Ask Us Anything - How Radiant Panels Work, and more

Hello and thank you for joining today's webinar. This will be the first Ask Us Anything monthly webinar of 2016. These webinars are held every second Thursday of each month and consist of a live and open question and answer session. The goal of these webinars is to interact with our customers live by answering your questions. So feel free to ask about our products, services, product installation, ordering and quoting processes, or anything at all. I'm your host, Scott Rosenbaum, and I'm the Technical Support Manager at WarmlyYours. I've been working here since 2008, and I currently manage a team of four incredibly knowledgeable tech support team members. We may have helped you before with some of your technical questions over the phone. I'm here today to address all of your technical questions or any type of question live.

If you'd like to submit any question at any time, please click the questions and answers button at the top left corner of your screen, and we'll be getting to those questions and answering them for you. Now, we figured it might take us a little time to get started with some questions, so I prepared a couple of questions that we often get here on our 1-800 line in case any of you might have them as well. I'll answer them for you right now. And once again, if you do have any questions, please feel free to ask them at any time. If you answered them, then you wouldn't need to listen to me.

Robin sent in a couple of questions at the very beginning, actually before we got started, about radiant panels. I’ll be glad to discuss those. If there's any question that I don't know the answer to, there's a chance I might not have every answer to every question. We will write that question down and get you an answer as soon as possible via email to let you know what the answer is. We have all of your emails, and you can also chat us on that question if we can't get to it. We'll just say we can't get to that right now, but we'll take it and then we will answer for you.

Robin asked, "What size area can a radiant panel cover?" Well, we have a bunch of different sizes. We usually figure for comfort temperatures of about eight watts per square foot. So if you do that and take the size of our different panels, you can figure that out. If you're heating eight watts per square foot, a 250-watt unit will heat about 31 square feet. If you are using a 1,000-watt unit, it can heat up to about 125 square feet. It's a simple math figure that you can use. You take the size of the room and multiply it by around eight. It depends because obviously, we know some homes are better insulated than others. If you're in an old farmhouse that has no insulation in the walls, it will take you a lot more wattage per square foot to keep that space warm than it will in a brand new house that's got R35 insulation everywhere.

You also need to consider factors like windows, skylights, and fireplaces, as these can contribute to heat loss. So, you just have to think about heat loss, the age, and the quality of your insulation. Hopefully, that gives you an idea. If you're interested in finding out the exact size of the room, we can get the square footage and give you a suggestion. It goes anywhere from 31 up to 125 square feet, depending on how many watts you want.

Can a room depend only on the panels, or is it best to use them in conjunction with conventional central heating? You can do both if you want. If you have a really well-insulated room that doesn't have a lot of heat loss, like windows, exterior doors, skylights, or very high ceilings, then you probably can rely solely on the panels. Keep in mind that we do have a heat loss calculator on our webpage. If you tell it what type of room you have and the installation values above, below, and around it, you can get an idea of how many watts or BTUs it takes to heat an area.

What needs to be done in setting up a panel on the wall and the ceiling? First of all, our Ember panels are available with a ceiling mount option, while the lava panels are not. If you're looking to mount something on the ceiling, you'll want to consider our Ember models, which come in a couple of different sizes: a 600-watt and an 800-watt unit. Keep in mind that the Ember units plug into an outlet, making them easier to install since you just need to place them near an outlet and plug them in. The lava units will be run by a thermostat, which will need to be installed, and you'll need to run wires to the thermostat and then from the thermostat to the lava heating panel. Therefore, the Ember is much easier to install because it only requires plugging in.

Will objects close to the panel get hotter than objects further away? Fortunately, we have a very good example of that in our solar system. These panels are radiant panels that work by far infrared heat, similar to the sun. Planets closer to the sun are much warmer than those further away, like Pluto. The same principle applies inside your house: the closer the items are to the radiant panel, the warmer they will be, while those further away will be cooler to the touch. It's just like the solar system; it's the same idea and technology.

Hopefully, that answered your questions, Robin. If you have any more, feel free to email us or contact your sales representative, who will be glad to assist you in any way they can. Here are some common questions that we do get, and they may ring a bell for you if you've been involved in this business for a while. The first question is, can floor heating be used as a primary heat source? The answer is similar to that for radiant panels. You would need to determine if it works by conducting our heat loss calculation, which is located on our webpage. You can easily find it by searching for "heat loss calculator," and it will take you right to that page.

