How to fit underfloor heating for laminate and hard wood floors

underfloor heating for laminate and hard wood floors

All electrical pages are for information only! New rules have been introduced for electrical safety in the home, please read this document by clicking here, before starting any electrical work

Before working on any electrical circuit you must ensure that it is isolated correctly and cannot accidentally be switched back on. Please read the article on safe isolation procedures before doing any electrical work. If you are not 100% certain what you are doing call a qualified electrician. Building regulations are changing all the time and modifying your home electrics could be against new rules and could invalidate your home insurance, if in doubt check first!

How to Install Zenaflex Heating Systems

Here follows a simple step-by-step 'how to' guide to fitting Zenaflex carbon heating systems under laminate and timber floors. These instructions are not intended to replace the system's installation instructions but to serve as a guide to the fitting process.

Note: This system requires a mains voltage and must be connected by a qualified electrician

Clean the floor
Lay the insulation
Fit the sensor
Lay the heating foils
Test the system
Connect to thermostat
Fit the flooring
Enjoy your new warm floor!

	1. Clean the Floor Before starting, ensure the floor is completely clean, dry and clear from dust and debris. Wear suitable footwear (pumps or socks) so as not to put too much weight on the elements later on and damage them.

1. Clean the Floor

Before starting, ensure the floor is completely clean, dry and clear from dust and debris. Wear suitable footwear (pumps or socks) so as not to put too much weight on the elements later on and damage them.

	2. Lay the insulation Lay the insulation in a brickwork-like fashion. Cover the entire floor, leaving a small gap (approx 20mm) at the thermostat wall to allow the connection wires to run. Secure in place using tape.

2. Lay the insulation

Lay the insulation in a brickwork-like fashion. Cover the entire floor, leaving a small gap (approx 20mm) at the thermostat wall to allow the connection wires to run. Secure in place using tape.

	3. Fit the sensor Loosely lay the heating foils in place and mark the position where the floor sensor will be laid out. This should be approx 50cms into the room where the floor will be heated free from obstructions like furniture. Roll the foils back up and remove them from the sensor area. Insert the sensor into the conduit pipe and tape up the end to stop the sensor going all the way through. Cut a space in the insulation using a sharp craft knife and channel a groove in the sub-floor for the conduit to sit in. The top of the conduit should be level with or just below the top of the insulation. Fix in place. Do not re-cover the censor with any insulation board as it needs to register the heating system's temperature later on.

connect sensor

3. Fit the sensor

Loosely lay the heating foils in place and mark the position where the floor sensor will be laid out. This should be approx 50cms into the room where the floor will be heated free from obstructions like furniture. Roll the foils back up and remove them from the sensor area.

Insert the sensor into the conduit pipe and tape up the end to stop the sensor going all the way through.

Cut a space in the insulation using a sharp craft knife and channel a groove in the sub-floor for the conduit to sit in. The top of the conduit should be level with or just below the top of the insulation. Fix in place.

Do not re-cover the censor with any insulation board as it needs to register the heating system's temperature later on.

	4. Lay the heating The heating foils will be delivered to you cut to the correct size with each of the individual elements joined together. Carefully unroll the elements and arrange them as shown in the approved CAD layout drawing with the labels 'A', 'B', 'C', etc. facing upwards. The foils will create a border of approx 5-10cm clear of heating elements for the power cables to rest on. The foils' heating elements should not overlap but you can overlap the clear strips around the heating elements if necessary.

Lay the heating

4. Lay the heating

The heating foils will be delivered to you cut to the correct size with each of the individual elements joined together. Carefully unroll the elements and arrange them as shown in the approved CAD layout drawing with the labels 'A', 'B', 'C', etc. facing upwards.

The foils will create a border of approx 5-10cm clear of heating elements for the power cables to rest on. The foils' heating elements should not overlap but you can overlap the clear strips around the heating elements if necessary.

	Cut into the insulation to make space for the cables and boots using the craft knife.

	Once you are satisfied that all the components are in the correct location, secure in position with tape.

	5. Test the system Take a resistance reading from the heating mat using a digital multmeter or similar. Compare the reading to the result on your factory test sheet (if the results are significantly different i.e. more than 5% out, contact the supplier/manufacturer for advice).

5. Test the system

Take a resistance reading from the heating mat using a digital multmeter or similar. Compare the reading to the result on your factory test sheet (if the results are significantly different i.e. more than 5% out, contact the supplier/manufacturer for advice).

	6. Connect the thermostat The thermostat needs a RCD protected and suitably rated supply to a single-gang back box. This is usually taken as a switched fused spur from an existing circuit but your electrician will be able to advise depending on his site survey. Connect the blue and brown wires to the thermostat load output terminals and the sensor wires to the floor sensor output terminals. Screw the thermostat into the back box.

Wires

connect thermostat

6. Connect the thermostat

The thermostat needs a RCD protected and suitably rated supply to a single-gang back box. This is usually taken as a switched fused spur from an existing circuit but your electrician will be able to advise depending on his site survey.

Connect the blue and brown wires to the thermostat load output terminals and the sensor wires to the floor sensor output terminals. Screw the thermostat into the back box.

	7. Fit the flooring Now lay the flooring according to manufacturers' instructions. No additional underlay is required, although some timber/laminate manufacturers recommend a moisture barrier go down. If so, a 1000 guage PE sheet should go down now. Use a spare board of insulation to spread your weight and avoid damaging any floor heating elements at this stage.

7. Fit the flooring

Now lay the flooring according to manufacturers' instructions. No additional underlay is required, although some timber/laminate manufacturers recommend a moisture barrier go down. If so, a 1000 guage PE sheet should go down now.

Use a spare board of insulation to spread your weight and avoid damaging any floor heating elements at this stage.

	8. Enjoy the floor! As long as no adhesive has been used in the laying of your floor you can switch on the heating and enjoy your laminate floor heating as soon as the floor is finished!

8. Enjoy the floor!

As long as no adhesive has been used in the laying of your floor you can switch on the heating and enjoy your laminate floor heating as soon as the floor is finished!

This article is courtesy of floor heating online- UNDERFLOOR HEATING

Underfloor heating

Electrics

Electric Forum

Electricians

ultimatehandyman privacy policy