Pipes for underfloor heating

In order for the warm floor to last for a long time and not bring any discomfort during operation, it is necessary to comply with all the necessary requirements:

• It is better to use seamless pipes with a multilayer structure.
• It is necessary to avoid accidental leaks as much as possible, so the warm floor is laid in a single contour, without joints in the middle.
• Should be designed for accidental overheating, so it is better to give preference to specimens with a wide temperature range. It is necessary to take into account the probability of a temperature increase to 100 degrees.
• When laying a warm floor, the factor of linear and volume expansion is necessarily taken into account.
• It should be easy to bend during installation, but not to be brittle and brittle.
• The inside of the pipeline must not rust and get dirty.
• It is better to select options with a diameter of not more than 18 mm, as this will avoid a significant level increase.
• Only special ones should be selected pipes for heating.
• The pipeline must be tight.

What pipes can be used for underfloor heating

For the device of a water heated floor, copper, polypropylene, metal-plastic and PEX pipes are used. According to generally accepted building standards, it is necessary to choose a material created on the basis of non-ferrous metal, since black has the property to succumb to corrosion.

It is also worth considering that the suture pipeline cannot be mounted in concrete walls.since there is a high probability of pipe rupture. Given all the requirements, it is worth considering which assortment the modern building materials market offers.

Copper

Copper is an excellent wear-resistant material.able to withstand high pressure, wide temperature range. Of course, is the leader in practicality.

The only drawback of such a pipeline is the complexity of installation, during which the use of specialized equipment is necessary. In this case, the installation will require a lot of financial costs and exclude the possibility of self-installation.

Copper piping for underfloor heating is widely used in the most developed European countries. Copper has high thermal conductivity and significant durability.

Main characteristics:

• Working pressure - 27-279 atmospheres at a boiling point of water.
• The temperature range is 15-250 degrees.
• It does not deform when the temperature drops, which indicates a high ductility of the material.
• Copper melts at a temperature of 1083 degrees. Any coolant is not able to reach such a temperature.
• The density of the material is 8.94 kg / dm cubic. Indicates low weight.
• Easy to transport.
• Environmentally friendly.
• Resistant to corrosion. Additionally, the pipeline is coated with phosphorus, which greatly enhances this quality.
• The coefficient of linear expansion is 0.0168 mm / m C, which is 7 times lower than that of polypropylene pipes.

Advantages of the copper pipeline:

• Resistant to high internal and external pressure, which allows the structure to not collapse under any conditions.
• Withstands vibration.
• Unaffected by ultraviolet rays.
• It does not interact with external environments: gaseous substances, oils, fats, bacteria and viruses do not penetrate inside.
• Inorganic and organic growths do not form in the interior of the pipeline.
• Chlorine contained in water covers the inside of the pipe and forms a protective layer.
• Thermal conductivity is 1.7 times higher than that of aluminum counterparts.
• The service life is at least 50 years.

The disadvantages of the copper pipeline:

• Water with high acidity washes away the protective layer of copper, which can significantly reduce the service life.
• Copper underfloor heating can only be installed in case of preliminary water treatment.
• It has a high cost compared to polypropylene and plastic.
• Installation requires special equipment.
• When installing, the compatibility of the copper pipeline with other materials must be taken into account.

The cost of a soft copper pipe for heating starts at 350 rubles per meter.

Plastic pipes They have high functional characteristics, are widely used all over the world and demonstrate excellent efficiency. They have a multilayer structure and high wear resistance. It is created on the basis of an aluminum profile, which is coated on the inside and out with a gluing polyethylene layer.

Main characteristics:

• Working pressure starts at 10 atmospheres.
• Withstands temperatures up to 95 degrees.
• Service life at extreme temperature loads reaches 25 years.
• With an average temperature range of 20 degrees - 50 years.
• Oxygen diffusion is completely absent.
• The weight of a running meter is 170 g.

Advantages of the metal-plastic pipeline:

• Resistant to internal overgrowth and sticking with dirt.
• Non-toxic, corrosion resistant.
• They have a high ability to uninterrupted flow of the coolant.
• Do not interact with external aggressive environments.
• High durability and reliability.
• Low specific gravity and ease of transportation.
• Low thermal conductivity.
• Such a pipeline is installed simply and quickly. Self-assembly is even possible.
• High soundproof characteristics.
• Do not conduct electricity.
• Excellent flexibility, which allows for any angle of rotation.
• When heated, the linear expansion process is completely absent.
• Affordable cost.

The disadvantages of the metal-plastic pipeline:

• With frequent temperature extremes, metal-plastic pipes are capable of forming weak spots due to volume expansion, which significantly reduces their service life. To improve the operational characteristics of the pipe stacks taking into account the stock on the hood.
• Do not withstand multiple bends / extensions.
• The fold pitch should not be less than 50 mm.

The cost of plastic pipes for underfloor heating starts from 90 rubles per linear meter.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is an environmentally friendly material that, in terms of its performance, is in many ways superior to steel analogues.