Another question we often receive is, how can one install floor heating under LVT? LVT stands for luxury vinyl tile. The installation process is straightforward: you would adhere our TempZone product down to the subfloor and then cover it with 3/8 of an inch of self-leveling cement. This will provide a nice flat surface onto which you can mount the LVT, whether you glue it down or install it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Do you have products listed for wet location applications? That's a good question, and we get that quite often. For wet locations, you may or may not know that the wet location listing, where UL tests it to a specific rule, is only applicable in Canada. There is no UL test to a US specification because there is no US specification for wet locations. However, our TempZone product, including the cable and the mats, complies with the requirements of that Canadian listing. If you have any questions, it's straightforward in Canada, as there is a product category that does pass. In the US, there isn't such a category, but our product has been successfully installed in showers and wet areas without issues. You simply need to check with your local code official to see if the local code permits it.

Does one need insulation when installing floor heating over a concrete slab? If you want it to be warm, the answer is yes. WarmlyYours has recommended for years that you place an insulator between the heating cable and the concrete slab. The rest of the industry is starting to catch up, but we have a thermal image that illustrates this point. In the upper left-hand corner of that image, you can see an area where we left out insulation. The cable is resting directly on the slab, and that area is about 75 degrees. In contrast, the insulated area is 79 degrees. Depending on how cold it is in that room, you may see temperatures anywhere from 2 to 8 degrees warmer using insulation on top of the slab and under the cable. We strongly suggest that you do this because it will result in warmer temperatures and a faster heating process.

What steps are required to install WarmlyYours radiant floor heating under hardwood? This may seem daunting at first, but it really isn't that hard. We have a video on our website that shows exactly how it's done. We documented a job from start to finish, and you can watch the entire process. First, you need to send us a drawing of the space you plan to heat and indicate the direction you want the wood to go, whether left to right or front to back. We will then create an installation plan for you. You'll also need to tell us how far apart the nails need to be, as specified by your flooring manufacturer.

If it's eight inches, four inches, or twelve inches, we'll design the floor with sleepers. Sleepers are the small wooden strips that you can see in the upper right-hand corner of that slide. They are about an inch and a half to two inches wide and 3/8 of an inch thick. You can see the hammer going through the nail on that. This is where you nail the wood in. In the area where the gray is, that's where the cable is located under a level of self-leveling cement. This will provide a nice flat surface for the wood to rest on, ensuring good heat transfer and something you can nail into.

If installing in a bedroom, where should the radiant floor heating go? Can it be installed in a walk-in closet? We suggest that when heating a bedroom, you avoid placing heat under the bed. If you have a dust ruffle that goes all the way to the floor, the heat just gets trapped there, and you won't feel it on your feet. To save money and make installation easier, you should avoid heating under the bed since it's always going to be in the same place.

Regarding walk-in closets, in Canada, you can heat them if you have a thermostat inside the closet to control that part of the floor. In the United States, the National Electric Code does not allow floor heating in closet floors. However, your local code may override that and permit it. If that's the case, then go ahead and install it in the closet. But keep in mind that the National Electric Code in the US prohibits floor heating in closets, while in Canada, it allows it as long as there's a thermostat in the closet.

How long is the supplied sensor lead from the temperature sensor to the thermostat? It's 15 feet, which gives you plenty of room to place the sensor into an open loop along the side. In a room of this size, there's no need to place the sensor in the middle of the floor; it won't benefit you. The idea is to get the sensor close to the thermostat, about six inches into an open loop. You can see where the loops go left and right in the slide. You would place the sensor about six inches in between two of those cables, which is also demonstrated in our videos on the website.

Another question is, I have felt underlayment going underneath my engineered wood floating floor. Is it suitable for use underneath the Flex Roll? We have a product called EnvironnFlex Roll, which installs between an underlayment and laminate. This system is very thin, except for the power cable that supplies power to the heating mat, which is about a quarter of an inch thick. That's why we suggest using a quarter of an inch underlayment under your laminate, allowing you to route the cable under the heated area. We also have a video online that shows how to install our Environn Cut and Turn product, including how to install the sensor.

Robin also asked why lava panels can't be placed on the ceiling. It seems that it would be better than the Ember, which requires plugging into the wall socket. The reason lies in the UL listing and the hardware involved. The Ember panel is UL listed and tested with the hardware provided for ceiling mounting, while the lava panel is not.

How does the electric floor heating system compare to hot water tubing? If your house already has hot water tubing, it may benefit you to add an additional circuit to heat another room. However, if you're looking to heat an area above an unheated garage and you don't have hot water heating in the rest of the house, it's going to be much easier, less expensive, and faster to install electric radiant heat under that floor than it would be to run hot water. You won't need to purchase a boiler, tubing, manifolds, or pumps. All you need to do is get a circuit to that room, hook the heating system up to that circuit, and you're ready to go.

