WO1995017567A1

WO1995017567A1 - Floor heating system and a method to lay such a floor heating system upon load-carrying beams

Info

Publication number: WO1995017567A1
Application number: PCT/SE1994/001239
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Rosenberg
Original assignee: Erroell Ab
Priority date: 1993-12-22
Filing date: 1994-12-22
Publication date: 1995-06-29
Also published as: SE501933C2; SE9304302L; SE9304302D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor heating system comprising elongated self-supporting floor panels (11) with several parallel grooves (12) on the upper side to receive therein a flexible tube (13) for conducting a heating fluid, said tube being extended without interruption through several grooves. Shorter self-supporting floor panels join each end of said floor panels (11) as reversing panels for the tube, said reversing panels being molded with grooves (20) for the tube on the upper side thereof, said grooves forming a continuation of the parallel grooves (12) in the first mentioned floor panels and extend to two opposite edges at each side of a transverse channel. The reversing panels are molded with grooves and a channel while preserving substantially the same carrying capacity over the total area of the panels. The invention also relates to a method in providing such a floor heating system.

Description

Floor heating system and a method to lay such a floor heating system upon load-carrying beams.

The invention relates to a floor heating system comprising elongated self-supporting floor panels which are laid on supporting parallel beams in the transverse direction thereof lined up lengthwise one after the other and have several parallel grooves on the upper side to receive therein a flexible tube for conducting a heating fluid, said tube being extended without interruption through several grooves ar.d forming at the ends of the row of floor panels a loop from one to the other of two adjacent grooves. Such a floor heating system is described in

SE-A-9001994-4, and as will be gathered therefrom there is a problem in providing loops where the tube extends from one to the other of two adjacent grooves. For these loops there are required two transverse channels or grooves in the upper side of the floor panels, and these would cause such a weakening of the carrying capacity of the panels if they are milled in the panels, that the panels could not be walked on without breaking if they are laid on a supporting timber framework. The problem is considered to be solved according to said patent specification by placing a floor panel arranged as a reversing panel and having grooves on one side thereof, with the grooves facing downwards the tube being extended below the reversing panel into a compartment between the beams of the supporting timber framework. Such an arrangement is, however, no satisfactory solution of the problem. It is desired in fact first to finish the floor with all floor panels in place and then to install the floor heating system, but with the floor heating system according to SE-A-9001994-4 the flooring must take place in two steps. First the elongated floor panels are laid, said

CORRECTED compartments to be covered later by the reversing panels being left open in order that the floor heating system can be installed. Then, when this installation has taken place the flooring must be completed by putting the reversing panels in place. Since the joiner cannot complete the floor until the plumber has made his job the installation work will be more complicated and involves higher installation costs.

According to the invention the problem is solved by the floor heating system of the kind referred to above having obtained the characterizing features of claim 1.

The invention also relates to a method in laying a floor heating system on parallel supporting beams with compartments between the beams in a space defined by walls in accordance with claim 7.

When the invention is applied all floor panels are first laid, and that work is thus completely finished before the installation of the floor heating system is initiated. DE-C2-28 05 070, DE-A1-32 08 278, and CH-A5-652 193 disclose floor panels which have grooves on the upper side thereof for the accomodation of heating tubes. These prior art floor panels are, however, not self-supporting; they consist of an insulating material such as polystyrene or another insulating material, or of a ceramic material and are intended to be laid on a flat support (concrete floor) .

In order to explain the invention in more detail reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a space with a floor which comprises floor panels,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a floor heating system according to the invention, FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of one of the elongated floor panels with a tube located therein, FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of an aluminium foil to be applied to the floor panel and drawn down into the groove,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a floor panel seen from the upper side thereof, which is provided as a reversing panel, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the floor panel in

FIG. 5, seen from the lower side thereof.

