Dura Ceramic replied by kmclain @ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:07:40 -0000

kmclain — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:07:40 -0000

Denise,

Thank you for posting on our forum! To begin with, DuraCeramic tiles can be installed over a floor heating system as long as the surface temperature does not exceed 85 degrees farenheight. This is outlined in the installation manual for DuraCermaic. I felt it best to bring this to light as some flooring manufacturers are concerned about placing floor-heat beneath their flooring as the heat produced may damage or warp the flooring and/or void the given warranty.

Now, as for your main question; having contacted DuraCeramic, they state that their supplied adhesive thinset is a water-based acrylic. Thinset is very much like concrete. Concrete, through weather and environmental changes, can expand and contract due to constant heating/cooling which I’m sure you have heard of happening in basements or on sidewalks. For our system to cooperate properly with the flooring above and to keep expansion and contraction of grout lines and thinset from cracking due to expansion from changes in temperature, you would need to use the suggested latex modified thinset as the latex modified thinset gives the appropriate leeway needed to keep the floor heating system from causing any expansion/contraction damage. As long as this is observed along with the manufacturer’s suggestion of keeping the surface temperature at or below 85 degrees, I am most certain you will have a beautiful, warm floor to enjoy for many years to come!

If you should need any other questions answered or should you have any other concerns, please let us know! We would be more than happy to help in any way that we can!

Thank you again Denise!

~Keith

Dura Ceramic replied by DMcKay @ Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:04:04 -0000

DMcKay — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:04:04 -0000

Hi;

I’m planning to lay the Warmly Yours mat in regular thinset for my bathroom project, but the Dura Ceramic tile I chose comes with “special” thinset. Is it OK to mix these thinsets as long as I let them dry completely?

SmartStat vs EnergyStat replied by kmclain @ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:04:01 -0000

kmclain — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:04:01 -0000

Sergei,

The suitablility is subjective and wholely based on personal preference. Differences between the two can be seen here at Controls. To summarize the main differences between the two devices, the Energystat is a little more utilitarian and has more the look of function as oppose to beauty whereas the Smartstat would be opposite and its function controls are slightly more complex. The readout on the Energystat is much smaller and some folks find that hard to read. The Smartstat readout is much larger and also has a backlit screen. The Energystat is also a dual voltage device and can receive both 120 and 240 Volt input, the Smartstat voltage must be specified. Each device has the capability of being programmed for four events throughout the period of all seven days. The programming periods are morning on and off periods and afternoon/evening on and off periods. The warranty is one year for the Smartstat and three years for the Energystat.
Hopefully that will sufficiently answer your questions but if you should need more information, please let us know!

Thank you Sergei!

SmartStat vs EnergyStat replied by Sergei @ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:38:39 -0000

Sergei — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:38:39 -0000

Could you please provide more info re differences and suitability of SmartStat vs EnergyStat in 120V small (15 sq.f.) application …
Both can have 4 separate settings to be set for every day of the week? or it’s 5+2 programs? Warranty 1 vs 2 years? Something else?
Thanks!

New install while renovating replied by Sergei @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:18:12 -0000

Sergei — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:18:12 -0000

Thanks, Keith!
The breaker on the line is not GFI for sure, but outlets are with GFI … which means that thermostat’s GFI and outlets’ GFI will be in parallel not in sequence …
Should be working …
Thanks,
Sergei

New install while renovating replied by kmclain @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:56:45 -0000

kmclain — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:56:45 -0000

Sergei,

We always suggest that systems be on a dedicated breaker. The reason for this is that it makes the possible troubleshooting of systems easier should that occur and also keeps load down on the circuit and saves systems from overloading in that fashion. Now, a 10 foot roll only utilizes 1.88 Amps meaning that both rolls for both systems would utilize 3.76 Amps in total which in the grand scheme of household systems is barely anything.
The only other problem I would imagine could arise would be when the breaker comes into play. Many breakers nowadays are GFI (Ground Fault Interruptor) active meaning they have a GFI already built into them. NEC code these days requires a GFI active breaker for a bathroom or GFI outlets to be installed in the bathroom or a combination of both. The thermostats for our systems already have built in GFI’s and GFI’s on the same circuit do not get along. The GFI that is first in the line will normally trip off the secondary almost every time creating problems. This would mean that your shared breaker would need to be a standard breaker, non-GFI active and depending on code, may not be advisable. It may be best to also check with a local electrician on this subject just to verify that you could surpass this obstacle.
Hopefully that will help you in your endeavor! If you should need any other questions answered, please let us know!
Thank you Sergei!

