Electric underfloor heating if tested and installed correctly should have no issues and is known as a reliable and maintenance free heating system. There are however instances where damage may occur during installation causing the system to fail later especially when all tests and manufactures instructions have not been followed.
A few of the common issues and pitfalls and how to solve these are covered below:
The cable has been cut during tiling or screeding – Do not panic, this can be fixed and better now rather than later. The underfloor heating cable is a resistance cable that includes a twin heating cable with an earth sheathing encased in high-quality insulation, so if damaged it can be fixed or the mat replaced before tiling. Contact Thermogroup on 1300 368 631 if the cable is damaged in any way and we will help you work out the best solution the get this repaired.
Test readings do not match the warranty card – Testing of the system, before during and after installation is critical to a trouble-free install. The installer/electrician should test the heating system using a multi-meter or megger-tester to check the cable resistance to ensure it has not been damaged during installation. The resistance reading at each stage should be within +/- 10% of the original resistance reading on the warranty card. Should the resistance not be within 10% or there is a break to earth, stop installation and contact Thermogroup immediately for a solution.
My floor heating has stopped heating – In many cases this is simply a setting or thermostat issue however it can indicate damage under the floor. Follow the checklist below to ensure all possible causes are eliminated:
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- Check the circuit breaker in your meter board to ensure the power has not tripped or been switched off.
- If heating for the first time be aware it takes longer to heat up, have you allowed sufficient time for the heating to warm the substrate and penetrate the floor layers.
- Are all the settings and time on the thermostat correct and is the heating (flame) symbol showing on the screen.
- Make sure all connections are secure at the back of the thermostats (PLEASE NOTE – Whenever removing the thermostat from the wall, always isolate the power first.)
- Using a standard multimeter, check the ohms resistance on the underfloor heating mat. Your expected resistance reading will be included in the instructions or warranty card (+/- 10%).
- If all of the above are checked and you floor is still not heating, contact Thermogroup to arrange a fault finding call out.
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My heating is damaged under the floor, can it be repaired? – Once you floor is down and all was tested correctly there is very little that can go wrong however if a fault does fault develop, there are ways of finding the fault without having to lift the entire floor. Using specialist testing equipment and a thermal imaging camera we can locate the exact point of fault. The damaged cable is then accessed by lifting the floor in that area only and repairing the damaged cable. This gives you complete confidence in our system and that there would be minimal damage to your flooring should a repair be necessary. If your floor is tiled the broken tile can simply be replaced with a spare one. If you have soft floor coverings a flooring contractor will need to be on site to ensure the fault can be located with minimal disruption. Whenever installing a underfloor heating, we always recommend keeping some spare flooring aside in case a repair is ever required.