The popularity of film and tape electric heaters is difficult to overestimate. They currently make up approximately 40% of all heated floor models. More recently, a mobile version of the heater has appeared. Even the most non-technical person can install an electric heated floor under a carpet, and the simplicity of the device makes it indispensable for a trip to a country house or country house in winter.
Service life – more than 5 years
What is a mobile heated floor?
Structurally, the heater is a panel made of film, or less often fabric, measuring 60x180 cm, 200x140 cm or even 180x280 cm with a connected electrical cable and a power supply box with a temperature controller. Externally it looks like an anti-slip carpet pad for parquet.
There is a carrying case
Features of the heated floor device:
- The heating element is made of graphite film with thin wires soldered along the panel;
- The heat generation power is 250 W/h from one square, that is, one heated floor mat can emit 500-700 W;
- Thanks to the built-in sensor, the surface of the heated floor film heats up to a maximum of 55°C;
- The protection system is provided according to electrical safety class 2. This means that even if the underfloor heating panel is torn under the carpet, no one will get hurt, and, moreover, there is no threat of electric shock, like with wire heaters.
Warm floors are graphite strips soldered into panels
Important! Manufacturers of film heaters installed under the carpet claim that the heated floor reaches heating mode within a minute after it is turned on.
This type of heater was created as a mobile device, so the fabric was quite flexible and soft. It can be easily spread under any carpet or soft textile floor covering, and, if necessary, rolled up and packed in a case.
Design Features
From the outside, mobile floor resembles a carpet, which is nothing more than a load-bearing mat with an attached TEN. The dimensions of the product may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, not to mention the fact that it is possible to order it according to the correct dimensions from special companies. Products with parameters of 1.8 by 0.6, 2 by 1.4 m, 2.8 by 2 m are extremely popular.
The design of mobiles is slightly different from built-in floors; it includes:
- TEN;
- substrate;
- soft heat-conducting top layer;
- a power box with a wire, and the plug from it generally fits various types of sockets;
- thermostat, it makes it possible to regulate the temperature in one-degree increments and thus saves electrical energy. However, it is not always included in the kit, and you must purchase the device separately.
The mobile system is highly economical - in most cases its power can range between 250-300 W, although there are much more powerful ones - up to 560 W. It weighs 0.3–2 kg. The service life with such parameters is very impressive - at least 50,000 hours.
Does it make sense to use underfloor heating under the carpet?
At first glance, everything is fine. To heat a small room, it is enough to place a piece of heated floor under the carpet and plug it into a 220 V outlet. While the heater is working, everything around it gradually warms up. You can even leave the system turned on; fortunately, the built-in overheating sensor will disconnect the graphite film from the external power supply.
Advantages of a mobile solution
Experts say that if the heater were inefficient, there would be no demand for it. Today, young families with small children are primarily interested in mobile floor heating systems.
There are only three reasons for increased interest:
- The habit of playing on the carpet is always associated with drafts and cold floors. Carpeting does not help if it is 18-20°C, as is usually the case in autumn and early spring;
- The heating temperature of the film is low; moreover, the warm floor is practically insulated by the carpet, so there are no conditions for getting burns or damaging the heating surface;
- A mobile heated floor can easily be placed on a balcony, terrace or even veranda of a country house. It is impossible to provide heating in the indicated places in any other way.
Of course, the system laid under the carpet is subject to pressure from the weight of people and furniture; the heated floor film often has to be removed and cleaned of dust and debris. But even taking these features into account, the design turns out to be much safer and more efficient than its closest competitor - an infrared radiator heater with a hot spiral.
High level of comfort
Important! Even if you forget to turn off the heated floor, no catastrophic consequences will occur. Perhaps only the synthetic carpet will become a little stiffer when it dries out.
If you forget to turn off the infrared emitter, you can pay with furniture or wallpaper blackened by heat. The radiation itself is very harsh and often leads to severe thermal burns. With a heated floor, the temperature of the graphite film is an order of magnitude lower, so the heating is soft and comfortable.
Negative sides of heating
The electric version of heated floors cannot be considered ideal. Even at low heating temperatures, the panel comes into contact with the paint or varnish of the floor covering. If laminate and linoleum still withstand heat for several hours throughout the day, then paint or PVC tiles peel off from the floor very quickly.
