Floor Heating Cable Installation: Uncoupling Membranes vs. Fixing Strips

That was some really good music. What did you think of that? Fantastic. I just sat down, I was dancing. I was thoroughly entertained. So hopefully, you guys will be thoroughly entertained today. It's still early; we'll find out. I'm Julia Billen here, owner at WarmlyYours. And I'm Scott from WarmlyYours, hello. Today, we're going to be talking about floor heating cable and two ways to install it. It's that simple. There are only two methods: uncoupling membrane or fixing strips. We'll delve into both of those. There are multiple ways to do it, so let's talk about it.

Before we dive in, we want to make sure that we get your questions. Usually, when we send out an invite, we ask people to send in questions. We get a ton of questions; this time? None. No questions. So I guess everybody either knows everything or they're saving their questions to type into that little white box. All right, love that intro. Let's move on and get started. We have a little outline to keep us on track as we talk about the actual products. We'll discuss the cable, the installation membrane, and the fixing strips. Of course, you want to know the benefits, when to use them, why to use them, and how to use them. And always, a few people are very interested in what it costs. I'm always interested in that. So that's the program for today; we'll get right to the heart of it.

This is the STAR, the TempZone cable. We have many TempZone products, but this is cable only, and it's becoming very popular with installers. They are naturally curious about the best way to install it, how, and when. But let's go over the cable itself to provide a few specifications. Well first, Julia, I think someone may be having trouble getting audio. Oh no. It looks like Charles is having trouble getting audio. Can anyone else chime in and let us know if they're able to hear us? Maybe that's just one of his settings on his computer. But thanks for letting us know, Charles. Thank you. And anybody else out there, can you let us know if you can hear us or not? I can hear fine. Okay. All right, thank you, Charles. We hope you work that out. If not, we'll be sending an email with this presentation to all of you, so look forward to that.

Now, let's go over the TempZone cable and discuss its highlights. Why is it the star? Well, it's going to deliver the heat. That's why it's the star. If you've ever had radiant heat before, you know that's what you're after. You want it to be nice and comfortable in your bedroom, bathroom, or wherever you decide to put it. This is the idea; this is what's going to generate the heat. The other two aspects are how it's installed. So let's talk about those a little bit later. Right now, the cable comes in different lengths, allowing you to cover various spaces at different wattages. It's very flexible, letting you heat odd and strangely shaped areas. It has been used for decades.

When we first started in the industry, the cable was sort of old news. Everyone used roll products where the cable is adhered to a membrane of sorts, and that is still a very popular product—our flex roll. But that went out of fashion for a while. Now we're seeing a full circle; cable is back in fashion, and installers are loving it. I think part of that is the flexibility. What we'll be discussing today are the two ways to install it, depending on what kind of rush you're in and what kind of cost you're looking for.

These are the two products that go with the cable for installation: the Prodeso membrane and the fixing strips. The Prodeso membrane allows you to run the cable throughout it, making installation very quick. The fixing strips save you a little bit of time and are inexpensive to use as a means to install the heating cable. I see we have someone else mentioning they don't have any audio, but I think the overwhelming consensus is that the audio is going out. If you don't hear us, don't worry; we'll send you a link to this video, and you'll be able to watch it in its entirety.

The Prodeso membrane, if you're really in a rush, lets you get the cable and your tile in, sometimes in just one day. The strips, in a nutshell, will save you money; they're less expensive. The Prodeso is really designed for tile floors, whereas the cable and fixing strips can be used with different types of flooring. The flexibility is key, and that's why people love the cable. As you can see, we have a chart here that shows the cable lengths from 30 to 432 feet and the different ways you can configure it in terms of spacing. You can go anywhere from three-inch to five-inch spacing, which, depending on the application, climate, and budget, is a great way to customize it for the best return on investment.

In simple terms, this chart indicates that the closer the wires are together, the more heat you'll get in that spot. You're only allowed to get them so close, so there will be a limit to how close you can get them. However, as you space them further apart, the watts per square foot decrease, meaning less heat per square foot. If you're in California, that might be fine, but if you're in Illinois, you may want to pay a little more attention to that. The further you space those out, the less your electrical usage as well. If you have limited electrical supply, you could space them out further, given the right conditions. It's all about comfort and climate, providing tremendous flexibility.

As we go through the presentation, we'll discuss the membrane versus fixing strips, addressing flexibility and applications on each slide. Let's give an overview of the membrane itself and some highlights. This membrane was patented decades ago; it's the original one. If you look at this blue membrane, you'll see that there are hockey pucks or studs sticking up, spaced so that the cable fits perfectly inside and holds it in place. It allows you to lay it out, curve it around, and turn it. The studs are slightly higher than the cable, which protects it. If you're walking around on the flooring after you put the cable down, the studs keep your feet from compressing the cable.

