Fitting Electric Underfloor Heating
Electric underfloor heating can be fairly easily installed and there is a choice of different systems to suit everyone. They can be used safely in kitchens and bathrooms as the cable is protected with a waterproof layer. If a room is a standard shape, it may be best to use mats which have electric cables already spaced out correctly. For unusually shaped rooms, you can obtain free-flowing cable to lay out yourself. Twin conductor cables only have to be connected at one end, rather than starting and finishing in the same place. To ensure the efficiency of your underfloor heating kit you will need some kind of insulation underneath it.
Electric cables should never be touching or overlapped, and must always be at least 50mm away from walls or fixed structures. Where an electric underfloor heating kit comes fixed to mats, you can cut the backing away but never cut the cable itself. The temperature of each circuit or zone is controlled by an underfloor heating thermostat. These range from simple manual versions to fully programmable digital ones. They use air sensors, floor sensors or a combination of the two. If you have a floor probe it should be positioned in a space between cable loops.
Once your DIY underfloor heating cables are fixed into position, they are usually covered in a layer of cement or latex screed before the floor covering is laid. If you have under tile heating, flexible tile adhesive should be spread over the cables.