Repair of underfloor heating, their types, elimination of malfunctions of water, electrical systems and prevention of their breakdowns. Underfloor heating is a heating system located on the ceiling of the building. Often, it serves as a full-fledged heating, which is especially typical for country houses. Carrying out uniform and comfortable heating of the room, the warm floor creates a favorable microclimate in it and maintains an optimal level of air humidity. But any technical device is capable of malfunctioning sooner or later, and a heated surface is no exception. How to get out of this situation with dignity by performing a simple repair of a warm floor with your own hands, you will learn from this material.
The main types of warm floors
To troubleshoot a warm floor, you should know its device. Thanks to the heating system built into the floor structure, the surface is transformed into a large panel that radiates heat. Its carriers in the system can be electrically conductive elements or pipes.
On this basis, four main types of warm floors are determined:
- Electric floors … They are cable, film, rod and have the same device, consisting of a heating element, a temperature sensor and a thermostat. Electric underfloor heating works in this way: when it is connected to the electrical network, the conductive elements are heated, and the temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the floor surface. When it is equal to the room temperature, the electrical power supply to the floor is cut off. When the room cools down, underfloor heating will automatically resume. The operation of the entire system is provided by a special thermostat, on the scale of which you can set the desired room temperature, which will be constantly maintained.
- Water floors … They can be connected to both an autonomous heating system and a centralized one. Transportation of the coolant for water floors is carried out using pipes that are made of various materials: metal-plastic, cross-linked polyethylene, polybutane, copper or stainless steel. All of these pipes are corrosion resistant and durable. In addition to them, the set of equipment for the water floor includes mixing units and distribution manifolds. The first are designed to maintain a stable temperature of the carrier, the flow of hot water into the system and its circulation. The second distribute it along all contours. The water floor works in this way: hot water comes from a centralized heating system or a gas boiler, which constantly circulates through the pipes of the system, built into the floor screed. Thanks to this, the heat from the floor rises and is evenly distributed throughout the room.
- Electric liquid floors … This is a symbiosis of both of the above systems, combining their advantages in their design. The heating element is a thick-walled tube with a diameter of 20 mm, made of structured polyethylene and filled with antifreeze coolant. Inside the pipe, along its entire length, there is a heating cable consisting of threads of a chromium-nickel alloy enclosed in a Teflon sheath. Pipes with coolant and cable are hermetically sealed. The coolant itself does not move, it is static. Therefore, the electric liquid floor does not need a manifold, boiler and pump. Otherwise, the scheme of work of such a floor is identical to that described above.
- Infrared floors … They are a polymer film less than a millimeter thick with soldered silver-carbon conductors. The source of heat is infrared radiation, which heats not the air in the room, but the objects in it. Thanks to this, heat is distributed smoothly and the natural humidity of the air in the room is maintained. The polymer heating film can be cut according to special markings applied to its surface. Infrared underfloor heating does not require screed installation, it is easy to connect, install and move to any location.
Underfloor heating repair technology
Let's consider in more detail the main breakdowns of underfloor heating and how to troubleshoot system malfunctions.
Repair of underfloor heating
Its main malfunctions may be a coolant leak, a clogged filter, a breakdown of a circulation pump, or a consequence of installation errors. You need to start repairing a water-heated floor with its diagnosis.
First you need to determine where the floor does not heat. If this happens in one room, it is worth looking for the problem in the coil or collector in that room. When the floor does not heat up in all rooms, this means that the problem may be an insufficient water level, a faulty pump, a boiler or a clogged filter.
To check the level of the coolant in the system, you need to add water to it so that it begins to flow out of the drain pipe. After this procedure, the work of the water floor improves in 20% of cases.
If underfloor heating does not work in only one room, you need to check the filter. To do this, unscrew it and inspect the cartridge carefully. Its contamination indicates that the elements of the system need to be flushed. Mud deposits make it difficult to transport water through the heating pipes.
A decrease in its pressure in half of the cases appears as a result of errors in the installation of the heating system. The inner diameter of the coil pipes is small - only 5-10 mm. Their improper bending and clogging can lead to a malfunction of the warm floor. To check this yourself, you need to pump the system. If there is an air release valve, open it and wait until the water in the expansion tank pushes the air out. After the liquid flows from the tap, it must be closed and the system must be filled with water before it exits the drain pipe. If bleeding fails, this indicates obstruction of the floor coil pipes.
To check the circulation pump, you need to turn it on and listen to how it works, having previously released air from the system. A serviceable unit will hum monotonously without vibrations, knocks and other extraneous sounds. Otherwise, it is recommended to drain the water from the system, turn it off and take it for repair.
If there is a pressure gauge installed after the pump, you need to plug the return pipe, turn on the unit and check the pressure in the system with the device. It should have a value of 0.5 atmospheres or eight pascals. If the pressure is less, it indicates poor floor performance due to water leakage.
