Installation Hints & Tips
Do's and don'ts for installing electric underfloor heating:
Installing electric underfloor heating is easy if you follow our top 10 tips as featured in Professional Electrician September and October 2015 issues.
Do's
What you should do when installing electric underfloor heating?
1. Select the correct system for the application and your final floor covering
Finding the right system for your project is the first priority. Different floor coverings are suited to different outputs and products. Laminate or engineered wood floors require a specific system and must be installed with a foam insulation to ensure the heat spreads evenly. Our technical team can assist with specifying an entire underfloor heating system including fitting accessories and a thermostat.
2. Use a levelling compound
A levelling compound will help spread heat evenly and create a safe, reliable base for the final floor covering to be fitted onto. The levelling compound should be poured once the system is in place and has been tested with a multi-meter.
3. Cover heating mats and cables with a flexible tile adhesive
The adhesive should be flexible to allow for any movement when the system heats and cools. Flexible tile adhesive should cover the entire system including the cold-tail connection.
4. Fix mats and cables using tape and a hot glue gun.
Some mats are already sticky, our mats have double sided tape on them making fitting very easy. If further fixing is desired use a hot glue gun to secure the mat and use masking tape for loose cables, pinching it around the cable.
5. Make sure all tradesmen know underfloor heating has been fitted to avoid accidental damage.
When you handover the project make sure the tiler or team fitting the final floor covering, knows that there is underfloor heating fitted. This will help to avoid any accidental damage during tiling. Underfloor heating is very easy to repair if a grout tool or tile cutter accidentally damages it.
Don'ts
What you shouldn't do when installing electric underfloor heating?
1. Don't tape the end joint or coldtail connection
We have seen installations where duct tape or similar materials are used to stick down the end joint or cold tail of a heating cable or mat. Using this type of tape will create an air pocket around the cable and prevent heat to escape causing the connection to eventually fail.
2. Never cross the cables
The space between cables provides the output of a system, so cables must never be crossed. This will cause a very high heat output to be produced in a confined space damaging both the outer and inner parts of the cable.
3. Never cut the cables - they cannot be shortened!
Don't cut through cables. Cables cannot be shortened or cut to remove excess cable, this will cause the system to fail. Our cables are made with a resistance value per limear metre so if a cable is shortened the resistance increases, in turn increasing the output causing damage. If the cable is damaged during install we can supply a kit to repair the damage.
4. Don't spot dab tile adhesive for a faster install
Don't use spots of tile adhesive to save time and quickly install a system. This can create air pockets underneath the tiles. The cables are designed to be covered by a flexible tile adhesive or levelling compound, so if they are in the open air they cannot release heat efficiently. Spot dabbing can lead to the cables overheating. Installations of this type will cause a patchy heat output and inconsistent heat.
5. Never leave cables exposed above the final floor covering
Don't leave the cables in the open air or above the final floor covering. All of the heating element and connections in our systems must be fully encapsulated within flexible levelling compound, screed or tile adhesive except our underlaminate system mats. The connections for this system should be placed under the final floor covering and covered with aluminium tape to allow heat to transfer. The system you choose must be under the final floor covering to prevent the risk of overheating and mechanical damage once installation is completed.
