Advantages and disadvantages of underfloor heating

Main advantages

Among the main advantages of an electric floor heating are:

• the possibility of use not only at home, but also in offices;
• can be used with any floor covering: tile, laminate, linoleum, etc .;
• all elements of the system are hidden from the eyes, thereby not spoiling the interior of the room;
• Using the included temperature regulator, you can adjust the temperature mode up to 0.1^aboutC, while it is also possible to set a certain time for turning on / off the heater;
• can be used as the main and auxiliary heating;
• laying under floor tiles (and especially parquet) can be carried out by a person without the slightest experience, moreover, no special tool should be at hand;
• long service life with proper handling of the system;
• the surface warms up evenly over the entire area;
• it will take a little time to determine the cause of the breakdown;
• for the functioning of the system does not require additional equipment (for example, for water heating is necessary installation of an electric boiler or gas);
• the temperature of the heating element is not too high, which is good when considering the safety of use.

As you can see, the advantages of electric underfloor heating are significant, which makes this option quite competitive in comparison with other heating options.

Immediately we want to provide a video on the topic:

Existing flaws

As always, you must sacrifice something when choosing a particular system. As for the cons of electric underfloor heating, the main ones are:

• high cost of operation (if you use a heating cable for central heating of a large area, the required heater power can reach up to 15-20 kW, which will significantly increase the monthly electricity consumption);
• any type of electric heater has an increased risk of electric shock and electric underfloor heating is no exception, therefore, especially in damp rooms, this moment must be taken into account;
• to increase electrical safety, it is necessary to additionally squander on the acquisition and RCD connectionas well as creating reliable grounding;
• a heating cable, which is the main executive organ of heating, creates an electromagnetic field that negatively affects the human body;
• a floor covering, in particular a wooden one, suffers when heated: it becomes dry and deformed;
• when laying heaters (especially cable), the height of the ceiling can be reduced to 10 cm;
• if heating will be used as the main one and at the same time the house is large in area, then quite a powerful wiring is required for the system to work.

It can be seen that the disadvantages of the system are quite significant. But still we pay attention to the fact that with the right choice of underfloor heatingAs well as installation work according to the instructions, most of the shortcomings listed are immediately cut off. This makes the floor heating system popular and in demand.

Comparison with Alternative

So that you will finally be convinced of the correctness of your decision, now we will talk a little about what makes an electric warm floor better than water.

So, we highlighted the main points of comparison:

1. It is more reasonable to use water floor heating in large areas, especially if the heating will be carried out by a gas boiler. In small rooms it is more logical to give preference to the option that works from the mains, as in this case, the cost of installation and operation will be small.
2. Hot water heating has a longer service life (as the manufacturers say, the mark can reach up to 50 years).
3. Water does not harm human health, which can not be said about the current.
4. Installation of a cable (or thermomats) is much simpler than water pipes.
5. Electric heater adjustment is much faster and more accurate than water heater.

Finally, we recommend watching another video, which demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of IR film:

So we have provided the pros and cons of electric underfloor heating. Summing up, it can be noted that both versions of the system have their own advantages and disadvantages, which make us sacrifice something in any case. We recommend giving preference to electric heating, as It is more modern, efficient and multi-functional!

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the most economical home heating system!