Electric Radiant Heat

[tim5055]

I'm thinking about remodeling a bath and possibly adding radiant heat under the new tile. Due to the runs involved I think it would be cost prohibitive to run a wet system but what about an electric system for this single room?

Anything I should be looking out for?

Thanks

[John Kogel]

Electric works fine, and the types I'm familiar with only require a 15 amp 120 volt circuit.

I had a thermostat sensor failure with a bathroom in my previous house. The sensor is a little nodule on the end of a wire that comes down from the thermostat and is embedded in the tile thinset. I drilled a hole between tiles near the wall and poked a new sensor in there, which worked OK.

If you don't do the entire floor, you will feel a noticeable difference between the heated and unheated tiles. The heat does not spread sideways very far.

[hausdok]

Hi,

I've seen a few dozen of those electric radiant heat floors in bathrooms over the past couple of years. They seem to heat up pretty well and the homeowners seemed to like them well enough.

When a bunch of us from TIJ went down to the Watts Radiant Warm-U a few years ago they showed us how they make that electric floor heating mesh - with 100+ year old fabric looms! Simply amazing to see those old things being utilized to make state-of-the-art heating components.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[tim5055]

Thanks guys, that's what I wanted to hear. I've looked at a couple of them that will manufacture to a template so you have heating coverage in all areas in any shape.

Thanks again

[Jim Katen]

Another thing to consider:

Some of the manufacturers make an alarm. After you install the heating mat, you connect the control wires to a small alarm and hang it on the wall. If, at any time during the remaining construction process, the cables were to become damaged, the alarm will sound.

It really sucks to do all that work only to find that the system won't work because some bonehead damaged the cable.

- Jim Katen, Oregon