Heating "Zebra" (Zebra): the principle of operation, features, installation instructions

Convective heating, familiar to all, is in fact not the most effective. This problem is well known to owners of apartments and houses who want to heat their homes productively, but economically. To help them, new heating options have been developed, including “Zebra” heating, which occupies one of the leading places.

We will describe how this heating system works, the action of which is associated with the use of infrared radiation. Let's get acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of film heaters. For independent home masters we provide detailed installation instructions.

Infrared heating: what is it

School physics talked about the waves around us. The radiation that our eyes see, we perceive as the color spectrum, and we know for sure that ultraviolet and infrared waves are present beyond its boundaries. The human body perceives the latter as heat. Scientists divided the infrared spectrum into three groups: waves with low, medium and high length.

The higher the temperature of an object emitting infrared radiation, the shorter the wavelength. The shortest person is able to see, they already lie in the visible spectrum.

For example, a hot steel rod emits short-wave radiation. Another regularity is known: short-wave and even medium-wave radiation are not useful, and sometimes dangerous for living organisms.

All heated objects emit infrared radiation. The most powerful source of infrared waves is the Sun, which gives our planet life by heating it.

Long infrared waves beneficial effect on a person. However, some are even afraid of the word “radiation” and therefore do not consider infrared heating as a worthy option. This is fundamentally wrong. The universe is designed so that all heated bodies around us emit infrared waves of various lengths.We radiate them ourselves.

The principle of operation of the Zebra system

Infrared heating works similarly. A zebra film heater is placed on the ceiling of a heated room. After the equipment is included in the work, it begins to emit rays whose wavelength coincides with the length of the infrared radiation of a person.

They rush down and meet large objects on their way. Most often it is dimensional furniture and floor. Radiation is absorbed and accumulated by them, as a result of which objects begin to slowly heat up and give off the received heat.

Thus, the temperature in the room rises and gradually becomes comfortable. And it happens very quickly. After the room has become warm enough, the heaters automatically turn off and are inoperative until the room cools down a bit.

Zebra film heaters are used as primary heating. The devices are mounted on the ceiling, infrared radiation goes down and heats the floor of the living room

Doctors say that when you compare convective and infrared heating, the latter is more beneficial for humans. Traditional convective water system most often based on heating coolant, which, in turn, should heat the air in the room. But it is known that air is a very poor conductor of heat, so it takes too much energy.

The system must have heat transfer devices. These are radiators - heating appliances, which are heated from the coolant and thereby warm the air. In order to cope with their work, the batteries must be hot. Thus, they dry the air in the room, removing moisture from it.

In addition, air masses heated by incandescent batteries do not remain in place. They rise to the ceiling, and in their place come colder.

Thus, the floor will always be uncomfortably cold, and at the level of the head there will be unpleasant excessive heat. This temperature distribution is unpleasant and not useful for humans.

Infrared heating functions differently. The radiation primarily heats the floor, which becomes pleasantly warm and heats the room.

Film-type infrared heaters can even be used on the wall. In this case, there can be no talk of full heating, but a separate section of the room will be well heated

It turns out that the zone of maximum heat is shifted to the lower part of the room, and in its upper part there is a pleasant coolness. According to doctors, such a temperature distribution is most beneficial for the body. By the principle of its action, radiant infrared heating is similar to the natural emitter of the sun. The long waves produced by him are useful for living organisms.

The device and characteristics of the heater

Under the Zebra brand, film-type infrared heaters are available. The system was developed by Russian engineers and manufactured at a plant in Chelyabinsk.

This is a multilayer web where a radiating element is located between the layers of non-conductive films. With the passage of electric current, it is he who is activated and begins to emit infrared rays. To move them in the right direction, an aluminum screen is used. The result is a flexible panel with a thickness of 1 mm.

Zebra goes on sale in the form of a tape divided into segments. Thanks to this strip, it can easily be cut into fragments of the required length - from 60 cm to 6 m.

The width of the heating film panel is 50 cm. 50 such segments are usually present in one package. Cutting the panels is most often carried out immediately before installation and is performed with ordinary scissors or an office knife.

The device of the film heater is extremely simple.In fact, this is just an infrared wave emitter laminated in a film. Efficiency increased by reflective element

Each of the heater segments is a complete heating element with a useful power of 67W. The film IR heater has sufficient flexibility, which allows it to be used on a profile of various configurations. The working side of the panel is marked with a branded sticker laminated under the film.

From the technical characteristics of the device, we can conclude that it is suitable for use in rooms with high humidity. The heater is marked IP44, which allows it to be installed in saunas, pools, etc. The wavelength range of the device is from 8.9 to 9.5 microns. For power, a standard 220 V power supply is used.

