Floor Heating for Luxury Vinyl Flooring

When WarmlyYours floor heating systems are installed on a concrete slab, we strongly recommend adding a layer of insulation to the slab prior to installing the radiant floor heating system, since the slab will always act as a “heat sink.” Some of the heat that would otherwise be transferred to the flooring surface will remain in the slab, causing the floor’s surface temperature to be considerably lower. This is true with any floor heating system. Adding insulation on top of the slab and beneath any floor heating system will allow a greater percentage of the heat generated to transfer to the flooring surface. This leads to greater efficiency and therefore faster warm up times, higher expected surface temperatures, and lower energy usage.

WarmlyYours offers 2 different insulating underlayments: ThermalSheet and cork. ThermalSheet is a synthetic cork material and has twice the R-value of cork. Due to its higher level of thermal resistance, ThermalSheet is the underlayment that we typically suggest for installing floor heating on top of a slab.

Cork is an economical alternative to ThermalSheet. It is made of natural materials.

Verify dimensions on plan match the location’s actual dimensions. Prepare the subfloor to be clean and free of debris. Use the included custom design or cut & turn sheet to plot your path beginning closest to the thermostat location and utilizing a wire down/mesh up configuration as much as possible. Following the design, cut the fiberglass mesh with scissors to create “panels”. Position the panels around fixtures using cuts and turns to accommodate the system design layout and proper room coverage. NEVER cut the heating wires, cut the mesh only.

Once the roll(s) is fitted into the space, it needs to be secured to the subfloor to prevent movement during the installation of the floor covering. Staple, hot glue, or tape the mat panels and cold leads to the sub floor every 6-8 inches. Staples should never cross, pierce or nick the Heating Element, and never be used to secure the cold lead.

Free form spaces are filled with loose lengths of Heating Element. A wavy line with an arrow will appear on the Installation Plan to indicate the area that needs to be filled. This symbol is accompanied by a unit of measure in a circle that will indicate the amount of Fiberglass Mesh to be removed. Once the Heating Element is separated from the Fiberglass Mesh, position the Heating Element by hand and secure it to the floor with Hot Glue or Tape. Try to maintain the 3 inch spacing similar to the spacing on the Heating Roll(s).

TIP: NEVER fold or position the Heating Element so that it overlaps itself or other wires. The heating portion of the product should never touch, cross over, or overlap itself. This will cause dangerous overheating.

Use a flat trowel to encase the heating rolls in 3/8” of self-leveling cement or latex-portland cement and allow proper manufacturer recommended cure time. Follow manufacturers recommended mixing directions carefully.

Apply manufacturer’s recommended adhesive as per flooring installation instructions.

Install flooring as per manufacturer’s recommendations.

Install the floor sensor 6” into the mat directly centered between the heating wires using tape. NEVER staple the heating wires or floor sensor wire.

TIP: Always test a floor sensor and verify 8-15 kOhm resistance. A secondary backup sensor may be installed, but only one can be connected to a thermostat at a time.

The power lead (D) is 15-feet in length. The lead is spliced to the Heating Element (E) at the factory. If necessary, this lead wire may be shortened or even extended.

Please note the thickness of the factory splice and cold lead and plan accordingly. The factory splices must be completely embedded in thinset or self-leveling underlayment.

The system should be attached to the thermostat and then the thermostat is wired to the home electrical system and installed in a wall box by a licensed, certified electrician.

Ensure supplied voltage to thermostat matches heating system’s. Review and save the electrical plan that includes all the electrical information about the system.

TIP: Dedicated non-GFI circuit is typically needed for the heating system to avoid any nuisance tripping or interference. The GFCI feature is incorporated in the thermostat.

Allow proper thinset cure time as recommended by the manufacturer (typically 7-28 days) before powering up the WarmlyYours electric radiant heat system.

TIP: When commissioning the system or adjusting the temperature setpoint, follow flooring manufacturer temperature restrictions/recommendations. Temperature limits can be set under ”Floor Protection” setting on the thermostat.