In-Floor Heating for Concrete Slab Floors

While WarmlyYours electric radiant floor heating systems are typically installed by your floor covering contractor, a licensed electrician is recommended for the final thermostat hook-up. With every quote, we provide an Installation Plan layout, together with an electrical plan that has all the info required for the electrician.

You can use the Instant Quote Tool, which gives you many options for your floor heating coverage. Use this interactive tool to design your room online and receive an instant quotation with product recommendations, rough-in and installation kits, cost of your control, etc. Planning your floor heating project is made easy when using our Instant Quote Tool.

Send us your floor plan or fax it to (800) 408-1100 and we will send you a quote, product recommendation and a free custom installation plan for your project.

Our electric radiant floor heating systems have withstood rigorous safety testing and earned the UL listing. They produce much less EMF than common household appliances like your TV or vacuum cleaner. The EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) tests all electrical devices and publishes the data. Many common household appliances are tested at a distance of 6 inches. The test results indicate that on average, the EMF emitted for the following appliances, measured in Milligauss (mG) units, is:

Vacuum Cleaner: 300 mG

Microwave: 200 mG

Portable Heater: 100 mG

Dishwasher: 20 mG

Washing Machine: 20 mG

WarmlyYours TempZone™ (Twin): 1.8 mG

Yes. Unlike the heating cable for electric floor heating, the cold lead wires can be trimmed.

Sunrooms can be very cold during the winter months. While a furnace may push some warm air into the room, the large number of windows, exterior walls, and other causes of heat loss in a sunroom will typically keep it from having a comfortable temperature level. Floor heating and radiant panels will add radiant heat, which the human body absorbs faster than other forms of heat, to the room so that it feels warm even at lower temperatures.

Yes, but any furniture that may trap heat, such as pieces with an enclosed bottom, should be avoided. Furniture on legs with a clearance of at least 3" is permissible.

Electric-resistance heating cables and systems have no polarity. This includes all current WarmlyYours heating elements.

No, it is recommended that floor heating only be installed in the areas that you will walk on. Heat can become trapped if installed under objects that do not offer enough clearance for air to circulate (such as a washer or dryer).

Since most Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) manufacturer's set a maximum temperature for radiant floor heating, the system should have little to no effect on the rubber/cork backing.

Pre-attached backing can act as an insulating layer though, meaning it can prevent the radiant heating from efficiently directing heat up through the floor. Please check with the manufacturer for the r-value of the product. Look for an assembled plank with an r-value of less than 1. The lower the r-value, the better!

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 Slab Heat system will draw less than 6 amps. If you have a larger area over 180 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.

Yes, our TempZone Heating Products can be used for heating luxury vinyl tile or luxury vinyl planks in any indoor application.

Supplemental heat can be addressed by changing the spacing on cable installs. Floor location in the house is very important when considering adding supplemental heating to a floor. For example: If heating a second story floor, over a heated space, cable at 4" spacing can be used. The same type of heating over an unheated space would probably be done with TempZone Flex Rolls or TempZone Cable at 3" spacing. All heating is considered supplemental unless a heat loss calculation is done.

The breaker and wire sizes are selected based on the total amperage of the WarmlyYours heating system connected to a single thermostat. This information is on the WarmlyYours heating system's installation plan, electrical plan, or UL label. Based on guidelines from the National Electrical Code: loads up to 16 Amps may utilize 12 gauge wire with a 20-Amp breaker, and loads up to 12 Amps - 14 gauge wire with a 15-Amp breaker. Local code and/or other factors may change these guidelines.

This is stated in the Installation Manual of the LVT product when purchased. On average, this maximum temperature will fall between 80°F and 83°F. This number can then be used to program the thermostat during setup to set the floor's maximum temperature.

WarmlyYours nSpiration controls are equipped with an in-floor sensor to precisely control the floor's temperature to comply with the wood manufacturer's temperature recommendation.

No, most in-floor heating is designed to be added to new flooring. If you do have existing wood floors you would like to add radiant heating to - it is possible to do so with an under-joist heating system. 

For best results, we recommend a 1”- 1.5” maximum distance between the heating cable and the top of the floor. Nailed down hardwood will require sleepers to run the cable safely between board nails. Be sure to use 3/8" to 3/4" of self-leveling cement to embed the heating element.

