 220 V. Power is 250-300 W/h.

We recommend: How do we fix pipes for heated floors?

Infrared floor

A warm floor based on the use of infrared film is a design with a thin carbon heating film. The carbon film emits infrared rays and anions (negatively charged ions).

Carbon paste based on carbon compounds works as an emitter; it is applied in straight or curved strips parallel to each other.

Also, the domestic market supplies Czech and American products, so the possibility of choosing a high-quality or inexpensive mobile heated floor always exists.

But competition always causes lower prices for consumers, and this is a big plus.

The advantages of infrared film flooring are obvious:

1. The thermal conductivity of carbon (the hydrocarbon fiber used in mobile IR flooring) is much greater than that of its resistive counterparts.
2. High heating efficiency with significantly lower energy consumption is the second advantage of the system.

The naive ideas of some buyers that supposedly heated film floors with infrared radiation emit harmful negatively charged ions can be dispelled in a nutshell.

The infrared film itself does produce a small amount of anions, but the IR floor is always covered with a floor covering - so the radiation is completely extinguished.

One of the obvious advantages of an infrared mobile heated floor is that the floor can be easily laid under fashionable and modern coverings: laminate, carpet, linoleum, vinyl, or simply covered with carpet or a regular carpet.

The complete mobility of the infrared floor is its next advantage: having laid the mobile heated floor under the carpet, all you have to do is connect it to the network through a grounded socket, and that’s it.

The electronic thermostat ensures absolute safety of the IR mobile heated floor.

And you can use a portable mobile heated floor in any room, putting it away in the pantry or on the balcony in the summer.

Prices for mobile heated floors

Warm floors under the carpet are available in the form of large paths or rugs for feet.

These can also be mobile mattresses or full-fledged coverings for the entire room.

Depending on the area of ​​the mobile floor and its power, the price of the product also changes.

As of the beginning of 2014, the table shows prices for the most popular brands of mobile heated floors in Moscow and the Moscow region.

Prices in regions may differ by +/- 10%, dictated by the remoteness of the region, transportation costs and storage costs.

Advantages of portable systems

As noted above, portable mobile heating devices are energy efficient and can save a lot of money. However, when choosing a heater for your home, it is worth considering some subtleties.

Please pay attention to the following points:

1. It is advisable to opt for an infrared heated floor under a rug. It is much safer and more reliable.
2. Such devices do not need too much power - heating up to 30 ℃ is sufficient for an additional heat source.
3. A mobile heated floor will help protect young children from colds due to drafts.
4. First of all, you should choose products from well-known brands that have customer reviews. Make your purchase at specialized points of sale.

It is noteworthy that no preparation is required to install a mobile heated floor. It is simply spread on the floor and covered with a carpet. If necessary, it can be easily moved to another location.

The efficiency of these devices is about 90% with an average power consumption of 200 W/hour. They are resistant to damage and can even work with individual damaged elements.

A little theory

Heat can be transferred from one object to another in three ways:

• Contact - a hotter object heats a colder one upon contact,
• Convection - heat is transferred by heating a liquid or gas flowing around a heated body, and from them surrounding objects are heated
• Wave - heating is carried out using infrared waves.

Infrared radiation was discovered in 1800 by the English scientist W. Herschel. Using thermometers to determine the effects of different parts of the visible spectrum, Herschel discovered that the “maximum heat” lies behind the saturated red color (i.e., in the invisible part of the spectrum). In the 19th century, it was proven that infrared (IR) radiation obeys the laws of optics, and therefore has the same nature as visible light. In the 20th century, it was experimentally proven that there is a continuous transition from visible radiation to infrared radiation and radio wave radiation. That is, all types of radiation are of an electromagnetic nature. Infrared radiation is generated by any body with a temperature above absolute zero (-273 ˚C).