In a rectangular space, FIG. 1, which is defined by side walls 10A, 10B, IOC and 10D there is provided a floor framework comprising wooden beams 10 which are parallel to the walls 10A and IOC. Elongated floor panels 11 which can be of normal size (2.4 x 0.6 , thickness 22 mm) are laid on the framework. Several floor panels are laid in a row one after the other, and these rows are parallel to the walls 10B and 10D. The floor panels can be connected to floor panels joining the sides thereof in the conventional manner by means of a groove and tenon system. Preferably, the floor panels are made of particle or chip board and have a number of grooves 12, Fig. 2, which extend in the longitudinal direction in parallel to each other and are mutually spaced. A flexible plastic tube 13 is laid in the grooves for conducting a heating fluid, and this tube is extended continuously in the grooves along a meander path so that the tube forms a loop 14 alternatingly at one end and the other of the row of floor panels. An aluminum foil 15 is inserted into the grooves, which extends down into the groove and outwards at each side of the groove as will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3. The aluminum foil forms bosses 16 to retain the tube in the groove which has such a depth that the tube has the upper side thereof substantially flush with the upper side of the floor panel . In order to lock the aluminum foil in the grooves of the floor panel the aluminum foil can have flaps 17 which are struck against the grooves of the floor panel and are pointing upwards as will be seen from FIG. 4 to engage into the groove and lock the aluminum foil against displacement upwards from the groove.

At the ends located adjacent the walls 10A and IOC (or another termination of the floor) the floor panels 11 are connected to self-supporting reversing panels 18, FIG. 1, of an embodiment which is characteristic of the invention. Also these reversing panels are laid on the beams 10. Such a reversing panel is shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6. The reversing panel can consist of a compressed particle or chip board of the same width as the floor panels 11 but it can also consist of a molded board of another kind, for example some laminate. The reversing panel 18 has on the upper side thereof grooves 20 with the same spacing, depth and width as the grooves 12 in the floor panel 11 said grooves opening in a transverse edge surface of the reversing panel to join the grooves 12. Between two adjacent grooves there is provided a circular guide surface 21 for guiding the loop 14 along a semicircular path between the adjacent grooves as shown in FIG. 2. The reversing panel 18 is symmetrical and has also adjacent the opposite edge of the panel grooves 20 and joining circular guide surfaces 21 so that the reversing panel can be used also between two floor panels 11 as may be necessary in floor heating systems which are laid on large floor surfaces and are divided into sections. Inwardly of the guide surfaces 21 there are provided on the upper side of the reversing panel shoulders 22 which define at linear edge surfaces 23 a channel 24 extending transversely of the grooves 20. The tube 13 can be drawn out through this channel, and a connection tube 25 can be laid in the 'channel as shown in FIG. 2. The shoulders 22 have circular edge surfaces 26 which are spaced from the guide surfaces 21 and together with said latter surfaces define a groove or a passage for the extension of the loop 14 which is also stabilized and positioned by such a groove or passage being provided. The edge surface 26 can also be used for guiding the tube if it shall be extended from a groove 20 into the channel 24 in the longitudinal direction thereof or into one of the grooves 20 at the opposite edge, which is displaced in relation to the groove from which the tube is extended.

Further shoulders 27 are provided on the upper side of the panel, and these shoulders are arranged in groups including four shoulders to form a groove 28 which is in line with the grooves 20, and a groove 29,which is in line with the groove defined between the guide surfaces 21 and the curved edge surfaces 26 of the shoulders 22. The shoulders 27 have concave surfaces 30 which define grooves in relation to the guide surfaces 21 and the curved edge surfaces 26, respectively, and these surfaces serve the purpose of guiding and stabilizing further the tubes laid in different ways in the reversing panel. As shown in FIG. 2 the concave surfaces 30 serve the purpose of guiding and stabilizing the loop 14.

