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Note: For guide purposes only; use manufacturers instructions
(supplied) when installing.
click
here if you wish to download manufacturers instructions
From 1st January 2005 Installations must comply with Part P Electrical Safety regulations click here for details.
Ecofloor cables are manufactured from double insulated 3mm
twin core heating cable, surrounded by a braided earth screen to
allow installation into wet areas.
It is extremely important to measure area correctly;
re check your measurements before attempting to fit the cable.
If the cable has been taken off the reel and it does not fit we will not accept it as a return.
Measure the room; avoiding all permanent fixtures e.g. showers,
baths, fixed units etc., this is important to avoid causing possible
damage to the floor due to 'thermal blocking'; this is when the
heat cannot radiate from that part of the floor because it is being
blocked by a solid object e.g. a kitchen unit which results in localised
heat build up.
Once you have calculated the total area to cover; reduce this figure
by 5% to allow for the perimeter clearance.
Apart from timber floors where 100 W/m² output is recommended,
install the optimum heat level possible for the available floor
area.
Different heat levels can be achieved by varying the cable spacing:
160 W/m² for optimum output use 70mm spacing
130 W/m² for comfort heating use 90mm spacing and
100 W/m² for background heating use 110mm spacing (Recommended for
timber floors).
Greater areas can be achieved by laying individual cables; in any
configuration and connecting them in parallel.
If in any doubt contact Discount Floor
Heating for advice.
This example shows a room with units that are to be permanently
fixed in place (e.g. a kitchen).
The floor size is: 5m x 4.5m; a total area of 22.5m². Now deduct
the area covered by units:-
kitchen units 1m x 4.5m + work unit 1.5m X 2m + corner unit(.4m
x .6m)/2 = 4.5m² + 3m² + .12m² which is a total of 7.62m² reducing
the available area to 14.88m², a further 5% must be taken off to
allow for perimeter clearance; giving a total heated area of 14.13m².
Select the nearest rounded down cable/s:
8.1m² (EK10-1300) + 5.9m² (EK10-950).
As Ecofloor cable is a twin conductor heating
cable; connection to the electricity supply is at one end only.
In this example more than one cable is required to make up
the area to be covered; these are connected in parallel as shown.
The thermostat sensor must be positioned centrally between cable
loops as shown.
It is advised to use insulation to avoid heat loss to the sub floor;
resulting in poor floor heating performance.
Fix the insulation to the floor using a flexible tile adhesive
applied with a fine depth tiling trowel, lay the boards so that
where possible the joints are staggered.
The location of the thermostat is your choice but it makes sense
to locate it as near to the electricity supply as possible and is
normally in the room being heated. Note for wet areas (e.g. bathroom)
it must be outside of the room.
Connect via a fused spur or use a dedicated supply with its own
RCD (consult your electrician). The thermostat sensor must
be positioned between cable loops so measure where this will be
and cut a channel approximately 10mm x 10mm deep and 300mm long
in the insulation to locate the flexible floor probe conduit in.
The thermostat is rated at 16amps and will control a maximum heated
area of 3680 watts.
The black connecting wire can be cut as required once you have
established that you have enough to reach your supply, however never
cut the orange heating under any circumstances.
You must leave a minimum of a 50mm gap from the walls and any other
fixed object.
You must never have the cable closer than 70mm to the next
cable and cables must never cross over each other.
Before you take any cable off the roll make sure that
you have ordered the correct size as it can only be exchanged if
the kit is still intact.
After laying the cable you can use an ohm meter to test the
circuit; the resistance should be as shown on the sizing guide in
the manufacturers installation instructions.
Avoid excessive traffic over the cable prior to applying
the floor covering.
The final connection should be carried out by a qualified electrician.
The use of suitable protection boards will prevent any possible
damage during floor covering.
Tiling:
Chipboard floor; fasten the board at 300mm centres.
Wood floor boards; cover with 15mm ply, fix at 300mm centres.
If the chipboard or ply has not been treated then apply a suitable
primer.
Use a good quality flexible tile adhesive to fix tiles in either
a single or double layer operation to accommodate the 3mm cable
thickness.
You must use a plastic notched trowel to avoid damage to
the cable and cables must be fully encapsulated by the adhesive;
leaving no air spaces.
Wood/Laminating:
Use EcoFilmSet
It is highly recommended that you connect your system via a fused
spur (to isolate the system for future maintenance) and/or a safety
contact breaker (RCD); an electrician will be able to advise you.
The electrician should affix a suitable advisory warning notice on
the electricity distribution box and complete the attached certificate
which must be retained to serve as part of the guarantee requirement.
Allow at least 3 days for the adhesives to dry naturally before
powering up your underfloor heating
Before switching on the underfloor heating allow a minimum of 3
days for natural drying of the tile adhesive and grout. It is recommended
that you gradually increase the operating time of the system over
the first week from 1 hour, increasing by a further 1 hour per day
to full continuous use. |
