Heat mats

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iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I've never installed the mat itself. The tile guys install them and I wire them.

So the tile guys are licenesed electrians?


From our MA laws ... :grin:

No person, firm or corporation shall enter into, engage in, or work at the business or occupation of installing wires, conduits, apparatus, devices, fixtures, or other appliances for carrying or using electricity for light, heat, power, fire warning or security system purposes, unless such person, firm or corporation shall be licensed by the state examiners of electricians
 

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
I have repaired them and had to read the instruction manuals, very basic. TEST AFTER INSTALLATION. Watch the tile guy he'll damage them particular at the point where they go up to the t-stat and around the edges.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
I have installed one mat (in a 14' x 14' kitchen addition, with a clay-tile floor), but I don't remember the brand, as the customer bought the system. It came with a screamer that would signal the moment a wire was broken. We had no casualties.

The heater was not a wire threaded in a mesh mat; it was just three linear foil strips holding the zig-zagged wire in place. I'd guess it took us about two or three hours to lay the strips out, cut for turns, and run the leads back to the T-stat location.

I have probably wired half a dozen or so. I've never seen the wires damaged, because I cut the floor and/or wall bottom plate to make a channel for the wires to run in. I always sleeve the heat wires in PVC, and the T-stat wire is taped to the outside.
 

Steviechia2

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Depends on the size of the room and how many obstacles/angles there are. I have done many of these and I prefer the cable versus the mat. If you go with the mat you have to sketch a diagram with dimensions and get it custom made, about 1-2 weeks to make and a lot more money. The upside is there is little labor involved, typical bath 30-60 square ft 1 hour for mat. About 3-4 with the wire type. Then you have to figure for the Home run.
 

Steviechia2

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
I prefer the Sun touch brand. The one I use has a metal braid on the outside and the mounting strips are metal instead of plastic like some brands are.
 

JES2727

Senior Member
Location
NJ
I put NuHeat in my own bathroom last winter. It's great.
If you're using mats it's really best to let the tile guy put it in place. It goes right on top of the wet thinset, and then more thinset goes on top of the mat. (Some guys might want to be there to help roll it out if they're concerned about licensing issues.) If you're using cable to cover the irregular areas then you can lay it down before the tile guy gets started. All the other wiring, for the controller, is just routine stuff.
 

SpiderMT

Member
On the NuHeat mats I've installed I usually put a junction box down low to run the leads from the mat to and fed the load side of the thermostat to the j-box. I had the tilesetter float the mat in and leave the leads coming out of the floor all at the same point beneath the j-box then you run them into the box. All you should have to do is make those wires up and then install the thermostat later. So all told, maybe 4 hours with measuring, ordering, pick-up and drop-off from SH and make up and t-stat. This doesn't include the homerun, unless it's real close. Also assumes you are already onsite during install, additional trips are, well, additional.
 

CopperTone

Senior Member
Location
MetroWest, MA
tile guy usually installs, we bring power to the tstat location and wire it up only. If the thing doesn't work or breaks soon after we have no liability because we didn't install the mat. The types we wire up have built in gfci protection in the tstat so I don't worry too much about anyone getting hurt.

I wouldn't install them from scratch because of the liability. You have to remove the floor tile to replace it. no thanks. I'll let someone else loose their shirt on that job.

and no the tile guy is not a licensed electrician
 

stevenje

Senior Member
Location
Yachats Oregon
I have wired 50 or so. 95% were Nuheat.
1) Install a 4 sq deep with the appropriate mud ring.
2) Install 2 - 1/2" flex conduits or Carflex conduits from the 4 sq down to the floor. One for the 240 volt load wire and the other for the temperature sensor wire.
3) Notch the bottom plate so the flex will "turn out" flush with the finished
sheetrock at floor level.
4) Install a pull wire in each flex run. When the flooring installer installs the heating mat he then will pull the two wires up into the 4 sq deep box. This saves the EC from having to make another trip back just to pull the wire up to the box. Make sure that flooring contractor attaches the screamer or buzzer to the mat wiring.
5) Many of the floor installers pull in a second spare temperature sensor as a back up.
 
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