Types of Electrical Under Floor Heating
Types of Electrical Under Floor Heating
Heating cables
Cable elements can be both loose laid and pre spaced on mats. There are two main types, which include single core and dual core elements. The single core element heaters generally emit low levels of EMF, whereas, dual core elements have a negligible EMF reading. European legislation has lowered allowable EMF emissions from the majority of electrical products, which will cause the majority of single core heaters, which emit EMF slightly above the new regulation levels, to be withdrawn from sale by February 2006.
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Heating Foil
The foil system consists of a thin heating foil (0.2mm) that is encased in a plastic membrane or thermo-conductive plastic. The foils are supplied in set size sheets and are individually laid out and bonded to the floor area. These heated flooring systems are usually used under removable flooring systems and careful consideration must be given when using these with rigid floor tiles. Correct bonding procedures must be followed when using this type of system as the tile adhesive has to adhere to the foil and not the existing floor.
Ribbon Heaters
These heaters consist of ribbons of conductor usually coated in a PVC insulation. The conductor acts very similar to the single core heating cable element, but covers a much broader area of floor space. The ribbons generally come on a mesh or taped together. The conductors can not be crossed therefore set sizes must be installed.
Note: These heaters may require an additional earth mesh for wet areas.
Carbon Heaters
The carbon film heaters consist of a thin film of carbon laminated between two electrically insulating thermo-conductive plastic films (typically less than 1mm thick ). These heaters can be of varying voltage and usually have low wattage characteristics. As with other similar films, correct bonding procedures must be followed when using this type of system as the tile adhesive has to adhere to the laminate surface and not the existing floor. It is common practice to lay a screed over the heating surface film before tiling.
Is ALWAYS extremely important to ensure that the system chosen is suitable for the application.
