Floor heat

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Oakey

Oakey

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New Jersey
I have been asked to install electric supplemental floor heat in a basement area of a home (below the tile). I about figure 200-250 sq.ft should do it. Does anyone have any experience with the cable system that the warehouses carry or are the mats the way to go. Any help is appreciated
And Btw a curse on Lowes for telling the customer about this stuff....
 
I would suggest insulating the floor if this is on a concrete basement floor. Otherwise you're just going to be warming the dirt below as concrete is heat conductive. You should be able to isolate it enough with foil faced flooring insulation to get a few degrees out of it at the floor surface at exorbinate cost. FYI the stuff the warehouses, and most supply houses sell here in the US is only for a "Warming Effect" on the floor surface, not as a substitute for heating systems. They do make systems for the european market that can be used as "Heat", but I don't think they are available, or legal to install here.
 
Oakey said:
I have been asked to install electric supplemental floor heat in a basement area of a home (below the tile). I about figure 200-250 sq.ft should do it. Does anyone have any experience with the cable system that the warehouses carry or are the mats the way to go. Any help is appreciated
And Btw a curse on Lowes for telling the customer about this stuff....
Click to expand...


The mats are the way to go. I have done both and the cable system takes more time than its worth.

I have used watts radiant floor heating-- 417-864-6108. Call them --- I usually send them a layout of the bathroom and they will design the layout for you. Also many tile guys will install the mats and you just wire the thermostats. Now that I think about that I wonder if they need a license to put down those mats-- I bet they don't have one...
 
The cable system takes more time to install but the mats are more expensive, so price is usually a wash, and custom mats can get very expensive. Cable system can be better with difficult layouts. I actually like the cable system better. I use Easy Heat by the way...
 
Mind the voltage rating of the wires ....we are installing the mat style, the wiring to the mat is rated at 600v - but the wiring for the sensor is only at 300v.
 
celtic said:
Mind the voltage rating of the wires ....we are installing the mat style, the wiring to the mat is rated at 600v - but the wiring for the sensor is only at 300v.
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AND..... what is your point
 
I have use both NuHeat mats and Danfoss Mats. Both are easy to install and work well. The Danfoss is easier if you have an odd layout. The easy mistake to make is not getting the thermstat sensor wire installed into the floor. It comes packed with the thermostat typically, not the mat. Only let this happen to me once, I swear to it.
www.nuheat.com
www.danfoss.com
 
Jljohnson said:
I have use both NuHeat mats and Danfoss Mats. Both are easy to install and work well. The Danfoss is easier if you have an odd layout. The easy mistake to make is not getting the thermstat sensor wire installed into the floor. It comes packed with the thermostat typically, not the mat. Only let this happen to me once, I swear to it.
www.nuheat.com
www.danfoss.com
Click to expand...

I thought I made a mistake once... but I was wrong.
 
We prefer the "easy heat" cable system by far. It installs much easier these days than the old systems used to and you can work it into the odd floorplans and nooks & crannies where-as with the matts you are stuck with the basic rectangles unless you special order a custom matt ($$$ + time). We keep several sizes of cable kits in stock so we can upsell a custom home without the wait time.
 
bkludecke said:
We prefer the "easy heat" cable system by far. It installs much easier these days than the old systems used to and you can work it into the odd floorplans and nooks & crannies where-as with the matts you are stuck with the basic rectangles unless you special order a custom matt ($$$ + time). We keep several sizes of cable kits in stock so we can upsell a custom home without the wait time.
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Our supply houses can get us any size cable kit next day... but I agree easy heat is easy... :smile: and you can get both sides of the toilet, lets see you do that with a mat...
 
ryan_618 said:
Code reference?
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I may have spoke to quickly...I will have to read the documentation of the sensor as far as voltage goes.
This *may* be a DC voltage ...I'll have to get beck to you on that.
 
Either way I think it would be alright.
300.3(C) Conductors of Different Systems.
(1) 600 Volts, Nominal, or Less. Conductors of circuits rated 600 volts, nominal, or less, ac circuits, and dc circuits shall be permitted to occupy the same equipment wiring enclosure, cable, or raceway. All conductors shall have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the enclosure, cable, or raceway.
 
stickboy1375 said:
Our supply houses can get us any size cable kit next day... but I agree easy heat is easy... :smile: and you can get both sides of the toilet, lets see you do that with a mat...
Click to expand...
Out here on the left coast my suppliers can't seem to get heating cables in less than 3 weeks (slow ship around the horn) so we make due.
 
ryan_618 said:
Either way I think it would be alright.
300.3(C) Conductors of Different Systems.
(1) 600 Volts, Nominal, or Less. Conductors of circuits rated 600 volts, nominal, or less, ac circuits, and dc circuits shall be permitted to occupy the same equipment wiring enclosure, cable, or raceway. All conductors shall have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the enclosure, cable, or raceway.
Click to expand...
I don't think so...
All conductors shall have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the enclosure, cable, or raceway.
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I looked at that first (when you called me on it) ... I thought the NEC had an article that prohibitied conductors of different insulation types within the same enclosure.

I will have to RTFM again.
 
celtic said:
I don't think so...

I looked at that first (when you called me on it) ... I thought the NEC had an article that prohibitied conductors of different insulation types within the same enclosure.

I will have to RTFM again.
Click to expand...

I thought that's where you were going with that. Since the voltage is usually 120 or 240 volts, it really doesn't matter since the sensor is rated 300 volts.
 
ryan_618 said:
Either way I think it would be alright.
300.3(C) Conductors of Different Systems.
(1) 600 Volts, Nominal, or Less. Conductors of circuits rated 600 volts, nominal, or less, ac circuits, and dc circuits shall be permitted to occupy the same equipment wiring enclosure, cable, or raceway. All conductors shall have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the enclosure, cable, or raceway.
Click to expand...


I believe he was refering to 725.26 but both circuit are associated so would not be a problem:)
 
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