Where and how can one use electric in-floor heating? If you can walk on it, you can heat it. This includes tile, ceramic, carpet in the US, concrete, luxury vinyl tile, hardwood (glued or nailed), floating wood, laminate, and stone. The best time to install it is during flooring remodeling, as you can do it under virtually any type of flooring. The most common applications are under tile, but as mentioned, it can be installed in any situation.

Robin asks if it's correct to assume that ceiling panels would heat more evenly than wall panels. There are two ways to look at that. If you need 1,000 watts of radiant heat in a room, you could either put a 1,000-watt unit on the ceiling, but we don't have those; it would have to be an 800-watt unit. However, if the unit is over here and you're over there, separated by a wall, it will only heat the area it can see. If it runs into a wall, it won't heat anything on the other side. Therefore, you need to center it on the ceiling to ensure it reaches the correct area.

Alternatively, if you need 1,000 watts in this room, you could place a 500-watt unit over here and another 500-watt unit over there, or you could put a 250-watt unit on each wall to create a nice heating area. If there's an area where you'll be more often, you can place 750 watts on one wall and 250 watts on the other, or mix and match. If you want direct heat like the sun provides, imagine standing in the shade; you won't feel the warmth anymore. This is the same principle if you place a panel on the ceiling and have a wall blocking it.

So, it might be better to place it in the center of the ceiling if the room is wide open. However, if there are half partitions or walls, it might be beneficial to place one over here, one over there, one on the back wall, and one on the front wall. There are different ways to address this issue, and all you need to do is provide us with a sketch of the room, and we can give you a better idea of where to place the panels.

How does one get their project started? What information does WarmlyYours need? We need the dimensions of the room, and you should indicate where the toilet, sink, shower, or tub are located. You can't place electric radiant heating cable under anything that's permanently installed. For instance, you shouldn't put it under cabinets, enclosed tubs, or toilets. You should also keep the heating wire about four inches away from the wax ring, as placing it too close can cause issues.

Once we have the dimensions, we will show you exactly how to install it, so you don't have to figure out where the cable goes or how much to put in. Our engineers handle hundreds of these every day, so we can take your drawing and provide you with a design the next day in most cases. Not only will we show you how to lay it out, but we'll also tell you what size roll or cable you'll need, what type of control to use, and how many watts and amps the system will pull. You can then pass this information on to your electrician for installation.

The floor plan can typically be completed within 24 hours, and this service is free. There's no need to struggle with figuring it out yourself. There are many electric floor heating companies out there, but what makes WarmlyYours special in this crowded business niche? Our unique selling proposition (USP) sets us apart. First, we offer speed. We have 24/7 technical support, meaning if you're working on a thermostat on a Sunday afternoon during the Super Bowl, you can call us, and we will answer your question. If you're sitting down to eat Christmas dinner and your floor isn't as warm as you'd like, you can call us, and we'll be glad to help.

In addition to 24/7 tech support, which is rare in this industry, we also provide same-day shipping. If you tell us you want a product and we have it in stock, which we do 99% of the time, we will ship it out. We also create your plans overnight, so you don't have to wait three or four days for someone to figure out what fits in your space. We know what fits and will tell you within 24 hours.

We sell directly, allowing for easy online ordering. You can easily reach us, and we ensure your project is personalized. We customize our products to fit your space, budget, and customer needs. Our flexibility extends to our return policy; there are no restocking fees on products that haven't been installed and are still in new condition. If they look new and haven't been damaged, you won't incur a restocking fee. Our warranties are among the best in the business, so if you have questions about our warranty, feel free to call us, and we can discuss it in detail.

How much does it cost to run an electric floor heating system? We receive that question quite often. We have a daily energy use calculator under the services tab on our website. You simply select the product you will be using, such as the TempZone Flex Roll, enter the square footage of the space to be heated, and the cost in cents per kilowatt-hour in your state. For example, in Illinois, our daily kilowatt rate is 11.7 cents per kilowatt-hour. You then specify how many hours you want it to be on, and the calculator will determine your cost. For instance, it may cost 29 cents a day to use the TempZone Flex Roll heating system for a specific space.

Another common question is how to revise a plan for an order that's already been placed. If you need to make changes, contact us as soon as you know. We can't cancel orders that have already shipped, but if you receive an order, don't cut the mat or use anything. Just send us a new drawing reflecting the changes, along with the order number or quote you ordered it from. We can create a return material authorization for the old product, as long as it hasn't been cut, and send you the correct size.

It's never too late to contact us with changes. Keep in mind that with electric floor heat, the cables can't be shortened. If your room shrinks, for example, if you initially planned for a small bathtub and then decide to install a much larger one, you will likely need a smaller heating cable or mat due to reduced floor space. Please let us know about any changes with the new dimensions, and we'll take care of it.

How long does it take to receive an order? If you're in Illinois and order today, you'll have it tomorrow. Being centrally