Why choose film heaters

Infrared heating has many advantages over other heating systems. Let's consider them in more detail.

Efficiency & Cost Efficiency

Infrared heater refers to direct heating devices. The coolant is not used, so energy is not required to heat it. Automatic control allows the IR system to work in the most economical mode.

In addition, it is possible to maintain a minimum temperature in the house during the absence of people. Shortly before the owner appears, the system will warm up the premises and establish a comfortable microclimate.

Given that the system operates in an economical mode, its power consumption is small. On average, about 12 kW is spent per square meter of a heated room. The numbers are valid for buildings that meet the requirements of SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings" 23-02-2003.

At the same time, the temperature that is set on the thermostat cannot exceed + 20ºС. If these conditions are not met, the energy consumption, respectively, increases.

Under this marking, a new variety of Zebra is produced. Each heating segment of this heater gives out 10% more power than a standard film

Infrared heating is very easy to install. Mounting a film system can be carried out independently, which saves money on the services of specialists. The cost of equipment is quite high.

But if you compare the full price of designing, purchasing devices and installing a gas heating system, for example, and a Zebra system, the latter will cost about a third cheaper.

In addition, during operation, IR heaters do not require any maintenance and no financial costs. Considering that their guaranteed service life is 15 years, and their operational life is more than 50 years, the savings are significant.

IR heating is easy to regulate, which allows you to customize its operation, taking into account the use of a multi-tariff meter. The average payback period of the IR system is two years.

Reliability and durability

The film type heater is, in fact, a group of conductors laminated with a film. The design does not have any moving or moving parts.

Thanks to this, under the condition of proper operation, it can serve an unlimited period. The manufacturer guarantees 10 years of equipment service, but in reality it can be many times more.

Intelligent management capability

Manual control can be used to control the operation of the heaters and control the temperature in the room. But this method has long been outdated. It prevents the system from working as economically and efficiently as possible.

A person physically cannot timely respond to all changes in the environment that affect the operation of the system. Therefore, the best choice is automatic control of heaters.

One of the possible schemes for connecting a radiant heating Zebra using a temperature controller and a modular contactor.To protect the machine installed

For its implementation, it will be necessary to install temperature sensors and a controller that will process the data coming from the detectors and, based on this, shut down / turn on the entire system. If you want to control such a controller, you can not only be directly next to it, but also remotely, for example, from your phone.

Infrared heating integrates perfectly in smart home system. In this case, the main processor will monitor the comfortable temperature.

He will be able to adjust the individual temperature regime for different rooms and track its rigorous implementation. In addition, all kinds of malfunctions in the system will be immediately detected, and they will be reported to the owner.

Ample opportunities for decor

Zebra is a film type heater, its thickness is only 1 mm. This means that during installation it does not “eat up” free space at all. The equipment is mounted on the ceiling, floor or wall.

On top of the film can be any decorative coating. The exception is suspended ceilings. During operation, the heater warms up to safe + 45ºС, however, the heat-sensitive film on the stretch ceiling will react to it

However, those who urgently require the option with a tensile structure can, for protection, put a draft ceiling made of drywall behind the film heater, and then mount the stretch ceiling.

Universality of a film arrangement

This type of infrared film can be installed in three ways:

• on the ceiling;
• under the floor;
• on the wall.

Each method is good in its own way. Most often, a zebra is mounted on the ceiling. This is considered the best option. In this case, the floor and furniture warm well on the entire surface located under the heater.

Additional advantages - the heater cannot be accidentally damaged, the film will not fail due to overheating caused by objects in it. It is possible to move large household appliances and furniture.

The disadvantages of the ceiling arrangement include the thermal effect on the electronics and household appliances, which can adversely affect the work. In addition, if there are still apartments above the dwelling, there is a danger of flooding, which will lead to the failure of the entire system.

The floor arrangement does not have these disadvantages, but in this case, the heaters should be especially carefully protected from possible accidental damage.

Due to the fact that the radiant heater of the Zebra type film is very thin, the free space in the room practically does not “eat up”

The film heaters located under the floor cover very well heat the floor: wherever they are, on the ceiling or on the floor, the temperature distribution in the room does not change.

The exception is the wall position. Theoretically, it is possible, but in practice is rare. This is due to its low efficiency. The radiation will only move in a straight line, as a result of which a strictly limited area of ​​space will be heated. This option is only good as an additional heating.

Mounting Technology IR Zebra Heater

A big plus of the infrared heating system is that its calculation and installation can be done independently. Consider the main stages of the process.

Preparatory work and calculations

Strange to start installing the film, oddly enough it sounds, with a thorough warming of your home. The creators of Zebra developed it as a device that almost perfectly maintains a given temperature.