The second serious drawback is the flaw of the designers. Laying a heating element in the form of a film under the carpet, from a heating point of view, is stupid. Most of the warm energy obtained from expensive electricity will go to heating the concrete base or subfloor. It is extremely difficult for a flow of heat to escape from under a thick carpet with very good thermal insulation properties.
The carpet can ride on the film
Therefore, underfloor heating film can be effectively used to heat a room only if the carpet is synthetic, perforated, similar to a knitted carpet.
In addition, tables and chairs, furniture or any other heavy objects that could crush the heated floor should not be placed on a carpet with a film heater. This is still graphite paste sprayed onto a synthetic substrate, and it is quite possible to push it through with any sharp object.
Popular manufacturers
Today there are several popular manufacturers of mobile heated floors. Among them are the companies Trio, Sinplen, Teplolux.
Trio is a Ukrainian company engaged in the production of heating devices and structures in various directions. The main focus is on long-wave infrared products.
The Trio company has been known on the market since 2006.
Trio is a design for spot heating of a room. It will not be possible to install it on the entire room. This heated floor has the usual dimensions of 180x60 cm and is characterized by low energy consumption.
Sinplen is a company that produces durable and reliable heating structures that easily continue to work even if one part of the system breaks down. The sizes of Sinplen underfloor heating are different, some make it possible to cover the entire area of the room.
Teplolux is a Russian manufacturer whose products are in demand among connoisseurs of comfort, safety and high quality.
Teplolux has been operating since 1994.
The Teplolux mobile heated floor can be placed both under the carpet and under laminate, linoleum or tiles. It will perfectly heat a 3x3 m room, where on average 30% is occupied by it in the center.
It is worth saying that in 2010 the Teplolux brand was awarded the title “The most recognizable brand of heated floors in Russia.” In 2016, products including thermostats and underfloor heating received the Best for Living Award.
How to use underfloor heating correctly
The first thing you need to do is purchase several meters of reflective foil thermal insulation based on foamed polymer. This will help prevent the floor under the carpet from heating up.
For hard coverings, such as tiles or parquet, soft types of thermal insulation, isoflex, infraflex, are used. For plank floors and laminates, more rigid substrates, such as energyflex, are used.
The mobile nature of a heated floor is a huge advantage of a heating system, so you should not glue a soft polymer mat to the floor with tape. If it is vital to fix the heater to the floor, then you can use small pieces of tape at the corners, but in no case should you completely fix it with a sticker around the perimeter.
It is better to glue a warm floor on the floorboards
The warm floor is designed so that it will move on the floor covering along with the carpet. If you fix the film, the carpet or carpet base will move around the film, resulting in deep scratches and grooves.
Film flooring is easily confused with other types of heaters. There are many similar models of heaters that are mounted on the ceiling, walls, and even under the frame of the sofa. The principle of operation is the same, but they should not be laid under the carpet; such models are not designed for additional thermal insulation and the load from the carpet.
When operating the heater, you must not close the sensor box; in this case, the floor will periodically turn off without even reaching the required temperature.
In a country house, a warm floor can replace a carpet
Consumer tips
The heater is practical and safe. For carpets, it is better to use lint-free, pile and tufted coverings, which can also be woven. The main floor can be made of natural stone. The system, according to consumers, has a functional and convenient power regulator. It is used to increase the ease of use of the device and maintain optimal temperature conditions. However, the power regulator is supplied separately.
Characteristics
How to choose a heated mobile floor, and what parameters need to be taken into account? First of all, you should first create a heated area. The peculiarity of the design is that it is impossible to connect several heating strips in parallel.
In this regard, it is necessary to pay great attention to the overall dimensions of the model. Now there are many standard sizes of substrate, but 1600*800, 2000*2800, 1500*650 and 800*500 mm are considered very popular.
When choosing, in most cases, the specific power per 1 m2 is taken into account. It should be at least 250 W/m?. This indicator allows you to heat the surface to the required 30°C. However, there are much more powerful models whose productive power can reach 300 W/m?.
Advice The performance of the structure greatly depends on the quality properties of the coating. Conventional light-transmitting films will dissipate heat energy in all directions from the carbon coating. The presence of a metallized reflective surface will make it possible to increase the efficiency of the system.
The length of the cord connecting to the outlet in most cases is 2.5 m. This is enough to locate a mobile warm
floor in any place of an average-sized room. A short wire can be made larger using standard wiring; the main thing is to choose a wire with a core diameter designed for standard loads.