Polypropylene is a light and very strong substance., which has a high chemical resistance to aggressive solvents and a wide temperature range. In such pipes, water, even if it freezes, does not lead to the destruction of the material, since polypropylene has high elasticity.

Main characteristics:

• Withstands pressure ratings up to 2.5 MPa.
• It is used for central heating, where the temperature reaches 95 degrees.
• Not amenable to linear expansion.
• Do not deform when temperature drops.
• Do not tear and do not crack.

Advantages of the polypropylene pipeline:

• Lighter and much cheaper than steel counterparts.
• They are easy to install, so the installation process can be performed independently without the use of special equipment.
• It has high tightness, reliability and elasticity.
• Inert with respect to aggressive environments.
• Resistant to external and internal corrosion.
• It has low thermal conductivity.
• Excellent soundproof qualities.
• Easy to maintain.

The disadvantages of polypropylene analogues mainly relate to non-compliance with manufacturing technology. Non-certified products can be deformed during operation, which greatly accelerates the wear process.

The cost of polypropylene pipes starts at 60 rubles per linear meter.

Pex pipes

Five-layer structure and high wear resistance make PEX pipes ideal for underfloor heating. There are 16-63 mm in diameter. They consist of external and internal PEX layers, an oxygen barrier in the form of an anti-diffusion layer of EVOH, as well as connecting primers.

Benefits:

• PEX pipes are excellent protection against external influences: oxygen and aggressive chemicals do not penetrate through them. Oxygen causes severe corrosion and destroys the internal material.
• The service life of such a pipeline reaches 50 years.
• High strength properties.
• Made of molecularly cross-linked polyethylene, which prevents significant linear expansion.
• Withstand high temperatures: up to 110 degrees.
• Working pressure up to 1 MPa.
• Low level of roughness, which guarantees good passability of the coolant and the absence of possible sediment.

Cost Pex-pipes is from 60 rubles per linear meter.

Which pipes to choose?

It’s very responsible to approach the choice of a pipe for a warm floor, because it is muffled under concrete, therefore, it must be designed for high pressure, a wide temperature range and have a high strength:

• The first thing you should pay attention to is cross-linked polyethylene pipes, the so-called PEX pipes. The most popular manufacturers are SANHA, REHAU, TECE, KAN. They have a low cost, do not overgrow over time, are durable, heat-resistant, however, they are not able to keep their shape during installation, therefore they can be damaged during installation and filling of the screed. This factor makes PEX floor heating impractical.
• As for metal-plastic pipes, here it is worth paying attention to such manufacturers as VALTEC, REHAU, Sanha. They are often used by builders to install a warm floor system. A distinctive feature of such a pipeline is the presence of an aluminum layer. This allows you to reduce the coefficient of linear expansion, excluded the possibility of air penetration, in addition, to damage such pipes is quite difficult.
• Polypropylene pipes are used both for surface heating and for laying underfloor heating. They have a large bending radius, therefore, in rooms with small areas, this method is not recommended, since using a pipe with a diameter of 16 mm, a step of 128 mm must be observed. The best manufacturing company is Ekoplastik. Such materials have a limitation on the temperature of the installation: can not be installed in rooms where the temperature drops below 15 degrees.
• Copper options are the best and are satisfactory in all respects.However, their cost is too high to win the recognition of a wide audience.

It is important not to save on the quality of the pipes, because cheap options cannot be durable and wear-resistant. It is better to give preference to manufacturers from Germany and Italy. These are firms TECE, FADO, Sanha, REHAU, ICMA, GIACOMINI other.

How to calculate the required amount

When laying a warm floor, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the total length of the used pipe should not exceed a value of 100 meters, which is enough for heating 20 square meters. The main thing is to avoid unnecessary joints.

The minimum distance between the turns should be 35 cm. With a greater distance between the pipes, a zonal temperature difference will be strongly felt.

For the calculation, a fairly simple formula is used: the area of ​​the room is divided by the installation step and multiplied by a factor of 1.1.

Reviews

“Recently I made a warm floor at home. I chose the material for a long time, but nevertheless settled on polypropylene pipes. Installation turned out to be simple, managed independently. But no one warned that there could be pitfalls. A year later, a fountain was discovered in the corridor. It turns out that polypropylene tends to expand at high temperatures, and the joints are a potential danger for leaks. Now I do not recommend anyone to use polypropylene. ”

“We have been thinking about the warm floor for a long time. We chose pipes, listened to reviews of experienced specialists, read forums and decided on metal-plastic. Stacked independently in increments of 30 cm in a spiral. It took no more than 3 hours. My wife drew the placement of the pipe, but I realized everything in reality. I did not have to connect the pipes; everything turned out to be a continuous carpet. Only people were invited to fill in the screed. They did it in a day. They gave 2 weeks to dry (as recommended by the master), and tests were performed. We have been warming ourselves in the winter for 3 years and have no problems. I advise everyone. ”