Warm Home Life have started a major renovation of a new house. Rointe decided to collaborate with them, and this is their experience with the ERKO underfloor heating and its installation:
The attic is not connected to the heating system of the house, so in winter it is quite cold. After evaluating all the options (electric radiators, split with heat pump, infrared emitters…) the best option has always been underfloor heating.
This is where Warm Home Life found Rointe, who have a very wide range of heating products.
They spoke to their technical department and they recommended the ERKO model for soft floors (as laminate flooring is going to be installed). It is a blanket that has a cable inside that acts as a resistance and heats up.
It is very convenient for renovations like this as it is installed directly under the final floor and does not need levelling.
Warm Home Life explains the step by step:
• Spread the insulating mesh over the entire surface. They used double-sided adhesive tape so that it doesn’t move whilst it’s being installed.
• Decide where the thermostat is going to be placed, as this is where the radiant mesh will be laid. Bear in mind that the radiant mesh cannot be cut and joined, so it will be necessary to plan a continuous route for the whole room. Always use 90 and 180 degree turns.
• Make the hole in the recessed box and the corresponding cut-out to pass the cables through. In this case they ran the cables behind the wall as there was a storage room. It is also possible to leave the whole installation above ground using channels and an 80x80mm box.
• Check that both the radiant mesh and the temperature sensor have the correct values. We only have to check the value of their electrical resistances in Ohms. Depending on the power of the radiant screen it will have some nominal values. It is all indicated in the instructions. As far as the temperature sensor is concerned, it has to have a value of approximately 10 KOhms at room temperature (20-25 degrees C).
• Start to extend the mesh from the vertical of the thermostat and make the whole route in a continuous way. Leave about 5 centimetres of separation with the walls of the room.
• Put aluminium tape at each turn to join the mesh and also every 20-25 centimetres around the perimeter so that it is fixed to the insulating mesh. This will keep the mesh grounded and prevent it from moving while the installation is being completed.
• Install the temperature probe approximately 30 cm from the wall. Make sure it does not touch or cross any of the underfloor heating cables.
• Pass all the wires to the thermostat and make the connections according to the instructions. There are only 6 wires. 2 for the temperature probe, 2 for the radiant mesh and 2 for the power supply.
• Install the ROINTE App on your phone and finish configuring all its parameters.
Warm Home Life couldn’t be happier with the result. Electric underfloor heating was the best option for them, when heating a space like this room. As no building work is required, it does not take up space, does not dry out the atmosphere and gives a very pleasant feeling of comfort.