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Installing Underfloor Heating Under Laminate & Wood

Date Published: . By Living Heat Ltd
Underfloor Heating Foil

Living Heat has been selling Electric Underfloor Heating in the UK for over 20 years. Today we stock the biggest range of electric underfloor heating systems in the UK. We have also expanded into other countries and currently export our underfloor heating and insulations to 16 countries. We offer free technical advice and pride ourselves on product knowledge and after-sales service. If you have any questions, please call us – we are here to help.

  1. The subfloor must be clean, sound, and suitable for the chosen floor covering before laying the heating. Impact Plus 6mm insulation or hard insulation boards must be installed over the subfloor before fitting the heating.
  2. Measure the floor accurately. Allow for a 100mm+ unheated border around the perimeter of the area. Once measured, make sure the heating mat is suitable for the area size.
  3. Start the heating as close to the thermostat location as possible. If impractical, the cold tail can be easily extended with a suitable electrical wire.
  4. Slowly unroll the mat using the foil tape to hold the mat in place. All exposed cables at the side of mats must be covered with the foil tape provided. As you proceed, make sure the heating mat is laid flat, making sure the heating element is not twisted or stressed at any point.
  5. To turn the mat in any direction or turn it back on itself. The installer can cut through the mesh/foil backing. (DO NOT CUT THE HEATING CABLE) to allow the mat to continue in any direction.
  6. Alternatively, if the area to be covered is an irregular shape or an obstacle has to be avoided. The mat can be cut several times into strips. (The cable, must never be detached from its foil casing.)
  7. This will allow the thin strips of cable enveloped in the foil to be laid in any direction. The foil tape must then be used to cover any exposed wire and join all strips and mat runs together. Exposed wire can cause hot spots also disrupt the earthing continuity between heating sections.
  8. Cables, must not be laid too close together. A minimum of 50mm spacings should be maintained, between cable runs. If the heating cables get too close, touch, or overlap at any point the cable may overheat.
  9. Once the heating is fitted the electrical resistance and continuity test should be repeated ( use a multimeter ) and noted down on the warranty page. Make sure these readings are the same as the readings noted down during stage 2.
  10. The heating should be tested after the flooring has been fitted. There is no limit to how much the cable can be tested. But to complete the warranty, the heating must be tested before it is laid. After being laid and after the floor covering has been installed. All figures must be recorded.
  11. The floor probe supplied with the thermostat must now be fitted. The probe must be installed under the foil and between 2 heating wires but no more than 30mm away from one cable. Make sure when fitting the probe, no other heating or cooling sources can influence the floor probe such as hot water pipes.
  12. Once the probe is fitted a resistance check should be carried out to confirm the probe is fully functional and the readings noted down on the warranty card, When heating wood or laminate the floor covering manufacturer recommended max floor temperature should be programmed into the thermostat. The thermostat must also be set to regulate floor temperature, not air temperature.
  13. If multiple mats are to be installed all mats can be connected into a suitable junction box and then one suitable spur run to the thermostat location and is left ready to be wired in.
  14. The heating system must be run via a residual current device (RCD), fitted following all current electrical regulations at the time of installation. All electrical connections should be carried out by a qualified electrician.
  15. It is the installer/electrician’s responsibility to make sure the system is fitted correctly and any additional materials are suitable for use with the heating system installed.

The mat size and wattage are found on the outer box label. The mat must be tested for continuity and resistance at this stage. The readings are noted down on the back warranty page of the manual.

NB: If the mat is incorrectly sized, or the resistance readings do not match the test results on the box label. Stop and return the mat for the correct size. Once unrolled the project becomes the responsibility of the installer. The heating mat cannot be returned for an alternate size.

Installing Underfloor Heating Under Laminate & Wood
Installation of Aluminium Heating Foil.
Installing Underfloor Heating Under Laminate & Wood
Can also be installed under a wooden floor.
Installing Underfloor Heating Under Laminate & Wood
Installation of floor probe onto XPS Insulation Boards.

Thank You For Reading
The Living Heat Team

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