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Can anyone recommend an electric floor warming system? I am considering installing them in two bathrooms in a mountain cabin. Do such systems do more than just warm the tile? Can they also warm the room? I have seen ads for SunTouch (that has a web site but no dealers listed) and for Alcatel Heating Cables, but apart from those ads, I’m ignorant of what to look for.
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I have used the Warm Touch Floor Warming System by WK Heating Systems (800) 959WARM.
I was very pleased with their technical service and the quality of the product. They offer a design service - supply all the components (including timers and t-stats) and were prompt and efficient.
I have also installed hydronic radiant heat which is really designed more for heating a space than the electric version. However, the electric system definitely warms the room.
Their engineering service will help you to figure out how much heat you need and what the electric radiant heat is capable of delivering.
Good luck
*I am in the middle of this..with a residence on the beach...We are looking into NuHeat..they have a website...whose addy is http://www.nuheat.com. email is [email protected] are in design phase....I have a sample..which they will send you..pretty spiffy stuff...DN
*Purchased a product from domoteck (www.domoteck.com)I think its the same as the "Warm Touch" productmentioned above. From my research these products (electric) are for floor warming only. That saidthey can be designed to provide space heating ifdesired. They are easy to put down since they sell it in mats that just roll out, but be careful: an odd shaped room can be a challenge to install. In that case the alcatel product looks better, since it is a "freeform" cable design.I haven't completed the installation yet so I can't tell you how well it works.Steve
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I installed a SunTouch 2'x10' mat on the slab and under the tile in our bathroom remodel to supplement the forced air which enters at the ceiling. At 300 watts, it does a nice job of making those necessary nighttime excursions a little more comfortable.
Installation was pretty straightforward except for the mat adding about 1/8" to the mud bed. Unless the whole floor is covered with the matting, some adjustment in mud thickness needs to be made where the tiling crosses from mat to bare floor.
I hesitate to recommend it for the sole source of heat unless you're willing to cover the whole floor and run it continuously at 90 degrees and you're getting free electricity.
*Clint,Have you been able to estimate the electricity cost of running the mat continuously? What temp do you have to set the thermostat to so that it is comfortable to walk on the tile with bare feet?Larry
*Sorry for the delay in responding; I wasn't following the thread very closely.I keep the thermostat set at 85 all the time, as the room is on an outside wall with a 4'x4' glass block window to the outside in the shower area. Room size is about 7'x13'. The radient mat runs from the doorway to the loo, in front of the 3'x5'shower enclosure. It runs about 80% of the time, but assuming that it runs all the time at 300 watts, and the electricity costs 5 cents/kwh, the daily cost would be about 36 cents, or about $11 per month. Our last electric bill seems to reflect that estimate.It's nice auxiliary heat, especially for a bathroom, but I sure wouldn't recommend it for whole-house heat, figuring that the operating cost would be about 55 cents/sqft/mo. BTW, the mat runs $11-$12/ sqft and the thermostat costs $110-$200, and every room would need a thermostat.
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Related question... Can this stuff be used to heat the walls of a tile shower? Or should the mix of water and electricity be avoided? Please "enlighten" me. Thanks.
*Try http://www.warmfloorcenter.com
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Can anyone recommend an electric floor warming system? I am considering installing them in two bathrooms in a mountain cabin. Do such systems do more than just warm the tile? Can they also warm the room? I have seen ads for SunTouch (that has a web site but no dealers listed) and for Alcatel Heating Cables, but apart from those ads, I'm ignorant of what to look for.