In floor heat thermostat height

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nizak

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Does anyone here know the recommended mounting height for a thermostat controlling in floor electric heat? I have looked through a couple manufacturers install guides and they say "at an appropriate height". Any help appreciated.
 
Not near the ceiling where the hot air accumulates. Not at the floor because it may get a false reading from direct radiant heat.
If subject to ADA, follow that.
Wherever it looks good, otherwise. If it has an LDC display, look at the viewing angle!
 
Not subject to ADA. A conventional stat is usually at 60", it just seemed like that was too high.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The height does not matter as there is a probe that has to go in the floor and that senses the heat
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This is true of most thermostats where the heat is intended to warm the floor only and there is a separate heating system for the room air.
But you can also set up the floor radiant heat as the sole heat source for the room. For those cases you will need to sense the air temp, but also should have a floor sensor to limit against overheating.
Typical sensor cables are from 10' to 15' long.
It is s good idea to also install a backup sensor cable to be connected if the first one fails
 
If it has a sensor then whatever height is comfortable for the customer to view is fine. It doesn't even have to be in the same room. I have installed them in the basement to control heated floors on the first floor and it works fine.

Generally I run two 1/2" conduits to the floor - one for the heat cable and the second for the sensor. The one for the sensor gets the end squeezed shut so the wet bed doesn't seep in and I can use a piece of #14 to insert the sensor.
 
I use the Uponor 2-wire heat only thermostat which is specifically made for radiant floor heat where it is the only source of heat for the room - no floor sensor. Uponor recommends 5' from the floor which is where I have it installed and it works fine - I live in the Northeast and it has worked well through cold winters.
 
Outside of ADA or other codes, if the thermostat is for sensing and controlling room temperature, you should place the sensing portion at a location that gives the most comfortable performance. I think 60 inches is popular because that is where most adult's body cores typically are when standing upright. We usually don't live on the floor or the ceiling but somewhere in between.

I do work in livestock raising facilities at times and temperature controls for most effective results in those places will vary depending on the animals being housed. You don't put an environmental control sensor at 60 inches in a poultry house, the birds will be cold or you will need to compensate the setting as they are only a foot or so tall for chickens and a couple feet for turkeys. The temperature will be lower at a foot or two feet then it is at 60 inches.
 
Most of our customers mount at "eye level" (like an HVAC stat) Bottom of stat 48"-54" from floor works very well for most people.
Although some customers prefer in line with light switches, I think this is too low and necessitates most people having to bend over to view/set.
 
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Mine is in the bathroom, and the control is mounted between the light switches and the outlets, on the wall left side of counter. Being w/ the other two boxes, same height is best in my opinion, and they are pretty much a set and forget control.
 
Barbqranch said:
Mine is in the bathroom, and the control is mounted between the light switches and the outlets, on the wall left side of counter. Being w/ the other two boxes, same height is best in my opinion, and they are pretty much a set and forget control.
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Actually, that would have been the exact same answer I would have given. :happyyes: Without doing any measurements, I would estimate the height of the controller to be around 48 inches.

 
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