New install while renovating replied by Sergei @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:32:31 -0000

Sergei — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:32:31 -0000

Hi!
I’m planning to install TempZone in my bathrooms – on the first floor and in the basement.Bathrooms have only one 120V line from the panel – which powers vanity lights and wall outlets there … to get a new dedicated line from the panel would require almost a full house demolition…
Both systems will consist of SmartStat and 10-15B-120T roll.
Any troubles you can foresee in this situation?
Thanks,
Sergei

Environ II in basement under wood replied by kmclain @ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:35:27 -0000

kmclain — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:35:27 -0000

SMA,

Your recommended system installation method sounds perfectly sound to me. The one thing I would also mention is that if the Kahrs own underlayment is sufficient in relation to thickness and R value (at least 1/4 inch thick for maximum insulating underlayment effectiveness and 2.6 R) then the cork underlayment would not be necessary. If that is not the case, then stick with what you so succinctly concluded! Let us know if we can help with anything else!
Thanks SMA!

Environ II in basement under wood replied by SMA @ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:38:20 -0000

SMA — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:38:20 -0000

Thanks for the reply. So, let me see if I’ve got it straight.

Kahrs does not have the underlayment attached, but they do require their own underlayment to keep the warranty in place. You recommend cork as an insulator over concrete, I believe.

So is this recommended sequence: concrete floor, cork, Kahrs underlayment, heat mat, wood flooring?

Recommend Thickness of Materials Above Product? replied by kmclain @ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:45:20 -0000

kmclain — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:45:20 -0000

Ryan,

Sorry for not having replied sooner, we have been going through some system changes as of late.

Honestly, what you suggest will most certainly adversely affect the system. Considering that tile is generally anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch thick along with the thinset that is at least a suggested 3/8 inch thick and although this is beneath one inch thick, the system can only handle a total floor thickness above it of one inch before the heat output of the system is greatly affected.
A flooring thickness of over one inch above the system will still receive heat, however the thicker the flooring, the more heatloss you will receive.
Let us know if there is anything else we can help answer for you! Thanks Ryan!

Environ II in basement under wood replied by kmclain @ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:38:09 -0000

kmclain — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:38:09 -0000

SMA,

We apologize for not having posted a reply sooner. We are currently going through some system changes.

In reply, insulating over concrete is almost a necessity. A concrete slab will act like a giant heatsink, pulling anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees worth of the heat output into it before the heating system ever heats the flooring above.
Some engineered flooring has the underlayment attached to it as oppose to a loose underlayment. If this is the case, underlayment other than that which is attached to the flooring is needed as the underlayment attached to the flooring will push the heat back downwards.
Environ II is installed atop the subfloor (or atop the underlayment if the subfloor is concrete) and below the engineered or floating flooring.
Please let us know if you should have any other questions! Thanks SMA!

Recommend Thickness of Materials Above Product? replied by ryaniannucci @ Fri, 30 May 2008 15:01:43 -0000

ryaniannucci — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:01:43 -0000

I have a tile floor that already has a Warmly Yours product installed under it. This installation is in a 3rd floor bathroom over heated space. Unfortunately the tile floor is very far out of level. If I pour a self-leveling compound over top of the first layer of tile and then lay another layer of tile on top of the leveling compound, will that adversely affect the performance of the Warmly Yours product?

Perhaps phrased another way, is there a recommended thickness of materials over top of the Warmly Yours product that should not be exceeded?

Environ II in basement under wood replied by SMA @ Thu, 29 May 2008 20:04:14 -0000

SMA — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:04:14 -0000

I am considering using the Environ II system in our basement under Kahrs floating engineered hardwood.

I’m a little confused on the underlayment…I read that an insulating over concrete is recommended. Is that in addition to the Kahrs’ underlayment?
Where are the Environ mats installed, directly beneath the wood?

Edit: the title should say under wood

First Time Installer replied by slavigne @ Tue, 27 May 2008 18:28:31 -0000

slavigne — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:28:31 -0000

Jeff,

As long as the dip isn’t too significant there should be no problem using either SLC or thinset to level the floor. Make sure that the product you are using is latex, acrylic, or polymer modified and you should be fine! I would say no more than an inch of material over the top of our heating system – including tile thickness. Hope this helps! Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you!