The infrared range is invisible to us. Today, the entire range of infrared radiation is divided into three components:

• shortwave region;
• mid-wave region;
• long wavelength region;

This division is very arbitrary and in different sources you can find different wave ranges corresponding to the given areas. Let's look at the following:

• short-wave region: 0.74 – 1.5 µm (source with a temperature of more than 700˚С);
• mid-wave region: 1.5 – 5.6 µm (source with a temperature from 300 to 700˚С);
• long-wave region: 5.6 – 100 µm (source with a temperature from 35 to 300˚С);

Radiation with a wavelength of more than 100 microns is today isolated into a separate region called terahertz radiation. I emphasize that the division is very arbitrary. From the temperature it is possible to determine only the wavelength at which the maximum radiation occurs, and quite approximately. However, to get an idea about infrared heated floors, such accuracy is quite enough for us. From the above classification, we can confidently say that infrared film floors emit in the long-wave and terahertz region (the operating temperature on the surface of the film is no more than 60 - 70 ˚C).

How to use this comfortable new product?

The film mat can be used not only in the off-season or in winter as a local heater. It perfectly dries shoes or children's things. By placing it under your feet in the workplace, you can significantly increase labor productivity and preserve your health.

Do vegetables on the balcony freeze in winter? It is easy to avoid such a nuisance by insulating the potato storage box with infrared film. It is very convenient to place such a warm layer in the play area of ​​a children's room or to make a chair for a pensioner more comfortable.

For those who have not yet purchased their own home and live in a rented apartment, a warm floor under a carpet (reviews confirm) can be an excellent mobile option for personal comfort.

Types of mobile heated floors

Popular varieties of portable heated floors include resistive heating film and infrared-heated film. Let's take a closer look at both of these genders.

Electric floor with resistive film

The operating principle of this sample is identical to the operation of a heated electric cable. It is worth noting that instead of wires, there are metal strips inside this film. They are tightly sealed inside several layers of polymer film. These stripes are located at a minimum distance of 1 mm from each other - this creates the illusion that the film looks like a homogeneous metal. The electrical supply wires are located on the side. The film consists of separate blocks, through which heat is transferred in turn using the convection method.

You can describe the entire heating process like this: strips of metal are heated with the help of electricity, then the floor covering is heated, and as a result it recreates the heat that spreads in the room. It is worth noting that this type of mobile heated floor is laid only in dry rooms, under floor coverings such as laminate, carpet and linoleum.

The structure of the resistive film is fragile and subject to various types of deformation, so the installation process must occur without unnecessary bending and curvature of the entire canvas. Experienced specialists recommend always laying such a floor on top of a special underlay or plastic film to avoid damage.

Electric floor with infrared film

The most common film in this segment is carbon film. The surface of such a film is covered with carbon paste of various sizes, grouped in blocks of 20 units. This feature greatly facilitates the installation of such a floor, making it possible to cut the required piece of canvas for any room. The heater in the form of carbon strips is connected in parallel, which allows the film to be heated even as a result of the rupture of one or several blocks.

There are other types of infrared films, for example, with continuous carbon coating. Warm floors with such a film will continue to emit heat evenly even if the film breaks locally.

Making a choice

To avoid any unpleasant surprises during the operation of a heated floor with carpet, you need to take a serious approach to choosing a system.

You should take into account:

• type of premises (private building or apartment);
• location of walls;
• carpet thickness;
• furniture arrangement;
• financial opportunities.

Only after analyzing these indicators can you correctly decide on the choice of system and installation method.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude:

1. Infrared heated floors under carpet are the most optimal solution. It is gentle on the flooring and has a thermostat to control the temperature. The absence of a concrete screed in the floor pie is also of great importance, and this is especially important with a high degree of thermal conductivity of the carpet.
2. Mobile device - suitable for temporary housing or summer cottage. Easy to carry and install.
3. A water floor is an excellent choice for private houses with autonomous heating, even despite the labor-intensive work. Treats carpet with care.
4. Electric flooring is less suitable for installation under carpet. It produces strong heating, which damages the carpet.

It is worth considering who will install the system. Let’s say you can lay an infrared heated floor with your own hands, but if you decide to make a water structure, it is better to invite professionals.