If the flooring manufacturer has a warranty for electric floor heating, it should not be adversely affected by shrinkage, expansion, or warping. Again, it will depend on the brand and construction of the product. Some manufacturers may place limitations on the maximum floor heating temperature. To minimize expansion and contraction, some Luxury Vinyl Tile companies require heating the flooring to a continuous heating level with "setback" temperatures (lower temperature settings during the day and overnight) kept to a minimum.

While radiant heating can affect the expansion and contraction of the floor, the most overlooked and important factor is the relative humidity in the space, so a humidifier or dehumidifier may be needed.

Floor heating will typically add the most heat to supplement an existing heating source and it will not take any extra space since it is embedded in the floor. If you are not remodeling your floors but have some open wall space, you should mount a radiant panel. For the most effective results, install the panel so that it points toward the area where you will spend most of the time.

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.

LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), WPC (Wood Plastic Composite), and Solid Core all fall into the category of "vinyl flooring." These vinyl flooring types can be rated for floor heating, but the application will completely depend on the manufacturer's guidelines.
Please look in the installation manual and warranty documents of the LVT, WPC, and Solid Core flooring product that you are interested in to see if and what types of heating are allowed.

As for a list of manufacturers of LVT, WPC, and Solid Core products providing a warranty for their products with radiant heat -- many do provide a warranty for their products when properly installed with floor heating. The list of these is ever-changing, so please be sure to check with the flooring manufacturer for current recommendations.

Yes, with our programmable thermostats, you can choose which days and times the floor heating turns on for your comfort. With a Smart thermostat, you can also control these options from your phone while away from home.

We recommend verifying 3 things with the manufacturer of the flooring product to be heated;

1.) Is the flooring product compatible with electric floor heating?

2.) What is the maximum temperature the flooring product can withstand?

3.) What is the temperature set back recommendation of the flooring product?

82°F - 85°F is the most common comfortable warm temperature of the floor.

We usually recommend that you have an individual thermostat for each room. However, if it's an open floor plan and your local electrical code allows you to have one controller for the whole area, then it's definitely possible to have it all controlled from one thermostat.

The requirements are determined as follows: plan on 20 watts per square foot (at 3" spacing) without a floor covering; or 15 watts per square foot (at 5" spacing, cable only) with a floor covering. To calculate approximate power requirements, multiply the square feet by either 20 or 15 (per the above), and then divide by the voltage (120V or 240V) to arrive at Amps.

The cost for the heating elements in a Slab Heating system is $7 per sq. ft. ($8 CAD) for Slab Heating Mats and $7 per sq. ft. ($9 CAD) for Slab Heating Cables.

Everyone has their own comfortable temperature setting, but we typically find that our customers use their thermostats to set the "floor temperature" of the system in the 78°F - 84°F range.

Yes, sunrooms can be used in the winter, just activate your floor heating or radiant panel and turn your sunroom into a 4-season room. You will notice a tremendous difference in the room comfort, especially with the thermostat set to maintain a desired ambient temperature. WarmlyYours thermostats will do the work for you by energizing the floor for longer cycles.

The ground wire in the floor mat must be connected directly to the ground wire of the supply or to the house ground wire.

The layers for the full installation are as follows:

• Bottom: 8-10" of compressed crushed rock aggregate (may already exist)
• 2" polystyrene insulation
• 2-3" layer of concrete
• Rebar and/or reinforcing mesh and attach the cable or mat
• Top: Pour a 2-3" layer of concrete as the final flooring surface

Call tech support at +1 (800) 875-5285 to customize this to your unique application.

Test the Slab Heating cable or mat using a digital ohm meter as shown here. Also test the slab heating cable or mat using a Mega Ohm meter as shown here. And this video shows how to do the Ohm test.

You should install the cable 2-3" below the finished surface, and attach it to rebar and/or reinforcing wire mesh to secure the cable in place.

No. A bathroom floor would be installed in the same way. Our Slab Heat floor heating systems are wet-location listed and great for bathroom floors.

The Slab Heat radiant system adds no additional height. This is because it is embedded within the concrete pour.

You can control your slab heating system with any WarmlyYours nSpiration Series thermostat. Depending on the size of your project, you may also need to add a relay or nJoin power module.

In-stock items will ship the same day if you place your order before 4:00 PM CST.

Any trade professional is qualified to layout slab heating cables and/or mats; electricians must make the electrical connections and test the wire; you can hire a concrete contractor to install the concrete for you.

Stop installation, box out a 3"×3" area surrounding the damaged area, and call tech support at (800) 875-5285.