Seth

First Time Installer replied by tombstone @ Mon, 26 May 2008 23:46:22 -0000

tombstone — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:46:22 -0000

Seth,

Should I embed the mat in SLC or use thinset? I plan on doing the 2-step installation to help ease the tile installation. Currnently, I have the plywood subfloor with 1/4” hardibacker installed on top of that. I have a slight dip in the room that I was planning on making up with the embedding product.

Thanks again!

Jeff

system amps replied by slavigne @ Thu, 22 May 2008 17:08:14 -0000

slavigne — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:08:14 -0000

Hi Slim, welcome to the forum -glad to hear that your install went well! The lead wires on our mats are about a 14 gauge stranded wire, but running the power to the thermostat with 12-2 is absolutely fine.

I wouldn’t recommend running anymore than 15 amps through the Smartstat, while it will work at maximum amp capacity, it will take its toll on the unit over time.

I hope this info helps, don’t hesitate to contact us again if there are any other questions.

-Seth

system amps replied by whazoo @ Thu, 22 May 2008 03:58:56 -0000

whazoo — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:58:56 -0000

Hi All, Just got done laying the mat under my granite floor, All went well.
I have a question about the breaker amperage.

My electrician put the floor on a unused circuit in my box. All the the breakers are 20 amp.
The bath is wired for this via
12-2/g on another circuit.

Is the heat map designed with 12 or 14 gauge wiring
And is the energystat like a typical switch, Rated for 15 amps but will handle 20 amps?

thanks for any and all info

Whole house replied by slavigne @ Wed, 14 May 2008 20:49:31 -0000

slavigne — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:49:31 -0000

Chris,

Electric radiant heat can definitely be used throughout your house. Are you looking to use it as a primary heat source? If you have a blueprint, feel free to send it to our engineering department, and we will be able to come up with a layout and cost estimate for your project.

Seth

Wiring 6 mats replied by slavigne @ Wed, 14 May 2008 20:47:43 -0000

slavigne — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:47:43 -0000

Terry,

If you are using a 240v system the wires in the romex should be black, red, and green or bare copper. You are correct in your wiring though; each Environ lead wire has three wires in it (2 black and a green/yellow), Take one black from each lead and connect it to the black or red in the romex, take the other black and connect it to whichever black or red romex you haven’t used yet, and the green/yellows will all connect to green or bare copper. I hope this is a little more clear than my last post, please give me a call if you need any more assistance.

Seth
800.875.5285 ext815

Wiring 6 mats replied by Murph @ Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:57 -0000

Murph — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:57 -0000

Seth – thanks for the answer. You’ve cleared up some things, but I’m sorry I wasn’t more specific. I’m installing Environ II under floated bamboo hardwood; because of the size of the room your wizards decided I needed a 240 volt system. If I need a different type of romex for a 240 volt system I’ll get it. I’m going to be running the wires from the mats down through the floor (the best alternative, trust me, and Chad says it’s OK) and then across the basement to underneath where the thermostat will be.

I still need to understand how a ‘junction box’ can be used. My assumption is that the wires from the 6 mats can be gathered into the junction box (in my case in the basement) and connected to the appropriate wires in the romex (i.e. 6 #1 wires to black, six #2 to white (or vice versa) and 6 green/yellow to bare) and then one romex wire goes to the thermostat. Does that sound right?

Thanks – Terry

Whole house replied by Acerone @ Tue, 13 May 2008 22:51:14 -0000

Acerone — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:51:14 -0000

Is this something I could use for the whole house? In the video it shows a bathroom so I was just wondering… Thanks Chris

Wiring 6 mats replied by slavigne @ Tue, 13 May 2008 18:55:52 -0000

slavigne — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:55:52 -0000

Hi Murph, welcome to the forums. Depending on what system of ours you are using, the wiring for the junction box will be slightly different.

If you are using our under-tile system; each mat will have two lead wires. It sounds like you have a 240volt system due to the fact that your thermostat has red and black wires. The romex you have sounds like it is color coded for 120v, that is, it has black and white wires running through it. You should be able to use it, but I wold recommend using some sort of colored tape on it to signify that you have 240 volts running through it.