On the lower side of the reversing panel there are provided depressions 31 opposite to the portions of the upper side of the panel, which define the grooves 20 and form the guide surfaces 21. The central portion of the reversing panel viz. the portion forming the channel 24, has been given the same carrying capacity over the total area thereof by the shape of the panel provided by pressing the grooves 20 and the channel 24 on the upper side and the depressions 31 on the lower side. Thus, weakening of the reversing panel, which would arise if the channel had been milled in the reversing panel is completely eliminated. The reversing panel thus can be laid on two wooden beams 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and can be walked on without any risk of the panel being breaked along the central channel 24. It falls of course within the scope of the invention to provide shoulders in another pattern and with another shape than that disclosed in FIG. 5 in order to satisfy special demands with respect to the extension of tubes in the reversing panel but the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 would satisfy most demands in this respect.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Floor heating system comprising elongated self- supporting floor panels (11) which are laid on supporting parallel beams (10) in the transverse direction thereof lined upp lengthwise one after the other and have several parallel grooves (12) on the upper side to receive therein a flexible tube (13) for conducting a heating fluid, said tube being extended without interruption through several grooves and forming at the ends of the row of floor panels a loop from one to the other of two adjacent grooves c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a shorter self-supporting floor panel (18) supported by the beams joins each end of the row of said floor panels (11) as a reversing panel for the tube, said reversing panel being molded with grooves (20) on the upper side thereof while preserving substantially the same carrying capacity over the total area of the panel, said grooves forming a continuation of the parallel grooves (12) in the elongated floor panels (11) and being extended to two opposite edges of the reversing panel at each side of a central channel (24) also molded in the upper side of the reversing panel, said channel extending transversely of the grooves (20) in the reversing panels to receive therein the loops formed by the tube.

2. Floor heating system as in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that there are provided between adjacent grooves in the reversing panels on the upper side thereof guide surfaces (21) joining the grooves in the reversing panels for guiding the tube along a substantially circular loop on the upper side of the reversing panels between said adjacent grooves.

3. Floor heating system as in claim 2 c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that depressions (31) are provided on the lower side of the reversing panels (18) below the portions of the panel which form said guide surfaces (21) .

4. Floor heating system as in claim 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the channel (24) is defined between straight edge surfaces (23) on shoulders (22) which are provided in register with and spaced from said guide surfaces (21) and the edge surfaces (26) of which facing said guide surfaces are circularly curved.

5. Floor heating system as in any of claims 2 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that four shoulders (27) are provided on the upper side of the reversing panels (18) opposite to each groove (20) therein, said shoulders defining therebetween at the edge surfaces thereof two perpendicularly crossing grooves (28, 29) for tubes, one groove (28) being in register with the grooves (20) in the reversing panels (18) and thus with the grooves (12) in the elongated floor panels (11) , and that the four shoulders form concave edge surfaces (30) which together with said guide surfaces and the circularly curved edge surfaces, respectively, form grooves for tubes which are guided against said surfaces.

6. Floor heating system as in any of claims 1 to 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the reversing panels (18) consist of particle and chip board.

7. Method in providing a floor heating system on supporting parallel beams (10) forming compartments therebetween, in a space defined by walls (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that longitudinal selfsupporting floor panels (11) with several parallel grooves (12) on the upper side thereof are placed on the beams (10) in the transverse direction thereof with the panels lined up lengthwise one after the other, that a shorter floor panel (18) is placed on the beams at each end of a row of said floor panels (11) adjacent each of two opposite walls (10A, IOC) in the space, said shorter floor panel being molded with grooves on the upper side thereof with substantially the same carrying capacity preserved over the total surface of the panel, said grooves joining and forming a continuation of the parallel grooves in said floor panels and being extended to two opposite edges of the shorter floor panel at each side of a central channel (24) molded in the upper side of the panel transversely of said grooves, that a flexible tube (13) for conducting a heating fluid after finishing of the floor by placing said elongated and shorter floor panels on the beams is extended without interruption through the parallel grooves and at the ends of two adjacent grooves is formed as a loop from one groove to the other of said adjacent grooves in the central channel on the upper side of the joining shorter floor panel, and that connection tubes (25) for said flexible tube (13) and/or connection portions of said flexible tube are extended in the central channel (24) .