WarmlyYours’ TempZone™ product is most commonly installed under tile, stone, and marble flooring, but can also be installed under many other popular floor covering options such as hardwood, vinyl and linoleum. We also have our Environ system, which is an electric floor heating product as well and is specially designed for installation under carpet (in the U.S. only), laminate and floating wood. WarmlyYours can accommodate any flooring type with either of the electric radiant floor heating products that we offer. If your flooring type isn't listed here, just give us a call at (800) 875-5285 and we will be happy to discuss it with you.
When installing electric floor heating over a concrete slab, an insulating underlayment like ThermalSheet is highly recommended to ensure efficient operation, faster heating times and warmer floor temperatures.
The answer to this question will depend on a whole host of variables related to electric floor heating, including, but not limited to, the run time (for supplemental heating, we usually recommend between 4-8 hours per day), the electric radiant floor heating system you're using, the total square footage, and your local electrical cost. Typically, the cost is just a few cents a day.
To figure out how much electric floor heating might cost to run for you, make sure to use our interactive Operating Cost Calculator.
When WarmlyYours electric floor heating systems are being installed on a concrete slab, we strongly recommend adding a layer of insulation over the slab prior to installing the system. While our electric floor heating provides up to 25% more heating power per square foot than many of our competitors, 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 electric radiant floor heating system.
When installed on top of a concrete slab without insulation, it is generally accepted that electric floor heating will take the chill away from the floor and provide a small amount of warmth. Adding insulation on top of the slab and beneath any electric radiant floor heating system will allow a greater percentage of the heat generated to transfer to the flooring surface. This results in greater efficiency and therefore faster warm up times, higher expected surface temperatures and lower energy usage. The floor will have the capacity to warm to a comfortable temperature, and in some cases can be employed as the primary heat source for that room.
The recommended types of insulation are natural cork, insulated tile backer boards and insulated underlayment, such as ThermalSheet™ synthetic cork.
Yes. While there are some floor heating systems that can be installed beneath floor joists, most electric radiant floor heating systems will need to be installed beneath the floor itself. This is why the best time to install electric floor heating is during a remodel or as a part of a new construction, when a floor is being installed anyways.
If you're interested in alternative radiant heating methods, check out our Radiant Panels, which are wall-mounted and use infrared technology to provide supplemental heating.
While both hydronic (heated water) and electric floor heating systems perform a similar function by providing radiant heat from beneath your floor, they do differ in some pretty crucial ways. Typically, using hot water instead of electricity will result in lower operational costs but significantly higher investment and maintenance costs. This usually means that hydronic heating systems are reserved for new construction projects (where it is easier to incorporate the boilers and pumps needed to operate the system) and electric floor heating is often used for remodeling projects in bathrooms, kitchens, etc. To learn more about the differences between these systems, check out this post.
Electric floor heating works by having an electric heating cable installed underneath the flooring (embedded or floating, depending on the system and floor type), which is then wired to a special thermostat (either one specifically designed for electric radiant floor heating, like a WarmlyYours’ nSpiration Series control, or a third-party thermostat). When turned on, the heating cable emits heat upward through the flooring which is then radiated throughout the room, heating all solid surfaces.
One thermostat can control multiple heating mats/cables as long as all the heating elements are using less than 15 amps:
TempZone™ will cover aprx. 120 sq. ft. for 120V systems and 240 sq. ft. for 240V systems on one thermostat.
Environ™ will cover aprx. 150 sq. ft. for 120V systems and 300 sq. ft. for 240V systems on one thermostat.
Slab Heat will cover aprx. 90 sq. ft. for 120V systems and 180 sq. ft. for 240V systems on one thermostat.
Yes. In addition to TempZone™ and Slab Heat, we also have specially sized Shower and Bench mats designed specifically for shower installation. They are all wet location listed for radiant floor heating in a shower.
WarmlyYours has recently begun including floor sensors with our heating elements to help ensure customers will have everything they need for optimal operation of their radiant heating systems.
The sensor included with your floor heating element can be installed with the heating system (the sensor is equally spaced between runs of the heating wire--see your install manual for more info). Installing this sensor with your floor heating control will enable energy efficient operation of the floor warming system based on the floor temperature instead of the ambient room temperature.
We generally recommend that you install a second, unconnected backup floor sensor alongside the primary one. In the very unlikely event that your first floor sensor is damaged, this install method will save you from having to pry up flooring to replace a floor sensor. You simply disconnect the damaged sensor from the thermostat and connect the backup sensor.
In addition to the floor sensor that was included with your heating element, our nSpiration Series thermostats also come with a floor sensor. If you purchase both a heating element and an nSpiration Series thermostat from WarmlyYours, you'll have a primary and a backup floor sensor for your system.
Yes, we offer several options to help make your floor heating system water resistant or waterproof. Our TempZone product line is designed for wet areas - making it completely safe for rooms that will have water on the floor at times or may experience leaks or flooding. We also offer waterproofing bands for our TempZone Cable + Prodeso Uncoupling Membrane system. Allowing you to waterproof all seams and the perimeters of the wall - guaranteeing that your floor heating system stays safe and prevents water from leaking to areas below.
Yes, you can install multiple sensors while installing the floor heating system. Only one of these sensors should be connected to the floor heating thermostat. Any secondary sensors can be run through conduit up to the thermostat area to be connected in the future should anything happen to the original sensor. The sensor is low voltage and may not need conduit. If conduit is required, it will need to be separate from the return power leads.
The amount of amperage draw depends upon how large the area is that you are heating. For coverage of areas less than 30 square feet, a 120V TempZone system will draw less than 4 amps. If you have a larger area over 240 square feet of heated space, then you will need a larger breaker plus additional controls. No matter what the size of the area you choose to heat, we recommend a dedicated circuit for your electric radiant floor heating system.
There is a way to install floor heating that makes it suitable for any type of floor. By embedding our TempZone systems in self-leveling cement (SLC), you have created a heated subfloor. Almost any low r-value flooring can be installed directly over this for heated floors.