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.
Please keep in mind that you must check your electric floor heating system with a digital ohmmeter in conjunction with a Circuit Check™. Take an initial reading as soon as you take the product out of the box to verify that it is within -5% / +10% of the values stated on the product’s label. This will give you a basis of comparison for future readings. Take a second reading once you have positioned the system to match your custom installation plan. It is also advisable to take an additional reading in the middle of the tile installation, just to make sure that the Circuit Check™ is doing its job. Then, take a final reading when you are finished with the floor installation and are ready to hook up the thermostat.
The Circuit Check™ is a tool developed by WarmlyYours to give you peace of mind and ensure trouble-free installations. Simply hook up the cold leads to the tool while you position the system to match your custom installation plan.
The Circuit Check™ will continuously monitor the continuity of the circuit during the installation of your system and during the installation of your flooring. The Circuit Check™ beeps immediately when a short in the system is detected, alerting you to a potentially damaged cable in the area you are working, before you lay the tile over the electric floor heating system. The WarmlyYours technical support team is available 24/7 to provide assistance if the alarm sounds, or if you would have any questions during your installation.
Yes, in most cases, an electric floor heating system can be effective as a primary heat source. However, our TempZone™ and Environ™ systems are most commonly used as a secondary heat source, providing floor-to-ceiling radiant heat to any room in your home where you desire more warmth and comfort.
If you are considering electric floor heating for an addition to your home, such as a sunroom where you have no other source of heat, WarmlyYours offers an innovative online tool which calculates approximate heat loss. This tool can help you to determine if a WarmlyYours’ electric radiant floor heating system will provide your desired comfort temperature throughout the year. You can access the Heat Loss Calculator or you can call us at (800) 875-5285 and a Customer Service Representative will make the calculation for you.
A floor heating system can work as a supplemental heating source and make the basement warmer. If more heat needs to be added to the room, you can experiment with setting the floor heating thermostat to higher temperatures.
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.
The temperature of your floor can range anywhere between 75°F to 95°F. The floor's actual temperature will depend on a number of factors including the amount of heat loss that the room experiences as well as the room’s configuration. For instance, the warmth contained in a two story entry way would likely be less than that of a smaller, more enclosed area such as a bathroom. In a bathroom that is located on the second floor of your home or over another floor in your home that is typically heated, the temperature of your heated floor should easily reach a comfortable temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit, if the electric floor heating system is installed correctly. For the heat loss calculation for your specific room, you can access the Heat Loss Calculator or you can call us at (800) 875-5285 and a Customer Service Representative will make the calculation for you.
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.
Typically, electric floor heating is used as a supplemental heat source but in some cases, it can be used as a primary heat source. Electric floor heating is more energy efficient, less prone to spreading dust and allergens, and easier to control from room to room. Air-based heating systems can be used for both heating and cooling and can be a good way to control air quality in the home with regular maintenance.
For a more in-depth answer to this question, check out Your ‘Cheat Sheet’ for Radiant Heat vs. Forced Air.
Cork flooring can be used with floor heating if the r-value is under 1. You will need to find the r-value of the flooring you choose and let your account manager know during the design stage. Cork flooring should have a low r-value to minimize trapped heat.
Most low voltage HVAC thermostats are OK to use with tile floors. If you are heating wood, vinyl, carpet, or any other flooring products that have a "maximum temperature" limit, then low voltage HVAC thermostats are not recommended UNLESS they have an input for a floor sensor. Check with the low voltage HVAC thermostat manufacturer about floor sensor inputs first, before buying a third-party integration kit for these types of flooring products.
nJoin unit is designed to work with nSpire series thermostats. If you would like to use third-party thermostat or controller, we recommend using our Integration kits that will receive “call for heat” and activate the floor heating.
If multiple Integration Kits are needed, we suggest using 240V Integration Kits and 240V heating elements. See our support area for the appropriate diagram.
A Warmly Yours indoor floor heating system should not be installed with a GFCI breaker because GFCI protection is built into the thermostat and power module. And while it's not always required, we strongly recommend a dedicated circuit for each thermostat and power module to limit the occurrence of ground fault nuisance tripping caused by multiple GFCI devices on a circuit. The amperage of a breaker would depend on the amp draw of the heating system. For example, a TempZone Flex Roll (which provides approximately 15 watts of energy output per square foot) that is providing 15 square feet of heating coverage will draw only 225 watts ( 1.9 Amps), so a 15 Amp circuit would suffice. Always size breakers according to your local Electrical Code requirements.
WarmlyYours suggests contacting the manufacturer of the home automation system to determine compatibility or how it recommends operating an electric floor heating system.
An area where large furniture will cover the floor should have enough clearance underneath to allow air to circulate. Any areas where floor heat may be trapped (rugs, box bottom furniture), let your sales rep know so we can design an installation plan around these areas.
If the smart thermostat cannot process a floor sensor reading, it is not compatible and the integration kit will not resolve this.
22 Amps.
The ground wire in the floor mat must be connected directly to the ground wire of the supply or to the house ground wire.