If you have a job site with high traffic, this might be a great reason to include the membrane as an option. The way it uncouples is that the top works in concert with the bottom. The top is a waterproof portion with the studs, while the bottom is a non-woven material that allows the thinset to adhere to it. As the floor moves, this product separates the tile from movement in the subfloor. There are many benefits to this product.

As it relates to electric floor heating, the main advantage is having those grooves or channels that allow you to weave the heating element through quickly. Let's talk about some of the other benefits. If you've ever seen one of our presentations, you know that EFH stands for electric floor heat. If you're joining us for the first time, you may wonder what EFH cable is. It's simply electric floor heating cable. The Prodeso does five different things simultaneously, which is what's so cool about it. It isolates and uncouples the subfloor from the tile. Vapor management allows you to put tile over a concrete slab that isn't fully cured yet, letting the vapor escape and recirculate back down into the slab.

Just remember to let your slabs cure. It allows you to get tile on a little quicker, but always follow the normal installation manual instructions. The next benefit is that it helps evenly distribute weight, which prevents cracking. The crack isolation feature is particularly important if you have a crack in an existing concrete slab. It allows you to cover that crack and prevents it from telegraphing into the tile. The load distribution is somewhat related, as the thinset fills the grooves, creating pillars that support the weight of the tile.

The waterproofing feature is another significant benefit. The top is made of polypropylene, so you don't have to worry about water getting through it. However, where two pieces meet, you may have some water migration, which we will discuss later. The Prodeso has achieved a heavy rating with the Robinson test, a standard test in the industry, and it has also passed the crack isolation test. It's a very good product, and I believe it's the only one that has passed that test.

So when wouldn't you use this? It would be nice to have a snorkel every time you went into the pool, but you don't need one for every job. I love looking at the back of this product because it shows where it says Prodeso. That's the woven backing, which is attached to the subfloor using thinset. If your floor is very solid, has a small span, and passes all the deflection tests, you may not need this extra membrane. Smaller rooms or jobs that are well supported typically do not require it.

Our average job is about 45 square feet. If the floor has wide joists underneath, you may not need the membrane. We did a job where one bathroom had 11-inch on-center joists, while another had 16 or 19-inch on-center joists. The latter felt almost like a trampoline. If you have too much deflection, this product won't help. However, with certain tiles, you can eliminate the second layer of plywood and use this as a substitute. If you have a well-supported floor, you probably don't need it, which is also a budgeting consideration.

You really shouldn't use it if you're using small mosaic tiles, as the limit is two inches by two inches. Anything smaller than that isn't recommended. You'd want to use cable, cover it with self-leveling, and then put the mosaic down. What about two-inch tiles on mesh backing? Those are tricky too because they meet up with each other. It's always best to stay away from two-inch tiles with this product.

Type in your questions and let us know if you have specific applications you're considering for this product, and we'll try to get those answered. We occasionally discuss deflection tests, which assess how much deflection your floor has and whether it can be tiled as is or needs reinforcement. You'll see terms like L360 and L720. L360 is for most tiles, while L720 is for stone. If you're interested in putting down natural stone, you really need to do your deflection test before using this or the cables by themselves.

Now, let's take a look at the benefits of the fixing strips. I love the fixing strips; they're very low-tech and work like a charm. They visually simplify deciding how wide the cables are spaced apart. The strip can be held in place on the subfloor using nails, screws, tape, or staples, and you just need to secure them every couple of inches. They only need to be strong for a short time to hold the cable in place. Once it's covered with thinset, their job is done.

These strips allow you to cover the product with self-leveling, enabling you to install LVT or carpeting over the top. If you're considering putting down tile now but might want to switch to carpet or LVT in a couple of years, you can use this product, cover it with self-leveling, and then have a blank canvas. This is beneficial because, on average, people change their flooring every seven years. The floor heating system has a long life, tested up to 75 years, allowing you to change your flooring without worrying about hitting the heating element.

Speaking of self-leveling, we received a question about large format porcelain tiles, specifically 3x10. The technique you use for installing that would depend on whether you're using cable, flex roll, or custom mat based on the large format porcelain tile. Large formats usually refer to tiles that are 13 or 14 inches or longer on one side. So, while 3x10 seems big, it's not considered large format by that definition. For large format tiles, you'd definitely want to use unmodified thinset.

Perdesso can be used with that, and you can use unmodified thinset for large format tiles. Some thinset manufacturers allow modified thinset over Prodeso, but the warranty for that installation type would then shift to the thinset manufacturer. The cable with fixing strips would be a great solution for that. Just be cautious about how deep you bury the heating element; ideally, you don't want it deeper than an inch.

Mud beds are old school and tend to get thick, while thinset allows for a closer installation to the flooring surface. The benefits of fixing strips include tremendous flexibility, changing the spacing, and being able to use self-leveling. They also cost less. Each indentation or puck on the fixing strips is an inch apart, while the Prodeso studs are an inch and a quarter apart. The Prodeso membrane offers two spacing degrees, while the fixing strips provide more options, allowing for spacing from three to five, or even six inches, depending on the application.

