How to heat a granite counter top!

[Steviechia2]

Okay Guys looking to see if anyone has heated a granite counter top? I have a customer who is looking to warm her counter. I called Sun touch rep to see if I could use their tile warming product but they said it wasn't listed by UL for that application. Any idea's?

 

[marti smith]

Steve, there is a product: www.thermasoft.com, that may work if installed with a subcounter. I personally have never installed it, only provided the electrical need for one application, and it was a commercial application (used in lieu of a heat lamp). May be worth looking into. Good luck.

 

[Rewire]

link is under construction

 

[danickstr]

try www.thermOsoft.com

 

[weressl]

try www.thermOsoft.com

Any heat tracing cable would work, just make sure that the temperature calculations for runaway conditions do not damage the installation material, you use expandable grout and limit the temperature so you don't crack the granite. MI cable is probably the longest lasting.

 

[jjhoward]

HI Steve;
Have you looked at STEP Warmfloor radiant heat products?
Low voltage, self regulating material.
They manufactor different material with differnt outputs ie, heating in a home floor and higher output materials for ice melting in a driveway or walkway.

You drive it with low voltage transfomers. The higher output stuff can also be installed in a wall for an in wall towel heater.

www.warmfloor.com

 

[hurk27]

I think the problem is going to be the difference of how flooring is laid and how granite counter tops are installed, in almost all flooring the heating element is embedded in the thermo-set adhesive, thus allowing the heat to transfer throughout the floor, also allowing heat to be removed from the element efficiently.
Granite counter tops are just set on top of the cabinets, I would talk to the counter top installers and see if there is a way to use a thermo transferring type of epoxy or adhesive to embed the heating elements on the under side of the counter tops, at least this will operate similar to how the floor works, you might even get help from one of the manufactures to do this part?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I would get a waiver on any damages done by the heat.

They also make a 24 volt heat cable for floors. It may be okay to use there.

 

[growler]

Okay Guys looking to see if anyone has heated a granite counter top? I have a customer who is looking to warm her counter.

I have to ask. Why?:-?

 

[jjhoward]

The warmfloor product is a mat not a mesh of an element.

You could glue it to the bottom of the granite.

 

[GlennH]

Might want to make sure your customer has thought through this.

Imagine the mess when she sets her grocery bag down on it with butter or chocolate in the bag:

 

[cadpoint]

It's just cold materal if they want to feel cooler get stainless steel..

I think you should go ultra-violet lighting and heat up the countertop.

Besides we all need a glow light cause no one going outdoors, anyways

Sell them two down lamps and a switched circuit.... Call it the morning light!

 

[BJ Conner]

Heating Granite

Heating Granite

Heating and cooling granite is what caused the old man on the mountain to go away.
If I were heating granite I would talk to an expert in granite countertops.
It could be a fun project but I would want to do it on someone elses nickle.

 

[__dan]

thermal expansion

thermal expansion

Thermal expansion between the substrate and the granite slab could be an issue, especially for long odd shapes or weak spot at sinks and corners. They make a crack isolation membrane, Shluter Ditra, that provides a movement allowance between the substrate and the finish. I've been thinking about using this with radiant heat floors.

If you use a Ditra product layer to allow for thermal expansion, their spec for substrate construction and heat installation technique is probably what you want to look at.

The other issue is control. I do not see how you could use a space temp thermostat, it would never run at the right time. Best bet may be a thermostat with a remote thermistor embedded in the mortar, and definitely a nearby manual off switch for when the thermostat is not right.

The customer could be adding several thousand dollars in cost to do it right. Do they have the appetite to spend that kind of money on it. Forced air toe kick heater may be the more conventional safer bet.