Floor Heating System FAQs
Below is a list of questions that have been submitted along with answers. Please post your questions to us, we will respond by email and may include the answer with those submitted below.
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Any suspended floor levels which are open below, will lose heat downwards. Insulating-type floor coverings such as carpet, cork and parquetry, drive the temperature up an extra 12 Deg C, increasing the problem. If open to the weather below, the underside of the floor must be insulated. If the underside faces an area that requires heating, it may not be necessary to insulate below.
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Adequate instructions are provided for the DIY enthusiast. However an electrician must be involved in the process. All floor heating cable systems are permanently connected – not plug in, so your electrician must perform a test and make the necessary connection of the cold heating cable ends and thermostat control to the wiring.
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Every category of floor covering has been used successfully with floor heating. Nevertheless, any unusually large thickness of timber, cork, or other insulating coverings should be checked out. Heatec can assist with operating temperature information and the manufacturer should then have the final say on suitability. Under most coverings, the concrete does not get nearly as hot as your footpath outside in the sun, or, the floor near most room heaters. Since the warmth radiates from a large area, temperatures are moderate, with 27 Deg C at the surface being common.
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In a screed on top of the base floor, warmth is felt within an hour. Of course it also then cools down, more quickly.
Since storage is required for satisfactory operation of the controlled tariff systems, the cable is embedded in the base slab or a sand/cement screed and warm up time is a few hours. Thermal insulation assures temperature stability in these installations .
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Once the building construction is complete, problems of damage are very rare. The cable is tested at installation and at connection. Fortunately, if damage does occur, we have specialised equipment and techniques to locate the spot. A small trench around the cable is then dug, and it is rejoined.
Methods vary. In this instance, Heatec’s equipment was used to develop a warm spot at the point of damage, which was detected with a thermal image camera.
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Only you can decide this. But the main considerations will be:
- Local climate
- How much you, and other home occupants feel the cold.
- The type of floor coverings
- Your budget
The priorities are usually the bathrooms first, followed by tiled living areas, then bedrooms.
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All Heatec thermostats supplied have an air temperature sensor behind the front cover and the thermostat should be located where it is exposed to the conditions of the room. Locating the thermostat inside a cupboard, on an uninsulated external wall, behind a curtain or where exposed to sunlight, would reduce it’s effectiveness.
The air sensor becomes the primary means of control. In addition to this, a floor sensor is normally supplied and may be installed if provision was made for this in the wiring preparation. If the floor is not tiled but covered with a material that is temperature-sensitive, this will act as an override if the upper limit is set accordingly. For example, many timber flooring suppliers have upper limits recommended of around 35 C.
If the floor sensor is set up to be the main control, there may be control difficulties in finding and re-adjusting the comfort level. For example in moderate weather a floor temperature of 26 may provide comfort, but when moving into a colder period, increasing the floor temperature will be necessary. If the floor warming is to be used as background warmth only, to be supplemented with for example, a ducted reverse cycle system, then either use a floor sensor or limited input hours.