You can determine its place as follows: the pump should be turned on for operation for a couple of hours and water should be added to the system. If there is no leakage, liquid will immediately begin to flow out of the drain connection. If this did not happen immediately, it will be necessary to pressurize each circuit separately and the entire system as a whole. After completing it, you can establish a section of water leakage, due to which the system does not heat up. Such a breakdown of a warm floor requires special equipment. If a water leak occurs in the pipe joint, it should be replaced, and eliminating the leak in the coil will require replacing the floor heating system in a separate room.
When unfiltered water is poured into the heating system, dirt enters the pipes along with it. The high temperature of the carrier leads to the appearance of silt plugs, which, by narrowing the lumen of the inner cavity of the pipes, reduce the quality of the heating system. If this happens, it will need to be flushed. It is better to entrust this work to specialists who will be able to select the necessary reagents and correct the situation. If the warm water floor is operated correctly, flushing of its system will be required once every ten years, or even less often.
Repair of a warm electric floor
Its implementation requires from the performer basic concepts in electrical engineering, which will allow you to detect and eliminate faults in electrical circuits. If knowledge is not available, it would be prudent to seek help in repairing a warm floor at a service center.
The main malfunctions of the electric floor heating system can be a wire break or a heating element, burned contacts, a breakdown of a temperature controller or sensor, as well as a short circuit of electrical circuits. The warm electric floor is designed so that each separate room is heated by one system. Therefore, a malfunction of the floor in any room indicates a breakdown in the heating control system in it or its heating elements and is absolutely not connected with the warm floors of the remaining rooms.
When repairing a warm electric floor, checking its performance should begin with the control unit and the sensor. To do this, it is necessary to measure with a voltmeter the voltage at the terminals to which the power supply wires are connected. Then its value must be compared with the same parameter of the outlets in the next room. If the voltage difference exceeds 10 volts, this indicates a poor-quality contact between the terminals of the control unit and the mains wires.
To fix this, turn off the power supply, remove the terminal screws, remove the wires and strip the ends. After that, the wires must be installed in their place and fixed with screws. If, after a subsequent check, the difference between the voltage indicators has not disappeared, it is worth looking for a problem in the supply wiring of an apartment, house or room.
Check the voltage value at the terminals of the heating element. When the relay is off, there should be no voltage. If the thermostat is set to the maximum temperature, the voltage at the terminals must be at least 210V. A reduced value indicates a poor-quality contact, a breakdown of a heating element or a faulty regulator.
The current value must correspond to the parameter specified in the technical passport of the thermostat. A clamp meter can be used to check. If the current is less, the problem lies in the regulator, which is repaired in a specialized workshop. In addition, the current can be reduced when the heating elements of warm infrared floors burn out or break.
The complete absence of current indicates a break in the wire suitable for the heating element. If the current value exceeds the rated value, the problem lies in the circuit closure. It can occur due to high humidity or errors in the installation of a warm floor. A short circuit is usually accompanied by overheating of the wires and the smell of their burnt insulation.
Repair of warm infrared floor
Such a floor consists of heating electrical elements connected in a parallel way. They are made of graphite and are located between special conductive tracks running on both sides of a special heating tape. Thanks to this design, the breakdown of one or two elements does not lead to the failure of the entire belt. If the heating efficiency in any room has decreased, it is necessary to check the amperage consumed by the electric infrared floor. A deviation from its nominal value by more than 10% indicates damage to the warm floor in the form of a breakdown of several of its heating elements.
In this case, it is recommended to increase the floor heating temperature using the regulator, since the tape with conductive elements cannot be repaired. If necessary, it will have to be replaced.
Prevention of underfloor heating breakage
To avoid damage to the warm floor, a number of nuances should be taken into account when installing it:
- When calculating the size of the heating elements, you need to take into account the area of the room that is not occupied by furniture. This is due to the fact that underfloor heating elements are not recommended to be laid under bulky interior items due to the possible overheating of the system and its failure.
- The purchase of floor heating elements should be carried out taking into account their required dimensions, since cutting the cables during installation can lead to damage to the system due to a decrease in its strength.
- The heating cable should not be placed on a dirty subfloor. Before starting installation work, it must be thoroughly cleaned.
- It is not recommended to walk on it during the installation of the warm floor in order to avoid breakage of the heating elements with the hard sole of the shoe.
- The temperature sensor should be installed so that during the repair of the thermostat, this part of the system is easily accessible. It is recommended to place the sensor in a corrugated tube.
- There should be no voids around the heating element, they can cause the cable to overheat and fail.
- In the process of installing a warm floor, it is recommended to make its diagram on paper with an indication of the dimensions. It may be required during repair work and will allow you not to touch the cable or pipe of the system when working with a cement screed.
- After laying the wire, check it by measuring the resistance. Until the screed is completely dry, the warm floor cannot be turned on.
The electrical resistance of the floor must correspond to its passport value specified in the documentation attached to the kit. Resistance measurements should be taken before and after the installation of the system.
Watch a video about underfloor heating repair:
In any case, it is easier to prevent the occurrence of a problem in advance than to eliminate the results of poor-quality heating installation later. Strict adherence to the rules of work will allow you to avoid repairing a warm floor in the near future. Good luck!