If you're heating a floor over a slab, the first thing you want to do is get Cerazorb down over the slab. You don't want the wires resting directly on the concrete, as it will absorb the heat. If you don't insulate from the slab, you'll end up with a neutral floor that doesn't feel warm. In colder climates, this is particularly important. We were one of the first companies to raise awareness about heat loss when the heating element is directly on the slab. You need to ask your customers if they want their floor to feel warm or just not be cold.

When not to use fixing strips? If you need uncoupling, you definitely don't want to use these strips. For waterproof installations, such as curbless showers or waterproof mudrooms, the membrane is a better choice because it's built into the product. When using fixing strips, unless you're very experienced, we recommend putting the cables down between them and covering them with self-leveling. Usually, this means you'll come back the next day for tiling or flooring installation unless you're a veteran.

If you're in a real hurry, the Prodeso is the way to go because you can attach it to the subfloor and then put the cable in, starting tiling right over the top. Now let's go over the details of how to install each of these products, starting with Prodeso. Whenever we interface with a customer, we always want to know what the subfloor is and what the final flooring will be. This information will determine the ingredients of your installation.

We need to know if the subfloor is wood or concrete because they act differently. The installation manual outlines what type of mortar to use between the subfloor and Prodeso. The latex modified cement mortar goes under the Prodeso, which may be modified or not, depending on your subfloor. The installation manual will guide you on this.

When you choose the membrane as the solution, it goes on the entire floor, while the heating element only goes in the footprint of the room. It doesn't go under vanities, tubs, or showers, just in the footprint. We want to know every dimension for the installation membrane and all the fixtures to accurately place the cable product. If you're doing a waterproof installation, let us know because otherwise, we won't include the items that make it fully waterproof.

We're showing you how to lay out the panels or sheets properly, ensuring they butt up against each other without any gaps. You'll also see plans for the actual cable installation. This particular bathroom was done with two rolls of Prodeso. Roll number one was cut into panels that fit together like a jigsaw, while roll number two was made without cuts or seams for the shower area, ensuring it remains waterproof.

The inside and outside corners are preformed to help you get the waterproofing up onto the walls. If you want to use the insulation membrane, let us design it for you. We can provide the exact amount of material needed. In the upper right corner, there's a dotted line indicating where a vanity is situated. A vanity on legs can have heat underneath it, but if it has a boxed bottom, you don't heat under that.

Now let's discuss the cable installation. We provide a plan for the Prodeso and the cable, showing where to start and end. The big red dots on the plan indicate the halfway point of the wire, which coincides with a white marking on the cable itself. As you unroll the spool, you'll see the white dot indicating the halfway mark. This helps you track how much cable you have left as you install it.

One of the questions we received was about how far away from the curbless shower you should start with the heating element. I recommend doing a walkthrough in your bathroom to decide where you want the heating element based on where your feet will hit the floor. Since the heating element is wet location listed, you can make that decision based on your comfort.

It's advisable to put a separate cable in the shower if you want different temperatures, but it's not necessary. If you don't do that, you have no choice. When installing the curbless shower, the cables should be close together, typically three inches apart. The installer had to attach the glass door to the walls instead of drilling into the floor, which is important for maintaining a cold spot-free transition between the shower and the main part of the room.

We provide plans for both the Prodeso and the cable installation. Now let's discuss the technical aspects of the installation. This image shows the Prodeso membrane laid out, with the cable installed in it. You must put the cable down before waterproofing; you can't waterproof ahead of time. After laying down the cable, you can cover the seams with Pro Band, which is that white band shown in the image.

If you don't need waterproofing, you can skip those steps. Regarding the heating element in the shower, yes, it can be placed inside and outside the curbless shower. The heating element is wet location listed, so you can use all TempZone products in wet locations. Always check with your local code official, as local codes may differ from the National Electric Code.

This image shows the Prodeso membrane and the cable installation. The entire surface has not yet been covered with thinset. You want to ensure you only put thinset over the Prodeso where you're working. This allows you to tile small areas at a time, ensuring proper hydration and preventing skinning over.

Now let's talk about how to install the fixing strips. The fixing strips are installed perpendicular to where you want the cable to run. You can attach them using screws or nails, and the center holes are where you want to place your anchors. This keeps the wire in place.

Once the fixing strips are secured, you can string the heating element through them. You may need to use masking tape every two or three feet to hold the cable down, especially if you're using self-leveling. The tape only needs to hold the cable down temporarily until the self-leveling cement is applied.

Once the self-leveling is poured, you'll have a smooth, flat surface ready for your flooring. The closer the cables are to each other, the warmer the area will be. If you space them too far apart, you may notice cold spots, which we refer to as