Take all the lead wires from you mats that have the red tag on them, and connect them to either your black or white. Take all the leads that have the white tags, and connect them to whichever wire you havent used yet (black or white). Each lead wire should have a braided ground sheathing in it – these will all tie off to the bare copper wire.

If you are using the under carpet system, each mat will have one thick, black lead wire containing two smaller black wires, and a green/yellow wire. In this case, one thin, black wire from each mat will run to the black wire in the romex, and the other thin black wire will run to the white romex wire. All of the green/yellow wires will connect to the bare copper.

I hope this answers your question, please let me know if I can clarify anything for you.

—Seth

Wiring 6 mats replied by Murph @ Tue, 13 May 2008 01:31:20 -0000

Murph — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:31:20 -0000

Before I talk to an electrician I’m trying to understand how to wire all these mats to the thermostat. One of the diagrams you sent indicate a ‘junction box’ between the mats and the thermostat. Could you explain how this is used?

Also, and this is a dumb ‘non-electrical guy’ question, the thermostat has black and red wires but the romex has black, white and bare wires. Am I correct in thinking that the red and white go together when bringing power to the theromstat, and that the bare goes to the green from the mats?

I don’t want to sound like a dope when I talk to the electrician…

Thanks – Murph

Concrete subfloor and insulation replied by slavigne @ Fri, 09 May 2008 21:24:22 -0000

slavigne — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:24:22 -0000

Gary,

Using a self-leveler over our system is absolutely fine. If you decide to go the Ditra route, again, no problems. The Ditra is going to act as an isolation membrane between the subfloor and the tile, so even if there were a compression issue with the cork, it wouldn’t translate through to the tile. I hope this information helps! Please contact me if there is anything else I can do for you.

-Seth

Concrete subfloor and insulation replied by glhenni @ Thu, 08 May 2008 17:16:26 -0000

glhenni — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:16:26 -0000

Just to add to the thread, I called Custom yesterday. Their technical support told me that pouring SLC over Easymat is not an option.

My thinking now is that I’ll put down cork then attach the heating mat then embed that in a medium-bed mortar to an approximate depth of 3/8” then Ditra and tile. Does this sound doable?

The main concern is that the compression in the 1/4” cork doesn’t transfer up to my tile and cause grout cracks, or worse, tile cracks.

Thanks, again,
Gary

Recent Posts in Product & Installation Information | Beast

Dura Ceramic replied by kmclain @ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:07:40 -0000

Dura Ceramic replied by DMcKay @ Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:04:04 -0000

SmartStat vs EnergyStat replied by kmclain @ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:04:01 -0000

SmartStat vs EnergyStat replied by Sergei @ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:38:39 -0000

New install while renovating replied by Sergei @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:18:12 -0000

New install while renovating replied by kmclain @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:56:45 -0000

New install while renovating replied by Sergei @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:32:31 -0000

Environ II in basement under wood replied by kmclain @ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:35:27 -0000

Environ II in basement under wood replied by SMA @ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:38:20 -0000

Recommend Thickness of Materials Above Product? replied by kmclain @ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:45:20 -0000

Environ II in basement under wood replied by kmclain @ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:38:09 -0000

Recommend Thickness of Materials Above Product? replied by ryaniannucci @ Fri, 30 May 2008 15:01:43 -0000

Environ II in basement under wood replied by SMA @ Thu, 29 May 2008 20:04:14 -0000

First Time Installer replied by slavigne @ Tue, 27 May 2008 18:28:31 -0000

First Time Installer replied by tombstone @ Mon, 26 May 2008 23:46:22 -0000

system amps replied by slavigne @ Thu, 22 May 2008 17:08:14 -0000

system amps replied by whazoo @ Thu, 22 May 2008 03:58:56 -0000

Whole house replied by slavigne @ Wed, 14 May 2008 20:49:31 -0000

Wiring 6 mats replied by slavigne @ Wed, 14 May 2008 20:47:43 -0000

Wiring 6 mats replied by Murph @ Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:57 -0000

Whole house replied by Acerone @ Tue, 13 May 2008 22:51:14 -0000

Wiring 6 mats replied by slavigne @ Tue, 13 May 2008 18:55:52 -0000

Wiring 6 mats replied by Murph @ Tue, 13 May 2008 01:31:20 -0000

Concrete subfloor and insulation replied by slavigne @ Fri, 09 May 2008 21:24:22 -0000

Concrete subfloor and insulation replied by glhenni @ Thu, 08 May 2008 17:16:26 -0000