Underfloor heating cables
Underfloor heating cables
Choosing a heating cable for underfloor heating is a responsible task. If you trust the builders doing your renovation or if you make a mistake yourself, you will not be able to correct it.
Heating cables for underfloor heating have many manufacturers and modifications. What to choose, which manufacturer is better. Choose heating cable or mat. Which power cable is better. What is the difference between the sheaths covering the heating elements. All these questions often put people who are faced with electric underfloor heating for the first time, in a deadlock. Consultants, knowing the answers to the questions only superficially, even more confuse buyers. They offer equipment that is not suitable for the task at hand. It is even worse if they simply offer what is more profitable for them to sell.
In this article we will try to help you understand and make the right choice yourself
Manufacturers
There are more than fifty manufacturers of electric heating cables for underfloor heating on the Ukrainian market. Some of them dominate the Ukrainian market, but they are unknown in other countries. There are manufacturers with whom it is the other way round, they are known everywhere, but they are not known in Ukraine.
Whether it is worth paying for a brand, everyone decides for himself. But Cable is not a telephone or a car, it will be poured with mortar, laid with tiles and only you will know what warms your floor. Cable for warm floors are produced on the same equipment, manufacturers of such equipment is very few. There are also manufacturers of materials for the manufacture of cables. None of the manufacturers of heating cables do not produce neither heating cores nor sheaths, all this is bought.
Coming out of the above, we can conclude that all manufacturers make cable on the same equipment using the same materials.
Cable or mat
To begin with, a mat is a solution in cases where it is not possible to lay a heating cable. Installation of heating cable implies raising the floor level by three to four centimetres. The use of a heating mat allows you to lay the cable under the tiles. Laying a heating mat does not significantly change the floor level. Heating mats can have lower power because they are close to the floor surface. Since the heating mat is located directly under the tiles, such floors heat up faster, but also cool down quickly. The lack of thermal insulation when installing the heating mat leads to rapid heat absorption by the concrete floor.
The heating cable and thermal insulation must be laid in this way in any case. Heating mats are only installed if it is not possible to lay the cable.
Power selection
The power of the heating cable for normal conditions is 16 to 18 W/m. However, there are cases when this power needs to be increased. An example of a necessary increase is the presence of a ground floor with an unheated basement. The presence of thermal insulation is of great importance. By placing a sufficient layer of thermal insulation material under the heating cable, you will obtain significant energy savings. (reflective foils are not thermal insulation material).
Cable construction
Only two-core shielded heating cables may be used in rooms with permanent occupancy.
Materials
The main material used for cable sheathing is polyethylene. It is called by different names, but in all cases it is PVC sheathing. Some manufacturers use more expensive and higher quality materials for cable sheaths, such as fluoropolymers.
Fluoropolymer has a number of advantages compared to PVC sheathing. The main weak point of the floor heating cable is localised overheating. Fluoropolymer sheaths can withstand temperatures an order of magnitude higher than PVC sheaths. The use of fluoropolymer sheaths in the cable for warm floors is a clear advantage of this type of cable. Also important is the presence of tinning, as tinning avoids oxidation of heating cores and screen.
Underfloor heating cables
Choosing a heating cable for underfloor heating is a responsible task. If you trust the builders doing your renovation or if you make a mistake yourself, you will not be able to correct it.
Heating cables for underfloor heating have many manufacturers and modifications. What to choose, which manufacturer is better. Choose heating cable or mat. Which power cable is better. What is the difference between the sheaths covering the heating elements. All these questions often put people who are faced with electric underfloor heating for the first time, in a deadlock. Consultants, knowing the answers to the questions only superficially, even more confuse buyers. They offer equipment that is not suitable for the task at hand. It is even worse if they simply offer what is more profitable for them to sell.
In this article we will try to help you understand and make the right choice yourself
Manufacturers
There are more than fifty manufacturers of electric heating cables for underfloor heating on the Ukrainian market. Some of them dominate the Ukrainian market, but they are unknown in other countries. There are manufacturers with whom it is the other way round, they are known everywhere, but they are not known in Ukraine.
Whether it is worth paying for a brand, everyone decides for himself. But Cable is not a telephone or a car, it will be poured with mortar, laid with tiles and only you will know what warms your floor. Cable for warm floors are produced on the same equipment, manufacturers of such equipment is very few. There are also manufacturers of materials for the manufacture of cables. None of the manufacturers of heating cables do not produce neither heating cores nor sheaths, all this is bought.
Coming out of the above, we can conclude that all manufacturers make cable on the same equipment using the same materials.
Cable or mat
To begin with, a mat is a solution in cases where it is not possible to lay a heating cable. Installation of heating cable implies raising the floor level by three to four centimetres. The use of a heating mat allows you to lay the cable under the tiles. Laying a heating mat does not significantly change the floor level. Heating mats can have lower power because they are close to the floor surface. Since the heating mat is located directly under the tiles, such floors heat up faster, but also cool down quickly. The lack of thermal insulation when installing the heating mat leads to rapid heat absorption by the concrete floor.
The heating cable and thermal insulation must be laid in this way in any case. Heating mats are only installed if it is not possible to lay the cable.
Power selection
The power of the heating cable for normal conditions is 16 to 18 W/m. However, there are cases when this power needs to be increased. An example of a necessary increase is the presence of a ground floor with an unheated basement. The presence of thermal insulation is of great importance. By placing a sufficient layer of thermal insulation material under the heating cable, you will obtain significant energy savings. (reflective foils are not thermal insulation material).
Cable construction
Only two-core shielded heating cables may be used in rooms with permanent occupancy.
Materials
The main material used for cable sheathing is polyethylene. It is called by different names, but in all cases it is PVC sheathing. Some manufacturers use more expensive and higher quality materials for cable sheaths, such as fluoropolymers.
Fluoropolymer has a number of advantages compared to PVC sheathing. The main weak point of the floor heating cable is localised overheating. Fluoropolymer sheaths can withstand temperatures an order of magnitude higher than PVC sheaths. The use of fluoropolymer sheaths in the cable for warm floors is a clear advantage of this type of cable. Also important is the presence of tinning, as tinning avoids oxidation of heating cores and screen.
