Day: June 22, 2020

QuietWarmth Floor Heating System for Laminate, Luxury Vinyl (4mm or thicker), Engineered Harwood and Floating Floor Applications

QuietWarmth is a flexible radiant heating film that is installed below floating floor materials to create Warm comfortable floors. This is a simple installation video to illustrate how easy QuietWarmth is to install. For the complete guide to installing your radiant heat underlayment, please read the installation manual included with each roll of QuietWarmth.

While this product is used with many types of floating floors, Always check with your laminate flooring manufacturer for any restrictions or limitations they may have with use in conjunction with radiant heat warming systems.

QuietWarmth is packaged with everything you need to get installing your floor fast with minimal tools. From the factory, each roll of QuietWarmth has factory attached electrical connections on the ends as well as Kapton (CAP-TON) insulating disks for use when any cutting or customizing may be desired. You will need some duct tape, a pair of scissors, and a tape measure to help with the rest of the heated film mat install. For additional comfort and greatest operating economy, we recommend the purchase a floor sensing thermostat for temperature control.

First roughly map out the heating system configuration. It is good practice to plan your installation using a sketch, marking out your layout pattern of the mats, and planning the position for a floor sensor and main run of electrical connections, and thermostat. It is also important to plan the mat positions so the ends of the mats with the factory installed lead wires are located near the side of the room and wall where the Thermostat Junction Box is located.

When diagraming the system plan, care must be taken to ensure that proper clearance is maintained from fixtures which may be already part of the floor or other electrical wiring that is not used in this system (Graphic noting other electrical wiring must be 2 inches away from any heating mat). All electrical wiring that will not be accessible after the floor is installed must be completed first. Ensure the heating mats will not be covered by decorative trim, baseboard, or other building structure. Leaving at least 6 inches from the wall to the edge of the heating film mat will allow space to run the wires from the heating mat to the junction box. (Note graphic here: heating panels which are partly- covered by these structures may overheat).

Once you have a good plan established, thoroughly clean the existing subfloor of any objects or debris.

When installing over concrete, ensure a vapor barrier is install first before the underlayment and heating mat is installed unless you are installing an underlayment with a pre-attached vapor barrier on it. Roll out the radiant heat ready underlayment… covering the entire flooring area, ensure to have the pre-attached vapor barrier side up when installing it. Butt the seams of the underlayment edges together with duct tape. Using the diagram you made earlier, unroll the heating mats in the desired areas of the room. You may cut the mat to shorten the length in order to fit the layout of your plan.

When customizing the heating mats, cut through the clear area in between the heating stripes on the dotted lines. Never cut closer than ¼” to the heating stripes. And NEVER cut into the actual heating stripe themselves. Insulate the cut ends of the metallic bus bar strips with the Kapton discs that are provided with each roll.

Once the heating mat is rolled out, it should be free of any kinks or ripples or creases. Run the wires from each of the mats to the wall where you are planning to have a thermostat mounted. It is important to cut a thin, shallow, slot in the underlayment for the wires to rest in. This helps keep the flooring level with no high points.

Our recommended thermostats come with a convenient floor sensor so route lead of the floor sensor to the thermostat junction box. Again, cut a thin shallow slot into the underlayment and push the sensor wire and sensor down so it is level with the heating mat. Duct Tape the floor sensor and lead wire in place in an area at least 2 inches from any heated black stripe of the mat. Do not allow the sensor to contact the black stripes of the heating mat. Cut an area of the underlayment and push the connectors down so they are completely level with the heating mat and then duct tape in place. Cut a thin slot into the underlayment and push cold leads down into the slot for routing to the junction box.

Once all of these components are in place, the system is should ready to be hooked up and ready to perform a resistance test with an OHM meter. There is more information on this in the full instruction manual that comes with the Kit. After you have the QuietWarmth film fitted and ready, it is time to connect it to the thermostat for maintenance free use. All electrical work must be performed to the national electrical code or by a licensed electrician. A few additional accessories are needed to complete this final stage: A 4×4 junction box, a 2×3 junction box, length of ¾” conduit, Romex wire, wire nuts and OHM meter.

In preparation for wiring, mount a 4×4 blind plate junction box approximately 18” above the wall base. This junction box needs to be accessible through the wall. Do not cover the junction box with sheet rock after installation. Locate and mount a 2×4 junction box for the thermostat control device approximately 60” above the wall base. Drill or notch a ¾” channel at the wall base so the wire can enter the wall. Install ¾” conduit from the notch to the 4×4 junction box for the lead wires. Install a length of 12 AWG 2 conductor Romex wire between the junction box and the thermostat box.

Run the lead wires through the wall base channel and through the conduit into the 4×4 junction box. Group the black wires together and using wire nuts connect them to the corresponding black wire from the Romex cable coming from the thermostat junction box. Then, do the same for the white wires.

Wire the thermostat to the service panel following national and local electrical codes. Follow the thermostat manufacturer’s instructions for installation and connections or call your favorite licensed electrician to complete this task.