Why do you need a thermostat for underfloor heating. Types of temperature controllers and their installation
We all want that on cloudy rainy autumn days or cold winter evenings, warmth and comfort reigned in the house. But in order to achieve this very warmth and comfort even at the construction stage, it is necessary to think not only about wall insulation, but also about creating a warm floor. Regardless of which type of underfloor heating you have chosen infrared, electric or water, for convenient operation of the system you will need a thermostat. With it, you can not only regulate the operation of the system, but also save energy.
Content
- Why do you need a thermostat for a warm floor
- Choosing a thermostat for a warm floor
- Thermostat for water floor heating
- Temperature sensors
- Connection of thermostat for underfloor heating
- Video how to connect a warm floor to a thermostat
Why do you need a thermostat for a warm floor
Thermostats or as thermostats are also called, are necessary to control the entire underfloor heating system. So, it is thanks to the thermostat that it is possible to supply voltage to the warm floor sections only at a certain time, or if you use a programmable thermostat, you can set the program to maintain a certain daily temperature for a week in advance. Thus, thanks to the temperature regulator, you can not only create the most favorable atmosphere for yourself in the house, but also save energy.
In addition, the thermostat also performs a protective function by disconnecting the underfloor heating system from power when a certain temperature is reached and preventing the heating cable from overheating.
Choosing a thermostat for a warm floor
There are four main types of thermostats on the market today:
- Mechanical thermostats.
- Software temperature controllers.
- Touch temperature regulators.
- Electronic thermostats.
And now let's talk about each of the above types of temperature controllers in more detail.
Of all four types, the cheapest option is mechanical thermostats, in which temperature is controlled at the level of touch.
As a rule, such thermostats are used for small rooms, for example, bathrooms and provided that there is no need to save electricity.
Electronic thermostats from mechanical ones differ only in the presence of a LCD display, with which you can monitor the temperature of the heated surface.
Another thing is programmable thermostats for underfloor heating.
Here you can already set the time for switching on the underfloor heating system yourself, and without any extra hassle to maintain different temperatures at separate intervals. Most of the models presented on the modern market can be programmed for a day or a week in advance. Such devices are mainly purchased by owners of large houses who need to take care of energy savings. But for typical apartments, this type of thermostat is not recommended to be purchased, since it cannot provide a sharp floor heating.
Touch temperature controllers are essentially the same programmable ones.
But one of the main criteria for choosing a thermostat is, of course, its power. In order not to overshoot with a choice, it is necessary to carefully study the characteristics of the device and find what rated power of the warm floor this temperature regulator is designed for. The bulk of the temperature controller has a maximum power of 3 kW.
If the area of \u200b\u200bthe heated floor used exceeds the capacity of even the most powerful thermostats, it will be necessary to divide the room into zones, for each of which a separate thermostat will be used. Also in this case, a magnetic starter can help, which protects the thermostat from overload.
By type of installation, thermostats are divided into built-in and overhead. For the former, it will be necessary to further equip the holes in the wall, while the invoices are installed in the mounting box attached to the wall.
Thermostat for water floor heating
Thermostats for water underfloor heating there are two types of electronic and manual. In manual thermostats, the temperature for each heating circuit is set manually using a special thermostatic head. This type of thermostat is not expensive, but at the same time it requires constant human intervention, which is not always convenient.
As for electronic temperature controllers, many varieties of them are currently on the market. In particular, the most popular are programmable temperature controllers and radio temperature controllers. The latter, in addition to the traditional filling of the thermostat, also have a built-in radio device. In the case of such a thermostat, control signals are transmitted precisely using radio waves, and they are used in cases where it is not possible to lay wired communication systems.
Temperature sensors
The temperature sensors consist of two wires that are attached to the corresponding terminals of the thermostat. There are two types of sensors: built-in and remote. The latter are also divided into air and floor sensors. Floor sensors are installed together with heating parts for the finish coating, air sensors are installed in the area of \u200b\u200bthe room where it will be convenient to measure the temperature.
If you decide to install a thermostat with sensors in the kitchen, then experts recommend using a floor temperature sensor. This is due to the fact that the air temperature in such rooms can increase, for example, due to a working stove. However, despite the warm air in the room itself, the floor may remain completely cold.
Connection of thermostat for underfloor heating
It is necessary to think about installing a thermostat at the stage of installation of the floor itself. At this stage, it is necessary to determine exactly where the thermostat will be located and consider how it will be connected to the mains. In this case, you can connect the thermostat to either a conventional outlet or to a separate cable using an automatic switch.
It is also necessary to outline the place where our thermal sensor will be located in the future. It is desirable that it is located not far from the thermostat itself in a place free of furniture.
If an infrared film is used for the arrangement of the warm floor, the thermal sensors must be attached to the wrong side of the film and connected using the wires to the thermostat.
When arranging a cable heated floor, poured with concrete, the sensor will need to be laid in an iron corrugated pipe. It is necessary to isolate it from the penetration of concrete. This precaution is necessary so that the sensor can be easily removed and replaced if necessary.
Installation of the thermostat itself is done only after our underfloor heating has already been laid, and all the ends we need from the thermocouple and heating cable are routed to the mounting box. At this stage, you must carefully connect the cables to our thermostat. After all the wires are connected to the corresponding contacts, it remains only to install the thermostat in the mounting box.
As you can see, in general, it is possible to connect the thermostat to the warm floor with your own hands, however, in order for the system to serve for a long time and in good condition, in this case it is better to trust specialists who can not only masterfully perform all the necessary work, but also help with choosing the best option thermostat itself. So, for example, in recent years, experts increasingly prefer to work with thermostats for the warm floor of devi and legrand firms.
