within the electric underfloor heating systems that are commercialized in the market, there are different technologies that differ from each other due to their technical characteristics and their operation. In this article we will explain what types of electric underfloor heating exist and we will focus on describing the operation and applications of the underfloor heating in particular.
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There are several systems that we can consider as electric underfloor heating:
Cable and radiant mesh: It is a twisted cable in the form of a coil that is installed continuously in a room, so that any breaking point that occurs would affect the entire installation. In this type of system, the emitter has the diameter of a pen and it is a product that requires very high temperatures to heat the room.
He heating filmUnlike the cable and the radiant mesh, it is made up of a system of independent sheets that are distributed throughout the rooms and are numbered according to the distribution plan. Each sheet is installed independently from one another, so that, in the event of a specific failure of one of these sheets, the rest of the system does not stop working.
The radiant foil has standard measurements with a width of 550 cm (or 445 cm, depending on facility), with a length according to needs, it is a heating system that works at low temperature. The advantages of operating at a low temperature compared to cable or radiant mesh are, on the one hand, that it is a low-consumption system and, on the other, that it can be used with wooden laminate floors since it emits a gentle heat that It does not affect the wood at all. For this reason, most of the laminate floors that are currently on the market are suitable for the installation of the radiant foil heating system.
100-year functional guarantee: a fail-safe system
Due to its composition, the radiant foil has two conductors in parallel where the electricity is fed. The heating element consists of 8-millimeter-thick graphite rods. For safety, every 8 millimeters of heating have 3 mm neutral bands. and so on, not giving continuity between one band and another. This means that, if a point of the underfloor heating were perforated, only 8 millimeters of sheet would "die". Not only is each sheet independent, but, within the sheet itself, each circuit has independence.
On the other hand, the radiant folio has a Lifetime certified by Avis Technique -certification granted by the French institute CSTB and which measures the longevity of the products- of 850,000 hours of use, about 100 years.
“Grupo Cecather guarantees the 100% of the installation, not only the replacement of the affected material”, assures José Luis García López Commercial Director of Cecather, a leading group in radiant foil. "In the 35 years that we have been installing radiant foil we have not had to build any installation, although they do consult us to carry out some repairs to deficient installations with radiant cable due to problems with cuts in the system itself."
Specifically, the guarantee of this system covers the repair, replacement and aesthetic damage that may occur in the laminate, because "it is a heating that does not affect the wood at all".
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Radiant foil applications. Comparison with underfloor heating by water
The radiant foil has different applications of use. One of the most used is as anti-fog for mirrors, in hotel chains, homes, gyms, etc. Also in seedbeds, greenhouses, where it is constantly watered, since the sheet is heat seal completely.
In the case of newly built buildings, today with the application of the new CTE and in passive houses, with low energy demand, the radiant foil heating system is gaining prominence among construction technicians due to its advantages, and can be complemented and supported by photovoltaic panels in projects with almost zero consumption.
In this type of buildings, the commitment to systems based on aerothermal energy with underfloor heating by water is the trend. However, generating domestic hot water through an air heater and installing a radiant foil becomes another recommended alternative in many cases.
One of the advantages provided by the underfloor heating with respect to underfloor heating by water is that it an aerothermal “boiler” is not required, with which we eliminate an important part in maintenance.
On the other hand, the radiant floor system using a reticular tube is designed for very cold climates in which the use of heating lasts for months and is constant, since these are systems that have great inertia, that is, They take a long time to both turn on and turn off. This, in certain areas of the Spanish geography where the use of heating is more punctual on days or even at specific hours of the day, represents an extra expense.
Finally, it is necessary to highlight the difference in the price of the installation between one system and another, resulting in the radiant sheet being cheaper than the aerothermal system with underfloor heating by water, which also requires more maintenance and has a longer useful life. between 10 and 15 years old.
A portable system suitable for reforms
The radiant foil system is also ideal for home renovation. The complete set of electric underfloor heating plus the laminate floor is placed in less than two centimeters, with an insulation of only 5 millimeters.
How does the electric radiant foil system work?
The electric radiant foil emits heat by radiation, unlike other systems that do so by convection or that generate movement of air and, therefore, of particles. Besides, remain the levels humidity degree, important for people who have asthma problems or in museums or buildings with works to preserve. It provides comfortable warmth and keeps the air fully breathable.
This system can be installed divided into rooms, using a chronothermostatState-of-the-art that controls the room and floor temperature independently in each room and is also fully programmable via Wi-Fi. In this way, we can keep the living room at 20ºC and the bedrooms at 18 and turn them on an hour before going to bed.