If the room quickly loses heat, then the heater will work continuously. And this is very ruinous for the owner. For this reason, you should start by identifying areas of heat leakage and their elimination.

Another important point is the calculation of the amount necessary for the installation of the film. In order not to be mistaken, you should determine the size of the rooms and draw a plan of the ceiling.

Then, guided by the size of the panel, you need to try to "place" it on the ceiling in an optimal way. It should be remembered that the heater is divided into segments and can only be cut along the boundary line between them.

Each heater panel is divided into segments. You can cut it only along the designated lines, not forgetting to correctly cut the phase and neutral wires. Various Zebra modifications vary slightly in segment sizes.

After you can determine the location of the film on the sketch, you should calculate the number of segments and, accordingly, the number of packings of the panel. If planned self-installation of IR floor or ceiling, it is advisable to additionally purchase the so-called installation kit, which includes a heat shrink tube, eyelets, clamps, etc., etc.

Reflective layer mounting

Under the IR film insulation system is installed. Despite the aluminum reflector built into the heater, part of the radiation still goes to the base. To prevent this, a reflective screen is fixed to the base.

For its manufacture should take the material made on the basis of foil. The best option is Izolon - foil laminated foil. To fasten it to the ceiling, fasteners are required. Their type is determined based on the base material.

For example, for concrete floors, dowels with a press washer are used, for wood - a construction stapler or self-tapping screws with a press washer. To begin with, material is cut out, while taking into account that the insulator strips should be joined with a small overlap. Its dimensions should be clarified in the instructions for the material.

The reflective screen is easiest to fix on a wooden base or on bars. In this case, you can cope with the work with a construction stapler

Prepared strips are superimposed on the ceiling. One cannot cope here, so help will be needed. Next, fasteners are installed. It will be most difficult to work with a concrete base, since it will be necessary to first make a hole and only then put a dowel into it, and then secure the panel with a press washer. By fixing strip after strip, the entire reflective screen is assembled.

Preparation of film heaters

Start with cutting the film. You need to do this correctly. First, measure the required number of segments and find the cut line between them. Then scissors cut the film.

It is important to correctly cut the wires, phase and zero. About 100-150 mm of wire should remain on one edge, while not more than 10 mm on the other. The latter is considered a dead end and is necessarily insulated with a glue gun or heat shrink tube.

When cutting, you need to remember that the zero and phase wires are not designed for high load. For this reason, the length of one panel should not exceed 6 m, otherwise serious operational problems are possible.

It is necessary to connect the ground wire to the cut tapes of the film. To do this, a 4 mm bolt is inserted into the hole specially designed for this purpose, on which the wire is fixed.

Installation of radiant heaters

Installation of the prepared heater panels is carried out similarly to insulating strips, but without overlap. Mounts are used similar. There is one point here.

Fasteners need to be installed very carefully - so that they are as far away as possible from the conductive wires laminated in the film. Otherwise, the risk of mechanical damage is too great, which will damage the heater segment.

If the radiant heater is mounted directly on the floor slab, you will have to fasten it with dowels with press washers.Mounting is carried out similarly to that used when installing the insulation

The film is attached to the ceiling with some tension to avoid possible unwanted sagging of the canvas. This is necessary, given that the distance from the heater to the subsequently installed fine finish cannot exceed 150 mm and must not be less than 10 mm. When installing the panels, zero and phase wires are displayed strictly on one side.

Connection and wiring

Further along the ceiling, the main cable is laid. It should be located on the side where the wires from the heaters are routed. For laying, a special element is used - a cable channel. Small holes are made in it, located opposite the wires withdrawn from the film.

Through them, each phase and zero winds inside the cable channel. Here they must be connected to the trunk cable. It is best to use soldering for this.

During installation, zero and phase wires from each strip of the heater are displayed strictly in one direction. To do this, it is best to use a copper wire of suitable section

Other methods are not so reliable. The wires are neatly soldered into place and always insulated. Then, the main cable ready for operation is laid in place and closed.

Further installation depends on the system control scheme. For the manual version, a thermostat is connected. If the automation is supposed to work, temperature detectors and a controller are added. A very important point: to connect the system to the network, a dedicated line and RCD are necessarily used.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The materials presented in the videos will help you better understand how the heating device works, how it differs from analogues and how it can be quickly installed.

Video # 1. The principle of operation of infrared heating:

Video # 2. A brief overview of the heating system Zebra EVO:

Video # 3. How to install the zebra system:

Infrared heating, and Zebra refers to this type, is a practical alternative to convective systems. Its effectiveness and efficiency has been proven by numerous studies and years of practical application.

When deciding on the installation of infrared heaters, you need to understand that all their advantages will be fully disclosed only if the premises are thoroughly insulated, otherwise the Zebra will bring only disappointment.

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