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Electric, In-floor heating


Jerry Simon

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Hey all you mothers. . .

How do you check an electric, in-floor heating system?  Only once that I can remember did I feel a warm tiled floor after turning up the system thermostat.  And, I've never had much luck using my laser thermometer, either (though I hardly use it and am probably doing something wrong).

Perhaps using my clamp-ammeter inside the main electrical panel?

On a related note, these systems have *test* buttons on their thermostats, but after pressing such a test button, I don't notice any change.

Thanks for any help here.

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Use your laser thermometer to take the temperature of the floor. 

Turn up the thermostat and confirm that the display shows that it's trying to heat. 

Come back an hour later and scan the floor with your thermometer again. Or if you have an IR camera, just take a picture of the floor - it'll light up like a christmas tree. 

You could also do it with an ammeter in the panel if you can find the circuit that's feeding the heater. 

On the thermostats that I see, the "test" button tests the GFCI feature. 

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2 hours ago, Jim Katen said:

Use your laser thermometer to take the temperature of the floor. 

Turn up the thermostat and confirm that the display shows that it's trying to heat. 

Come back an hour later and scan the floor with your thermometer again.

I've done that a few times with no temp changes.  I've either got a bad laser therm or found multiple inoperable systems and didn't realize it 😯.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Weirdest HVAC system today I've ever seen in 27+ years.

Anyway, finally figured out "some" of the heat was electric radiant in the ceilings. Thank goodness I bought that inexpensive thermal-imaging camera for my IPhone or I would have only been guessing at such.

Also found the heating elements in the large living room were not functional.  Use of the camera today was a life-saver and justified the purchase 100% !

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1 hour ago, Jerry Simon said:

Weirdest HVAC system today I've ever seen in 27+ years.

Anyway, finally figured out "some" of the heat was electric radiant in the ceilings. Thank goodness I bought that inexpensive thermal-imaging camera for my IPhone or I would have only been guessing at such.

Also found the heating elements in the large living room were not functional.  Use of the camera today was a life-saver and justified the purchase 100% !

I have one.  Not much call for it but when there is, it reveals important stuff.

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One of the first jobs I used the FLIR C3 was a 1946 Cape with multiple additions... through the fifties and sixties.. The LA said.. "you're gonna love this one... it's all electric heat.. some is in the floor and some in the ceiling and I have no idea which is which.. "    The C3 solved it easily and made a huge impression on those present... 

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